Before she could respond, a whiff of sulfuric air stung her nose. Ely stilled as the icy vibration coasted over her psyche. It wasn’t from the few local Otium demons waiting to get into the club, but the real deal straight from the Dark Realm. And they were on the hunt.
“I’ll let you know. Gotta go.” Her mind already on her job, she raced past the long queue of chattering humans, then ducked into the narrow alley and dematerialized, tracking the stench.
Moments later, she reformed in a rundown part of the Bowery, her heightened hearing picking up low grunts and snarls, and her mystical weapon inked on her biceps stirred in warning. Keeping to the shadows of the old grubby building, she trailed a short distance behind the pack, squabbling among themselves.
Ely slowed, determined to end these vile miscreants who killed with no remorse, some of whom were as beautiful as the divine angels. And she would, as soon as she found out what they were after.
A fiery hellfire bolt hissed like a crimson laser in the night. A demon yowled, leaping back. The odor of charred flesh saturated the icy air. Guttural growls emitted from the others, their eyes glowing red in the night as they continued bickering.
“He’s mine!” one growled, fangs flashing.
Blood demons! These curs didn’t merely steal souls, they drained the humans, too, relishing in the addictive high of consuming mortal plasma.
Ely willed her Gaian weapon to her. It detached from her biceps in an eddy of dark smoke, taking shape in her hand in the misleading length of a black walking stick. One she could snap into twin glaives when needed.
The demons’ heads twisted toward her, blinking like ghoulish, red-eyed owls.
“She’s mine,” another chafed.
Yes, seeing a defenselesshumanfemale, since she’d shut off her allure, was right up their morbid alley.
Her internal radar clanged in warning. Ely pivoted and rammed her deadly weapon at the demon sneaking up on her, nailing him in the gorge. Blood gushed, and he stumbled back, grabbing his throat. She spun her staff, keeping them at bay. Another leaped at her, and she lashed out with a flying kick, her spiked boot heel slicing him across the chest.
A tanker slammed into her back, and the air exploded from her lungs as she flew face-first toward the wall. Shit! She flung out her hand to stop the crash. Instead, her head and hand went right through the brick wall—
Urias!She reared back, feeling as if her chest would explode.
Too furious to understand what just happened, Ely wheeled around, gulping in a huge breath. They surrounded her like rabid dogs, ogling her like their next meal. The maggots!
“You shouldn’t have followed us, female!” a stocky cur grinned. “Your little stick won’t help you now. But you’re too lovely not to taste.” He rubbed his crotch. “Then we’re going to drink you dry.”
The scum! “Try.”
They swarmed her from all sides. Adrenaline spiking, she moved in a blur, her weapon lengthening and spinning, slicing and stabbing. Shrieks echoed. A punch landed on the side of her head, and she stumbled backward. Stars exploded, pain careening through her skull. Her senses swam. She was going to crucify the effin cretins!
Teeth clenched, fingers tightening on her weapon, she eyed the asses as they crept closer, smirking and revealing fangs as if they had her cornered.
Oh, yeah? Time to spice up this fight.
She summoned the shadows from the alley. Like eerie fingers, they shot forward and seized the demons circling her, hauling and trapping them against the building like insects stuck in smoky webs. Screeches erupted, assaulting her ears. But it opened a path to the victim, revealing a dark, hooded figure hunched over the human lying on the sidewalk.
What the hell? The cur was feeding?
Another demon flashed in front of her, blocking her view, and more of the vermin backed him up. This one was reed thin and pretty. Pale curly hair hugged his skull, the color almost matching his milk-white cherubic features.
“Female.” He angled his head and smiled, then his nose twitched. “By the darkness, you smell…incredible. Come,” he crooned in a hypnotic hum, dark eyes flashing a deep red, his invasive stare sliding over her body as if licking her.
For that alone, she wanted to gouge out his eyeballs and make him eat them before killing him.
“Come female—”
“Enough!” an icy voice snapped. The utterly lethal tone had Ely freezing for a split second.
A shadowy blur catapulted over the horde and landed in front of them, sending the remaining demons scattering, his hood falling off his head. Even the anemic cur took a step back as their leader stalked over like some predator of the night. His long coat flew open, revealing black jeans hugging muscled thighs.
If he thought she would fall back, yeah, too bad for him.
Weapon braced, she waited, fed up with the lot and their freaking arrogance.
