Kiki's dragons suddenly bellowed at the door as Odis nearly broke it down trying to get out. Maeve followed him and Kade was about to before he stopped to look at me.
Although his orange eyes were filled with rage, I saw them soften with concern once they met mine.
"Stay in here, in the corner," he whispered to me which I almost didn't hear over the sudden yells and bangs sounding from outside.
Without giving me any bit of reassurance, he hurried out the door with Kiki and her dragons in tow, leaving me all by myself with no type of defense.
Mom had made me take a couple of martial arts classes when I was younger but that was when I was only...thirteen, maybe? And besides, I was sure a few kicks and punches weren't going to take down whatever was outside that door.
So I decided to use Kade's method instead and huddle in the far corner of the room, pulling my knees to my chest as if thinking that would make things better.
It didn't.
But it made me feel secluded in my own world, in my own safe room. I felt a tad better knowing I wasn't the one having to go out and face whatever demonic creatures were raiding the bar.
But I also felt bad knowing I was probably the reason they were here.
Feeling my body start to shake and my skin tingle, I tucked my face in between my knees and listened in horrified silence at the screams of both "humans" and creatures.
I could hear more of the screeching and more glass was being shattered every five seconds it seemed. Tables and chairs (I presumed by the sound of breaking wood) were being broken, also, and I could faintly here Kade yelling something over all the noise.
He was angry. Angrier than before.
Nothing but pure fury.
I flinched so many times, I thought my joints would lock up or my body would break out into endless spasms.
I wanted to get out of here. I wanted to get home.
Another loud screech excelled over everything else and I could've sworn it was Xur, who I hoped was getting his ass kicked by Kade or some other powerful supernatural.
But then another, slightly different screech followed it and I automatically knew there were more gargoyles out there than I had originally thought.
I tired to cover my ears and block out the noise but of course, everyone knows that never works.
I was shaking more than before as the "human" screams became more pain-filled rather than angry and the gargoyles bellowed with what sounded like victory screeches.
My hope of staying safe suddenly diminished when the door of the conference room was ripped from its hinges and flew all the way across the room.
I let out a unintended scream when another thing, a "human", flew through the air and hit the wall after it, immediately falling to the floor in a useless heap.
It took me no time to recognize Kade's black hair and muscular form.
He groaned in pain and tried to pull himself to his feet, being splattered in more blood than before. His face was covered in bruises and gashes and also painted in the crimson-red liquid which made him look more intimidating than weak. But besides that, he looked badly damaged.
A few seconds later, something else came through the now open doorway and I felt my heart beat stop.
Xur.
His sharp teeth were displayed by a broad and menacing smile, while he took his time walking up to Kade.
It wasn't until here, seeing him standing in the light, did I notice how big he was; much bigger than a small man. He was at least Kade's height (around 6'2'') or maybe a bit shorter, but seeing his full size didn't make me feel any better.
And this was only him slouching over while he walked similarly to a chimpanzee. I couldn't imagine how big he'd be if he stood straight up.
His gaze was focused on Kade struggling to get up before he noticed me shaking in the corner.
And when he did, his smile grew bigger.
"Oh... Bella, isn't it? How nice it is to see you again," he growled happily. Hearing him say my name made this scene ten times worse.
I felt tears form at the back of my eyes. Just looking at him reminded me of something a kid might be scared of finding under their bed or in their closet.
Hopefully, none of them knew those monsters actually existed.
"Leave her alone," Kade barked, his voice weak with pain. He had managed to pull himself to his knees but that seemed to be all he could do at the moment. My heart ached for him.
Xur's smile weakened when he glared back at Kade, seeming to analyze his condition. "If you haven't noticed, boy, your 'buddies' are being demolished out there. I honestly don't know how much longer they'll last, considering we are the strongest species to roam this earth."
Kade pulled his right arm, which now had a long red gash running along the forearm, across his stomach and coughed up a few drops of blood.
My heart cracked dramatically when I fully realized this was all my fault.
"Lies," Kade groaned as he continued to try to pull himself to his feet. "If anything...," he took a deep, raspy breath, "your kind is the weakest!" Another raspy breath. "You all deserve to perish in Hell! And I swear, if it's the last thing I do, I'll-"
"You'll what?" Xur cut him off with a crude, mocking tone. "Gather your little pity-party and kick us down again? You see how that worked out last time, right? We're back, Kayden. And we're staying... for good."
"He's right. A spawn of Satan like you deserves to rot."
I covered my mouth when the words suddenly slipped out. Not once had I really expected to stand up to the creature and not once had I expected to gain so much confidence. My legs almost gave out from under me when Xur shot his gaze back at me.
But all I saw was amusement in his expression.
"What was that? Did the little cub finally gain its roar?" He paused and chuckled as if the whole scenario was funny to him. "Well, well, well... I'm quite impressed, actually." Another, longer pause. "But not enough that my dazzlement overrides my anger. I don't think you're in any position to disrespect me."
His amusement, along with my courage, suddenly vanished as he began to approach me intimidatingly, walking on those ugly, black knuckles of his.
My stomach immediately became churned and all I could do was freeze.
My heart was pounding out of my chest already and I was beginning to become lightheaded. I began feeling more like a coward than anything else at the moment as the hideous creature inched closer.
But I didn't want to be a coward. I didn't want these people putting their lives on the line for me, someone who was completely not worth dying for.
I inhaled a deep, concentrating breath.
I attempted to even out my thoughts and tried my hardest to wipe the fear from my expression.
I was scared out of my mind, of course, and knew this would be my end but it didn't keep me from trying.
I wasn't going to be a wimp.
And suddenly, as if on cue, I started feeling something like an adrenaline rush. My chest filled with something so strong... so tingly... that it spread down my arms and to my fingertips. Then on down to my toes and up to my cheeks.
