It occurred to me that this might be a test. Did they expect me to back down?
Screw it, I thought.
“I’ll do it.”
4
My purse hit the side table door with a thump. I dropped my motorcycle helmet on the cluttered dining room table. My blouse landed on the floor in a heap, leaving me clad in a white camisole and jeans. I discarded my black stiletto Mary Janes in the hallway on my way to the kitchen.
I grabbed a beer from the fridge and chugged it as I started the water in the bathroom. In the shower, the water scalded the stress of meeting with the Dominae from my skin. Afterwards, I wrapped myself in my favorite robe. The short silk hem tickled my thighs as I walked back into the kitchen to grab another beer.
As I closed the fridge door, the air suddenly crackled with electricity. Through the breakfast bar, I saw a flash of green light and a puff of smoke. I grabbed my gun from the kitchen counter and ran into the room with my heart palpitating. When I saw what waited for me, the bottle crashed to the floor. Broken glass and cold beer coated my stinging shins.
The demon stared down at me with a fierce scowl. His eyes had horizontal pupils, and black horns jutted from his temples. Two wicked-looking black claws rested on scaly green hips. My stomach felt like I’d swallowed frozen stones. My mind screamed for me to move, but the message got lost in translation on the way to my limbs.
“Sabina Kane.” His voice had this odd echo effect, as if it came from another dimension. A reptilian smile hovered on his black lips. This wasn’t a social call. I crouched low, ready for battle. I’d never fought a demon, but damned if I was going to stand there like some B-movie actress waiting for him to kill me.
“Get out.” I pointed the gun at his chest.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said—at least I thought it was a he. The black leather codpiece kind of hinted in that direction. A wooden stake appeared in his claw, the tip whittled down to a single spear-like point.
That didn’t bode well. “Who sent you?” I slowly stepped to the right, trying to find a way to the exit. The demon’s eyes tracked me.
He didn’t answer, just moved a couple of steps forward. I held my ground, but tightened my grip on the gun. I didn’t know if the apple bullets worked on demons, but they might slow it down. I glanced at the stake. The demon would have to get in close range to use it, whereas I had the gun. I pulled back the slide and squeezed the trigger twice.
The bullets ripped through the demon’s chest. He blinked and looked down at the two rapidly healing holes. “That wasn’t very nice.” The stake disappeared and a crossbow took its place.
Panic froze me to the floor. My brain screamed at me to move, move, move. Instead, I watched the demon lift the crossbow as if in slow motion. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The arrow flew through the air so fast I barely saw it before it slammed into my chest. I flew back as the arrow went through my body and speared me to the wall. I registered the impact on some level, but my mind was too busy dealing with the fact I was about to die. Any second my body would burst into flames and I’d be gone. Poof. Nothing left but a pile of ash.
Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I closed my eyes and waited. There was no pain. Just shock and a dull sense of inevitability.
“Why haven’t you exploded yet?” The demon was closer now, only a few feet away. I opened one eye to look at the arrow. Blood bloomed from the site of impact, just over my left breast.
“I—I don’t know.” Holding myself up became difficult as the seconds passed.
“Hmm. I wonder if I should stake you just to be sure.”
“I’d really prefer it if you didn’t,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll ignite any second.” I focused on the pain, which had just started to register. It didn’t feel like I was about to combust, though. It felt more like a freaking arrow had ripped through my heart. Not the best feeling in the world, but I had to imagine it paled in comparison to having my immortal soul sucked from my body in a fiery death.
The demon came forward without warning and jerked the arrow from my body. The damned thing had lodged itself so deep it took a couple of good pulls to get it loose. I grunted against the pain, and cold sweat broke out on my forehead. The tip of the arrow finally came free with a disgusting sucking noise. I collapsed to the floor and curled up in the fetal position in the puddle of spilled beer.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the demon hold the arrow up to the light. He lifted the tip to his mouth and his forked tongue darted out to taste the blood. My blood. I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut. At that point, I almost hoped he’d stake me. No words exist to describe the pain.
“Well, I guess that’s that.” The demon’s hooves click-clacked against the hardwoods. I felt him hovering close. “You okay?”
My eyes snapped open. Already, my heightened healing powers were making quick work of the wounds. “Am I okay?” I barked. “You just shot me through the heart with an arrow!”
“Hey, it’s nothing personal.”
I levered myself into a sitting position against the wall. The pain was fading but I felt drained. I’d need blood soon to make up for what I’d lost. “Here’s a tip,” I said. “Next time you want to kill a vampire you might try apple wood.”
The demon frowned. “Hello? What do you take me for? An idiot? It was apple wood.”
What little blood I had left in my head drained out. “You’re wrong. If that was apple wood, why am I still alive?”
“That is the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”
“Who sent you?”
He ignored my question and leaned forward, looking me over. “You should be incinerated.” He sniffed the air. “Wait a second, what the heck are you? Your scent is weird.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m Lilim.”
“You don’t smell like one,” it said. “Vampires smell like blood. You’ve got that going for you, but there’s something else. Sandalwood?”
“Geez, interrupt much?” I said. “I was about to say that I’m only half vamp. The other half is mage.”
His eyes widened. “That’s f**ked up.”
“You’re telling me.”
“So what now?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean? Since I obviously can’t kill you, you’re going to leave and I’m going to try to figure out who summoned you so I can kill them.”