She’d fixed that demon whore. Cara would be ending up in jail soon.
“You left evidence behind. Very, very sloppy of you, sweetheart.”
So she wasn’t as smart as he was. Not as good at cleaning up. “The cops don’t have anything on me.” She forced a smile. “They think it’s that singer, Cara. I just called the detective, you know, the one who’s been watching her at the club…”
His hand dropped to her throat. Caressed the skin. “And?”
“I-I told him that her alibi was crap. That the people at the club were lying.” Her heartbeat began to steady as hope raised its head.
Maybe she could smooth the situation over with him. He wanted Cara to take the fall for the killings. She’d just given him the other woman on a silver platter.
Surely that made up for a little extra murder?
His fingers began to squeeze her throat. “You’re so f**king stupid.”
The pain of his steely grasp brought tears to her eyes. She blinked, trying to block the moisture from falling. She could get out of this mess. There was still time.
But her heart had started to race again.
“He’s screwing her now,” he spat the words at her. “When you called Detective Brooks, she was in his bed.” A laugh. Cold.
Deadly. “She would have heard everything you said. She’ll know what’s happening now, Susan. She’ll start hunting you.”
“W-won’t…f-find…m-me…” Talking was hard with his fingers digging into her windpipe. She barely managed to gasp out the words.
Then his hand was gone and she dragged air into her lungs, sucking in the oxygen desperately.
“Of course, she will. Demons are very, very good at hunting. Almost as good as those f**king animal shifters.”
But that Cara, she was just a piece of fluff. Susan wasn’t scared of her. She’d cut the demon up, just like she’d cut Tommy—
He laughed at her. “You still don’t understand what you’re up against, do you?”
Now she was getting pissed. “I…understand th-that you…need me.” He couldn’t kill without her. She was the bait. The perfect setup. Though the demon might be furious, he wasn’t going to do anything stupid. “Look, I th-think…the rules between us…need to change.” The sex was great. Hell, sex was always great after a kill. And he’d been giving her money. Gotten her a nicer place.
But now the shift of power was about to turn, in her favor. Susan let a smile curve her lips.
His eyes narrowed. “Actually, Susan, I don’t need you anymore at all.”
Just like that, her fate was sealed.
She shoved against him, hard, seeing her death in the darkness of his gaze. The bastard laughed again and stepped back, and she managed to twist and yank her knife from its sheath. “You stay the hell back!” She had to hold the blade with her weaker left hand—no way could she use her right now.
“Aw, Susan, why do you want to fight me?” That charming, deceitful smile was on his face. She’d always thought humans lied well, but they couldn’t even come close to matching demons.
“Get out of my way!” He was blocking the entrance to the phone booth. But if she could make him move, she could run, maybe make it to her car—
It hit her then. His scent. Teasing her nostrils. Sex. Power.
No, damn it, no!
Helplessly, she felt her body respond even more to him.
“You don’t want to use that knife on me.” His voice became even deeper.
Damn demon power.
She hated demons.
The hand gripping the knife began to lower.
“Good girl.”
No. She’d stopped being a good girl the night her bastard of a stepfather had climbed into her bed.
“You want me, don’t you, Susan?” Still using that hypnotic power of his.
Her ni**les were so hard they ached. Her legs trembled. She managed a nod.
“And you don’t want to hurt me, do you?”
Oh, but she did.
He lifted his hand toward her as he closed the space between them. His fingers trailed over her breast. Plucked the nipple. “Kiss me, Susan.”
Her mouth, open, met his. The kiss was far too hard, far too rough, and she felt the copper of blood on her tongue.
The she felt the press of his hand against her chest.
Right over her heart.
No! The scream echoed in her mind even as she continued to helplessly kiss him back.
His lips lifted. “I’m gonna drain you,” he whispered, and sounded like a lover with a caress in his voice. “Every drop of power from you—I’m gonna take it. Then I’m gonna leave your corpse to rot.” Another bruising kiss.
Then she felt it. The slow stir of magic in the air. No, God, no, she wouldn’t go out like this.
With every ounce of strength she had, Susan focused on her left hand. She just needed to break the demon’s power. If he lost his concentration, the pheromones would weaken, and she’d be able to fight more—
And not just twist and moan eagerly like a bitch in heat against him.
“Ah, Susan, you’re gonna beg me to f**k you, then to kill you.”
The fingers of her left hand trembled as they tightened around the knife.
Distract him. “I-I can still…help you,” she managed. “I-I can get…more men. Don’t—”
He laughed at her. Laughed. “I told you, Susan.” His hands cupped her cheeks. “I don’t need you anymore.”
She’d screwed up. Played with the devil when she wasn’t ready for hell. “B-but I-I can give…you the n-next man on…y-your list!
I-I can give y-you…T-Todd Brooks—”
“You already have.” He smirked at her. “Thanks for the gift.”
Oh, he’d be thanking her. Her breath caught, sweat beaded her brow, and she managed to lift the knife and plunge it into his side.
Startled, the demon cried out, then stumbled back.
His scent eased, just for a moment, and her head cleared.
Snarling, she plunged the knife straight into his chest. His cry of pain was music to her ears. Susan yanked the blade out and drove it deep again.
Blood sprayed across the phone booth. Dripped down the glass.
She drove the knife into his chest once more. Furious. Desperate. He should be going down. Weakening.
Susan lifted the knife, prepared for another hard thrust.
His fingers flew out and locked around her throat. “Bitch.” His breath was ragged. “I’m not one of your f**king humans, Susan.”