The feeling was overwhelming... in a good way, and I felt confidence breaking through the wall that blocked the courage from flowing inside my head.
I glanced over at Kade to examine his condition again and noticed he was staring directly at me, his orange eyes glowing brighter than before. It might've been me losing my mind when something seemed to slap me in the face and flow through the veins in my body. It sent the adrenaline rushing faster and my heart beating madly with not fear but... courage.
Either my insanity was doing something completely abnormal or Kade was doing something extremely supernatural with my head, but I knew...
...my confidence had suddenly broke through the wall. And with that confidence and courage mixed together, I felt unstoppable.
Kade and I had our gazes locked for another millisecond before I turned my head and glared heavily at the beastly gargoyle approaching me at a snail's pace.
Although frowning, I saw the victorious smile behind his eyes.
"Don't celebrate before you're sure you've won," I snapped boldly at him.
All fear? Gone.
The muscle over his right eye twitched upwards questioningly and surprisingly as he came to an abrupt stop.
"Amazing how you picked that up," he growled. "It's impressive but also annoying." He paused and squinted his amber eyes at me. "And if you think trash talking is going to get you out of this... well I have bad news for you, honey. It's not going to work."
My teeth crushed together in anger.
"Do. Not. Call. Me. Honey. Pig!"
And as if the spark hit the dynamite, Xur went full flying monkey on me and lurched forward, extending his dangerously long claws ahead of him.
The black points nearly struck my face before I managed to act fast and move out of the way. He slammed face first into the wall, obviously not thinking I'd react that quick, and spun around to face me.
A loud, hideous and angry screech erupted from his throat.
I wanted to cover my ears and run but I swore to myself I wouldn't be a coward.
I wouldn't give up.
Just as he tried to pounce on me again, I picked up one of the wooden chairs pushed under the conference table and swung it at him, it being my only line of defense.
He took it right to the face and stumbled to his left, so I picked up a second chair and brought it down on the back of his head, knocking him onto the floor.
A third one was then swung at him. And then a fourth. And a fifth; all breaking under the impact.
I was doing my best to knock him out but it didn't seem to be working. All I managed to do was slow him down a bit.
So, making sure he was unstable enough, I rushed over to Kade to offer him any kind of assistance.
If I got him up and running again, maybe we could tag-team Xur's ass.
"Do you have some kind of death wish or something?" he groaned as I slipped a skinny arm around his waist. The humor in his voice was obvious but I also picked up on the frustration.
"Probably," I mumbled quickly as his arm snaked around my neck. He placed a hand on my stomach to help with his support which made me flush madly and tense at the shoulders.
"Using wooden chairs to take down one of the biggest and most dangerous gargoyles ever to roam the earth... great plan," he said as I helped him over to the conference table.
"Well, excuse me. I obviously haven't gained my superhero powers yet, so right now, I'm sticking to my human ways," I teased without much humor, eyeing the groaning creature on the floor a few feet away.
He leaned against the table and coughed a couple of times when a sexy smirk crossed over his lips.
"So... you always kill gargoyles with chairs?"
I couldn't help but smile back, even at a time like this when Xur was beginning to regain himself. Just a few minutes ago, Kade was unbelievably furious, but right now, he was poking fun at me.
I was beginning to tease him back when Xur began moving a bit more and pulled himself up slightly.
Both mine and Kade's smiles faded.
"Are you strong enough to take him on?" I mumbled, realizing I had huddled myself close to him. His eyes brightened.
"You obviously haven't met me yet," he answered as he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
And as if all his wounds were gone, he straightened himself out and walked up to Xur confidently. His chest expanded with air as his foot slammed into the beast's torso.
"Stand against me and you shall fall below me," he growled.
I watched with admiration and stepped a couple of feet back as Kade bent over and grabbed Xur by the throat. Xur was still slightly out of it but he had enough strength to fight back and claw at Kade's arm.
That didn't seem to do anything, though.
My jaw almost dropped with disbelief when Kade defiantly picked him off the floor, as if the gargoyle weighed no more than ten pounds, and threw him into the wall eight feet away.
I was almost lost in thought when I realized that the screeches and screams were still sounding from outside, only louder than before due to the door being gone. I couldn't see what was happening since the kitchen was in between the conference room and the front of the bar, but it didn't help with the noise.
And it didn't help with my guilt.
I tried to switch my train of thought to focusing on Kade who now had Xur pinned against the wall, pounding angry fists into his bat face.
Xur was fully conscious now and he did not look happy.
After a couple more swings, the tides turned and he sliced a set of five claws across Kade's shoulder which made him yell in pain and back off.
I felt the need to grab a chair and hurl it across the room before something strange started happening.
The lights started flickering at an unusual speed. A rather... abnormal speed. A few seconds later, the flickering slowed to a steady heart-beat rhythm and caused Xur's form to be quite frightening in the shadows.
I jumped as a sudden clap of thunder accompanied the eerie scenario. And then a flash of lightening came from somewhere outside of the kitchen.
Rain suddenly started pounding against the roof of the building when the lights flickered a couple more times and became oddly dim.
Kade and I glanced around frantically, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I found no explanation and it seemed neither did he.
But both our gazes eventually fell back on Xur who was now expressing his sharp teeth with another broad and menacing smile.
His eyes locked onto Kade and twitched slightly as a low growl erupted from the back of his throat. Kade was utterly confused but he grew angry once again and that emotion seemed to prevail over all else.
As another flash of lightening somehow lit the dim room, it enlightened Xur's silhouetted face and I suddenly drowned in another wave of fear. His voice came out in a deep whisper.
"Looks like Daddy's home."