by Linsey Hall
Behind me, the sound of a demon hissing hallmarked Declan’s quick attacks. I backed up, my shoulder touching his lightly so I knew no demons could sneak up on me from behind. Warmth surged through me at the contact.
A demon lunged for me, and I thrust my blade into its middle, then yanked it to the side. The creature hissed and fell backward, but not before landing a swipe to my arm that stung like hell.
Warm blood dripped, turned red by my suit.
I ignored it, lunging for another monster and slicing it through the middle. A second approached almost immediately after, landing a slice to my thigh. Claws tore through my muscle and agony flared.
Declan and I moved fast, but the monsters were good. They landed almost as many blows as I did. Mine were killing blows, at least. The bodies piled up as we moved in tandem, a deadly dance that was highly effective.
Every inch of my body ached, wounds seeping blood, but finally, the last of the demons lay dead.
“We make a good team,” Declan said from behind me. He didn’t even sound out of breath.
“Yeah.” Panting, I staggered away from him.
I wanted to get a move on, but damn, did I hurt. First things first—I needed to find a place to heal myself. I staggered toward a tree, leaning against the bark and drawing in a deep breath.
Healing was a power that Mari and I had almost given ourselves permanently, but it was too risky. After we’d given ourselves the power of lightning, our signatures had grown. They’d doubled in strength, becoming nearly impossible to hide.
We’d decided we couldn’t risk it.
Declan approached, his big body covered in just as many cuts as my own. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.” Except for the fact that he was watching me. I didn’t want to heal myself in front of him. The last thing I needed was him noticing how I used my magic. He’d eventually figure out that I had a lot of unrelated skills that weren’t easily explained.
He stepped closer, towering over me.
Boy, he’s big.
“You don’t look fine.” Concern creased his brow. “Let me heal you.”
I blinked at him. “Um, how?”
There were all kinds of healing magic, and I definitely didn’t want to agree to anything weird.
“Like this.” He hovered his hand over my shoulder, magic sparking from him.
Warmth radiated from his palm. Tension prickled over my skin. He wasn’t even touching me yet, and my heart was racing.
“You have some kind of healing angel light?” I asked.
“Pretty much.”
I only had to think about it for a second before I nodded. This would save me the magic, and there was no way to slip away and heal myself without giving him the lead. “Okay, thanks.”
He stood so close that I could almost feel the heat of him, and damn, did he smell good. Like the forest and a cool breeze. My heart started to pound.
“I’m going to touch you now.” He spoke in a low tone that brushed over my skin. He probably said it to be polite, but all it did was ratchet up the tension to an unbearable level.
I knew what was coming, and I wanted it.
His hand pressed to my shoulder, and time slowed. Warmth flowed through me as his magic surged into my body. It filled me from within, a glowing light that drove away the pain and knit my wounds back together.
I looked up. His dark gaze was pinned to mine.
A connection formed between us—magic or emotion or desire or something. Whatever it was, it was strong.
Unable to help myself, I swayed toward him, my gaze glued to his. As the pain faded from my body, desire took its place. I couldn’t help but notice how broad his shoulders were, how full his lips.
I swallowed hard, wanting nothing more than to rise up on my toes and press my lips to his.
Not a terrible idea, right?
Slowly, I rose up on my tiptoes. His hand shifted to cup the back of my neck, warm and strong. My head buzzed with desire, every inch of me prickling with awareness.
He bent his neck, moving toward me.
His lips were nearly to mine when a bird screeched in the distance.
It dragged me out of my haze, and I jumped.
Oh fates, this was a bad idea.
Not only did I have a demon to catch—pronto—kissing the fallen angel was a dumb idea. For one, it’d increase his interest in me. I didn’t need that. Nor did I need to grow attached, no matter how much I wanted to lock lips with him.
I pulled back. “Thanks for healing me.”
Without meeting his gaze, I slipped to the side and sprinted away, heading through the forest and up the mountain. I ran like the hounds of hell were on my tail, chasing me down.
In a sense, they were. Because this guy lit me on fire.
He had to heal himself, so that would give me a few seconds of lead time. The fact that he’d chosen to heal me before himself—even though he’d been covered in just as many wounds—didn’t escape me. Maybe I was a bitch for ditching him, but I had a necromancer demon to kill.
Up ahead, a massive cliff wall rose high. A narrow gorge cut through it, just like Marie the voodoo priestess had described. I raced for it, glancing back to check on Declan’s progress.
A golden light glowed around his body as he healed the cuts that covered him. I turned back and raced into the gorge.
Tall stone walls towered high on either side, and the narrow valley was studded with massive boulders. I darted around them, slowing a bit as I got a hit of dark magic.
I vaulted over a boulder and ducked under a tree root that grew out of the wall to my left. In the distance, a dark blob in the sky caught my eye. I squinted, trying to make out what it was.
It dived low, headed for me.
A moment later, I spotted them.
Bats. Hundreds of bats, out in the daylight.
That alone was weird. Their fangs were even weirder. Long and white and sharp.
They swooped low, aiming right for my head. When they were almost upon me, I ducked. My heart thundered as they whooshed by, their little claws tearing at my hair.
