Broken Heart 03 Because Your Vampire Said So by Michele Bardsley

tonight.”
    “Yes,” said a thundering voice behind me. “You have a much bigger problem.”
    Khenti and I turned. The gray-skinned demon who’d attacked me last night leaned against an oak tree, grinning. “Remember me, Patsy?”
    Nonna screeched like a banshee and shot up into the branches of the oak. I backed away, scared witless. This was the same demon who’d tried to get at me before. His black gaze followed me as he licked his leathery lips. Jesus. What was he gonna do? Put me on the dinner menu?
    “Andhaka,” said Khenti. “So, your mistress has aligned with Koschei.”
    The demon shrugged. “What are you going to do? Throw ghosts at me?” He laughed. “You have no power over me.”
    “Well, then,” said Khenti, discarding his jacket, “I’ll just have to kill you.”
    The demon launched from the tree with a roar and headed straight for Khenti. I skittered backward and yelped.
    “Get out of here, Patsy,” cried Khenti. He ducked another punch, then landed a nice one in the demon’s abdomen.
    “Behind you,” screamed Nonna from the tree. Then she popped out of sight. I guess watching people wallop each other was too much for her.
    Her warning came a split second too late. A hand gripped my shoulder and I screeched as I tried to wrest free.
    Desperate, I grabbed the wrist holding me. The moment my hand made contact, it felt like fire shot through me. The heat raced through my every nerve ending. I felt electrified. The power surge hurt something fierce, but it also gave me strength.
    I pulled free from the iron grip and whirled around to see a thin, short woman. She was the one causing me so much trouble? She looked like a spring breeze would knock her over. Her cinnamon skin was smooth and ageless, and her brown eyes shone as cold and flat as river stones. Her black robes fluttered around her. Her gray hair, which she wore in a single braid, shone like silver in the moonlight.
    “We choose our fates,” she said in a lyrical voice. “Prophecy is nothing more than men making their own hopes a reality.”
    “Uh … ooookay.” I backed away. To our left, the demon and Khenti battled. I smelled the rusty scent of blood, heard the groans and oomphs as blows were delivered as well as the scrabbling of feet against the leaf-strewn ground.
    “I don’t want to hurt you,” I said.
    “You cannot. I am Durga the Ancient and I rule demonkind.”
    Oh, shit.
    I heard Khenti scream. I turned away from Durga, which was stupid, but I couldn’t help it. I saw that the demon had pinned Khenti to the ground. His huge, gray hand gripped the Egyptian’s neck.
    “Finish it!” commanded Durga.
    “Durga,” gasped Khenti. “Do not do this! You know that Koschei is droch fola. He has no soul.”
    Durga was unmoved by this logic. Koschei may not have had his soul, but this lady didn’t have a heart. “Finish him, minion.”
    Andhaka squeezed Khenti’s neck harder and I realized that he meant to do so until my friend’s head came off. Nausea gurgled in my stomach.
    Durga hit me across the face. I sailed through the air and landed with a whomp on the hard ground.
    My whole body felt as though I’d gone through a shredder, but I managed to sit up. Blood dripped down my temple and my vision blurred for an instant.
    Across the field, I saw the white wolf streaking toward us. Durga saw the direction of my gaze, and turned.
    I cheered when Gabriel knocked her flat on her back and clamped her throat.
    Durga knew when she’d been beaten. She did the disappearing-vampire trick. One second she was there and the next Gabriel was sitting among the fading gold sparkles.
    He turned his attention to the demon, advancing slowly, snarling and growling.
    “You again!” shouted the demon. “Mongrel!”
    Gabriel leapt for Andhaka and sank his teeth into the demon’s shoulder. Andhaka was forced to let go of Khenti’s neck so that he could swipe at the attacking wolf.
    His claws made vicious contact. Gabriel yipped in pain