of garbage. Thank Macha.
“Get out of here,” Evalle ordered the twins when they scrambled over the top and jumped down in front of her. “And get a bath. You smell like rat piss.”
“We wouldn’t’ve if you’d caught us instead of dropping us in a shithole.” Kardos brushed off hishands, then paused to take her in from head to midriff. “Hellooo, hoochie mama.”
His brother Kellman shoved at him. “Excuse my mentally defective brother, Evalle. Real glad to see you again. Thanks for the assist.”
“You’re welcome. Gotta fight demon now. Go.”
Kardos eyed her greedily before he did his idea of a bad boy pose. “Baby, we’re not abandoning you. Wouldn’t want to see anything happen to all that …
software
I’ve got a hard drive for.”
“Gah, I think I just threw up in my mouth. Yeah, I definitely taste bile.” She had to find a coven in the city that would take them before they ended up in the metro Red Guard gang.
Evalle stepped close to Kardos, who stood at eye level with her. Both the twins did, but Kardos tried to sound another four inches taller. “First, your powers only work on small animals, not demons. Second, you’ll get in my way. And third, you really need to grow some more, especially in maturity. Now stop acting like a warlock and get moving or get eaten.”
Kardos grimaced at the male witch slur she generally reserved for a Medb.
Steel banged against steel. The demon was pushing his way out of the pile.
Kellman grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him toward the street. “We’re just going to get her hurt if we stay.”
Kardos groused two steps, then picked up his pace, calling out arrogantly, “We’ll harrumph harrumph later.”
In your dreams
. She opened the gate for them, then shut it again and swung to face the demon, who was pushing up to his feet.
She winced. She should have been attacking him while he was down instead of letting the twins distract her.
He’d grown larger in size, thick body ripping out of his hoodie. Black scales covered the top of his arms, the middle of his face and his chest.
Crud. That meant he was gaining strength. She should feel flattered that he considered her that much of a threat. But really, she’d rather put him down quick.
“You know, I’ve been looking for you.” She hoped to stave off his attack until she got some answers.
He stopped growling. “Why?”
“You ate a female Cresyl, right?”
The belch he released blew across the expanse to smack her in the face with sulfuric halitosis. Added to his twisted grin, that sufficed as a yes in her book. “What about the male? He know you ate his mate?”
Another grotesque demon grin. “You kill him?”
“Yes.”
“Thought so.”
What did that mean?
He flicked a hand at her.
She jumped sideways, barely missing the blast of energy that struck the ground at her feet.
The Birrn howled with laughter.
She
tsk
ed at him. “Didn’t your mama tell you it’s rude to play with your food?” This Birrn eating the other demon was no coincidence, not in her line of work. “What are you and the Cresyls doing here?” Besides eating the tourists and making her life hell.
The demon spread his arms wide, hands open in a show of indifference. “I hunt. They died. You might not … yet.”
She’d have liked to feel encouraged by that, but demons could do things that made death look appealing. “You’ll understand if I don’t make the same offer in return.”
He lunged, his body going airborne, diving at her like a demon torpedo.
She went to the right, rolling and coming up on her feet, now facing the wall where the boys had hung. The demon hit and flipped, landing surefooted and ready for her. She spun her hands around each other as though winding invisible knitting yarn at hyper-speed, then threw a ball of energy at him.
That should plow his fat head through the brick building.
Her roll of power hit him square in the chest, but he just made an
umph
grunt, then
“Get out of here,” Evalle ordered the twins when they scrambled over the top and jumped down in front of her. “And get a bath. You smell like rat piss.”
“We wouldn’t’ve if you’d caught us instead of dropping us in a shithole.” Kardos brushed off hishands, then paused to take her in from head to midriff. “Hellooo, hoochie mama.”
His brother Kellman shoved at him. “Excuse my mentally defective brother, Evalle. Real glad to see you again. Thanks for the assist.”
“You’re welcome. Gotta fight demon now. Go.”
Kardos eyed her greedily before he did his idea of a bad boy pose. “Baby, we’re not abandoning you. Wouldn’t want to see anything happen to all that …
software
I’ve got a hard drive for.”
“Gah, I think I just threw up in my mouth. Yeah, I definitely taste bile.” She had to find a coven in the city that would take them before they ended up in the metro Red Guard gang.
Evalle stepped close to Kardos, who stood at eye level with her. Both the twins did, but Kardos tried to sound another four inches taller. “First, your powers only work on small animals, not demons. Second, you’ll get in my way. And third, you really need to grow some more, especially in maturity. Now stop acting like a warlock and get moving or get eaten.”
Kardos grimaced at the male witch slur she generally reserved for a Medb.
Steel banged against steel. The demon was pushing his way out of the pile.
Kellman grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him toward the street. “We’re just going to get her hurt if we stay.”
Kardos groused two steps, then picked up his pace, calling out arrogantly, “We’ll harrumph harrumph later.”
In your dreams
. She opened the gate for them, then shut it again and swung to face the demon, who was pushing up to his feet.
She winced. She should have been attacking him while he was down instead of letting the twins distract her.
He’d grown larger in size, thick body ripping out of his hoodie. Black scales covered the top of his arms, the middle of his face and his chest.
Crud. That meant he was gaining strength. She should feel flattered that he considered her that much of a threat. But really, she’d rather put him down quick.
“You know, I’ve been looking for you.” She hoped to stave off his attack until she got some answers.
He stopped growling. “Why?”
“You ate a female Cresyl, right?”
The belch he released blew across the expanse to smack her in the face with sulfuric halitosis. Added to his twisted grin, that sufficed as a yes in her book. “What about the male? He know you ate his mate?”
Another grotesque demon grin. “You kill him?”
“Yes.”
“Thought so.”
What did that mean?
He flicked a hand at her.
She jumped sideways, barely missing the blast of energy that struck the ground at her feet.
The Birrn howled with laughter.
She
tsk
ed at him. “Didn’t your mama tell you it’s rude to play with your food?” This Birrn eating the other demon was no coincidence, not in her line of work. “What are you and the Cresyls doing here?” Besides eating the tourists and making her life hell.
The demon spread his arms wide, hands open in a show of indifference. “I hunt. They died. You might not … yet.”
She’d have liked to feel encouraged by that, but demons could do things that made death look appealing. “You’ll understand if I don’t make the same offer in return.”
He lunged, his body going airborne, diving at her like a demon torpedo.
She went to the right, rolling and coming up on her feet, now facing the wall where the boys had hung. The demon hit and flipped, landing surefooted and ready for her. She spun her hands around each other as though winding invisible knitting yarn at hyper-speed, then threw a ball of energy at him.
That should plow his fat head through the brick building.
Her roll of power hit him square in the chest, but he just made an
umph
grunt, then
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