She coughed, bile clogging her throat, struggling to see.
Streaks of fire suddenly flared in the dark walls, casting a gloomy light and revealing a massive, muggy cavern.
“Wh-what is this place?” she croaked.
“Hell,” one of the dumbasses snickered.
The air in the pitch-black corner flickered. Shadow reared back, but the two fleabags grabbed her arms, digging their fingers into her flesh, keeping her there. As a smoky shape churned, her heart crashed against her ribcage like a wrecking ball, fear constricting her very being at the sheer malevolence enclosing her.
A lean demon emerged in humanoid form. “Finally,” he growled, dropping the man he held in his black clawed fingers like a rag doll.
Sporting coppery-dark skin and a shock of white hair cut in a short mohawk, he dressed like a man of leisure in black pants and an open-collared shirt, but his dark energy scoured Shadow’s psyche like metal bristles. Anemic yellow eyes fixed on her with a malevolent stare that had her knees trembling.
“Tolvi,” she rasped.
“If you insist on a name.”
Her first mistake was thinking this gang leader would also be human—oh, shit. The truth seized her by the throat. Somehow, he’d learned of her abilities. She must have fed off one of his minions. It was the only thing that made sense. Since last winter, his thugs had run her down a few times, but she’d always managed to escape them until now.
“What do you want?” she demanded, struggling not to show fear. “For me to give you ease?”
Oh, God, please say no.
“I know all about you stealing demon energy.” He flicked her offer away with a bony finger and strolled closer. “Now why would a human require my genus’ dark energy, hmm?” He picked up a lock of her hair. “You intrigue me, human, and Ilikeanomalies…”
That was why he had his shitheads gunning her? Because she was ananomaly? Asshole.
His heavy eyebrows drew together, then his thin nostrils flared. He grabbed her by the nape and pressed his nose to her neck. A sudden roar erupted, nearly shattering Shadow’s sensitive eardrums. “I smell him on you. Where is thefragmen stercore?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
In a move too fast to see, he lashed out, his talon’s shredding her turtleneck halfway down her front. Shocked, Shadow wheezed at the hit, then the stinging burn flared over her right breast.Christ, she bit her lip, stifling her cry as she grabbed her torn top.
“That’s for lying. What is this?” Tolvi snagged her wrists to her back in a painful hold, his pallid gaze fixed on her exposed chest. He raked a talon on her flesh, alongside her nodes.
Oh, God…She choked back an anguished scream.Her breath caught on another wave of pain as he tried to dig out the middle node.Please, make him stop.
“By the flamin’ pits of Gehenna, they’ve become a part of you!” His eyes literally blazed, streaks of flame shooting out. “I will kill him…” Shadow barely heard Tolvi’s ranting, consumed in pain. Bits floated to her. “Mongrel thinks he can claim what is mine…mistaken…the power…mine.”
One word registered.Power?Her nodes?
She would have laughed if she could. They were damn parasites and killing her.
Mongrel? No, not the Guardian—Nate?
Dammit,Nate, what did you take from this psycho?
“Bring your maker to me, human. You have two days.” He stepped back, licking his bloodied talon.
So this asshole could kill him? Never.
Tolvi smiled as if he knew her thoughts. His eyes morphing into black holes, he hauled the fallen man off the floor, and the guy moaned, his head flopping back.
“Tian?” Her fingers tightened on her top. She recognized him, one of the homeless, and Eddi’s friend.
A flash of his hand, and Tolvi sliced the man’s carotid with a talon. Blood spurted like a fountain. He dropped the convulsing body. “He’s only the beginning. If you don’t do as I decree, then The Refuge you hide in will cease to exist after I unleash my minions.”
“My lord,” one of the fleabags who abducted her rumbled. “She had a Guardian of this realm with her earlier. They’re bad news for our kind…”