I straightened and looked up, searching for them. They’d spun around in the air and were headed back for me.
Ah, shit.
Quickly, I sliced my finger with my thumbnail and envisioned a flame bursting forth. I turned and blew on my hand. A massive fireball exploded toward the bats, which shrieked and darted away.
Only briefly, though.
They plunged again.
Shit. Could I make enough fire to drive them off?
Maybe not.
Up ahead, a thorny tangle of vines protruded out of the cliff walls on either side. There was about eight feet of space below them—just enough for me to run under.
I sprinted faster, racing for the vines and praying the demon bats didn’t like thorns. A few of the little bastards caught up to me, nipping at my shoulders with their sharp fangs.
Pain flared, a taster of what would happen if hundreds of them landed on me.
They’d devour me.
My lungs burned as I pushed myself harder, sprinting beneath the vines. I turned and used the same magic that I had before, blasting a bit of fire at the entrance to the makeshift tunnel. It drove away the few that had followed me in.
The bats shrieked their rage, flying away.
I sprinted through the tunnel, looking up through the thorny vines. The bats flew overhead, trying to find a way to get to me, but they couldn’t. The vines were too thick, and the bats were too stupid to fly low to the ground and enter the tunnel the same way I had. Or my fire had scared them off.
Either way, they disappeared within seconds, no doubt off to find easier prey. I hurried through the tunnel, finally reaching the end of the vines. The cliff walls still towered high on either side of me, but my thorny ceiling was gone.
I looked up, heart thundering, and searched the sky for bats.
None.
Thank fates.
I kept up my p
ace, darting around boulders and looking up to search for bats.
Magic prickled on my skin as I navigated between the boulders. It grew stronger and stronger, making my stomach turn.
Something was coming.
Not just Declan, who had to be gaining on me from behind.
I reached out with my magic, trying to get a feel for what was headed toward me. I couldn’t tell exactly, but there was darkness in the air here. A protective charm that would hurt when it finally went off.
When the ground dropped out from beneath me, a scream tore from my throat. I plummeted, my stomach hurtling upward, and reached for something. Anything.
Except there were no tree roots to grab onto, and no ledges. Just smooth wall as I fell into a huge pit in the ground.
Shit!
I needed to create some magic. Something to get me out of this. Growing wings was too complicated for a little spell like the ones I normally used to create wind or make suggestions to people.
Think, think. I can do this.
I could conjure a grappling hook.
Something appeared above me, shooting downward. A massive dark figure with wings. In half a second, I was swept up into strong arms. I stopped falling immediately, my stomach plunging back into place so hard that I nearly puked. My head spun.
Declan.
I clung to his broad shoulders. Oh, thank fates.
Concern darkened his eyes, and his massive wings moved close to his body as we rose slowly through the tunnel.
“Mind if I save you this time?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine.” I probably would have thought of something before I’d smashed to the ground, but I was no moron. This was much easier and safer. I’d actually wanted to fall into the ocean. But here? Nah, I was happy with getting a lift. “Thanks.”
The edge of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “Anytime.”
A tiny flare of heat triggered in my middle, and I suddenly realized how good he felt. All coiled muscle and strength. How much warmth his body channeled into mine. I resisted clinging harder to him as we approached the mouth of the hole I’d fallen into.
I had some restraint, after all. Though if I wasn’t going to go for this indulgence, I kind of wanted some Cheetos. Maybe a chocolate bar.
“You don’t strike me as the type to walk into a hole,” he said.
“An illusion.” I shuddered at the memory of the ground dropping out from beneath my feet. “I could feel that there was magic in the air but couldn’t figure out what kind of spell it was from. By the time I’d put my foot down, I was already falling.”
“Well, you broke the illusion, at least. Because the hole is obvious now.”
“Thank fates. I don’t want to step into another.”
Declan flew out of the hole and into the gorge. I could no longer feel the dark magic prickling on the air, and he was right. The hole in the ground yawned beneath us, totally visible. When I’d fallen in, the spell must have triggered and snapped. Someone would have to cast it again or it would rebuild itself, but that was a more difficult type of magic.
I didn’t want to be around to find out which it was.
I pointed to the far end of the hole on the side where I was heading. “You can drop me there.”
“You don’t want a ride?” He grinned, his smile devastatingly sexy. “Because I certainly don’t mind holding you.”
I pointed to the gorge ahead of us. Roots had grown out of the two walls on either side, and they formed a barrier through the middle of the gorge. Just like the one that had protected me from the bats. The only way to get any farther was on foot.
“Not possible,” I said.
He looked up, brows rising. “Seems I was distracted.”
He looked at me.
The implication was obvious.
“You can just put me down now, thanks.” I was getting entirely too warm and antsy in his arms. Like I wanted to kiss him.
And kissing him was almost the exact opposite of chasing down the necromancer demon.
Declan set me on the ground, and I didn’t waste any time.
“Thanks.” I sprinted away from him, through the gorge. Without the dark magic crackling in the air, I could be fairly confident that another hole wasn’t going to open up under my feet.
Though I didn’t look back to see Declan behind me, I could feel him. He was right on my tail. Man, he was fast. Anyone who could keep up with me had to have a bit of supernatural speed.
Up ahead, the gorge ended, opening up into a grove of some kind. I could make out trees and a blue glow. More dark magic prickled on the air, but this was different. This was no spell.
It was the signature of a demon. It smelled of dead bodies and rot and decay.
Necromancer demon.
I picked up the pace, sprinting as fast as I could. No matter what, I’d beat Declan to this damned demon. If the fallen angel had a transport charm on him, he could disappear with my prey in the blink of an eye.
Not on my watch.
I conjured a dagger from the ether, ready to hurl it at the demon as soon as I saw him.
A moment later, I raced into the clearing. It was an enormous pit in the ground, at least the size of a football field. Cliffs rose tall on all sides, putting us in an arena filled with tall pine trees and pillars of rock.
But it was the glowing blue pool in the middle of the space that caught my eye. Magic pulsed from it lightly. The scent of the necromancer demon was fading, as if he were no longer nearby. It cleared the air so I could smell the pool, which had the faint, fresh scent of water overlaid with a floral aroma.
Quickly, I scanned the rest of the space, searching for the demon. I could just barely smell him, though I couldn’t see him. He had to be somewhere in this weird arena grove. I just had to find him.
A pillar of rock to my right caught my eye. It hung out over the pool and was a perfect vantage point. I raced toward it and scrambled up the rock until I reached the top, about twenty feet in the air.
To my left, Declan appeared at the exit of the gorge. He scanned the space quickly, and I left him to it, turning my gaze toward the pool below me.
It glittered an inviting blue, and within, a shadow swam. A big shadow. A vaguely demon-shaped shadow.
He’s in the damned pool.
Hell yeah.
Probably retrieving something, just as Marie had said.
I crouched low, keeping my dagger at the ready. I’d just wait and nail him as soon as he surfaced. The element of surprise would be on my side.
Though the water was clear, it rippled and pulsed with blue light, making it hard to see exactly what the demon was doing. I glanced over toward Declan, my jaw dropping.
He’d shucked off his shirt and was removing his boots.
Holy fates, he was ripped.
I blinked stupidly, staring at him, then scowled.
The bastard was going to ruin my surprise. He’d spotted the demon, too, and was going to go after him.
Damn it.
“Why don’t you come in?” Declan shouted up at me. “Water looks good.”
Argh. I didn’t bother responding.
If he was going in the water, that meant I was going in the water. And I wasn’t about to waste time. I didn’t even bother shucking off my boots—I was a strong enough swimmer that they wouldn’t bother me.
I gripped my blade tightly and sucked in a deep breath, then dove into the pool. The cold water closed around me as I plunged deep. Immediately, I opened my eyes. Bright blue assailed me, and my vision was slightly distorted due to the pressure of the water.
I searched for the demon, kicking around in a circle.
There.
He was right behind me, swimming up from the bottom. His grey form was even bigger than I’d anticipated, like some massive horned shark.
Looks like I’m going fishing.
I kicked hard toward him, swimming as fast as I could through tall spires of brilliant green seaweed and past sparkling fish. Th
e magic in the water pulsed around me.
Nearly to him.
Up close, I spotted the big bag in his right hand. It was a rough leather bag closed up with a drawstring, and I’d bet my year’s salary from the Apothecary’s Jungle that it was full of the ingredients for whatever evil necromancer shit he had planned. In his other hand, he gripped a black glass dagger.
An obsidian athame.
The ancient knives were a relatively rare tool used in magic—he must have recovered it from the bottom of this pool and not yet stuffed it in his bag.
The demon’s head jerked as he spotted me swimming toward him. I gripped my blade tight and kicked hard, reaching him a second later.
I swung my dagger, the water pulling on my arm so my motions were slow and sluggish. The steel pierced the demon’s arm, and he shouted but didn’t drop the dagger. Bubbles poured from his mouth, and I could just barely hear the roar through the water.
He swung his other arm toward me. It was the hand that gripped the bag, and he slammed the leather into me so hard that I tumbled backward through the water, my head aching.
Disorientation gripped me, and I kicked, trying to figure out which way was up. Which way led back toward the demon. He’d hit me so hard that it was obvious there wasn’t anything breakable in the bag. Rocks, more like.
My lungs were starting to burn, but I still had a few seconds left in me. Frantic, I searched for the demon.
Instead, I spotted Declan. Then my prey.
The fallen angel was swimming fast, and he’d nearly reached our target. The demon was alert now. The dagger was no longer in his hand, so he must have shoved it in his bag. And he was only about fifteen feet from the surface. But he’d spotted Declan coming for him. He kicked, turning in the water to face the fallen angel. Declan didn’t have a weapon on him.
Nope. The dumb bounty hunter was trying to take him alive. I’d felt the strength in those muscles. He’d have a damn good shot.
The necromancer demon shot toward Declan, and I felt the first pang of fear.
That was weird.
The demon should be running.
Declan neared the demon and grabbed for him. The bastard struck out with his hand and smacked Declan in the head.
Dumb demon. A punch underwater, where the viscous liquid slowed your strike, wouldn’t hurt a supernatural. Especially not a fallen angel.
