front. My teeth chattered. Anger and ice snapped through my veins, straining to be released. Lower, his hand crawled until he found my pocket and dug his fingers inside. I twitched, the blade stung my throat, and more blood crawled down my skin.
“There, there, easy now, Icy,” he purred. “I just came to get back what you stole.”
“The second you let me go, I’m going to run you through.”
“Then I guess I’d better not let you go, huh?” He pulled the stone from my pocket, closed it in his fist, and held it against my stomach. The stone throbbed, low and thudding, like a heartbeat. He felt it too, the power. His breath hastened against my cheek, and the hard press of his chest suddenly seemed to burn against the chill of my back.
He wasn’t letting go. Would he cut my throat? He should. I would. And if he let me go, I’d kill him before he could draw a single breath.
“In another place, another time, we might have gotten along.”
“I doubt that, demon .” I shaped a thin ice dagger in my left hand, fingers tingling as my element tightened and twitched.
“I’m going to take the coronam back, and you’re going to walk away, Gem.”
“I’m not walking away.”
“I’m stronger than you.”
I managed a slight shrug. “Is strength all you have?”
“Don’t push me.”
I twisted the dagger so its edge pressed against the inside of my wrist. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.” I clenched my fingers tighter, careful to get a solid grip, and punched it deep into his side—only it didn’t quite work as I’d planned. The dagger burst apart. Too late. I’d made my move. I had to attack and smacked my head backward. Something gristly crunched. Torrent let out an oomph, and his grip loosened. I stamped my boot on his, spun out of his arms, and punched a loose right fist into his cheek. None of it was particularly strong, but it was all fast, precise, and enough to drive him back.
He blinked watery eyes at me, cradling his bloody nose. “Fugh!” He grunted and spat blood to the side.
He should have been bleeding from the stab wound in his side, but beneath his tattered coat, above where his compact crossbow hung, there was no sign of my ice doing him any damage. I didn’t miss. I never missed. Why wasn’t my ice getting through?
He straightened, jerked his chin, and flicked blood from the hand clutching the coronam. “’ou gan fight. Agh gib ’ou ghat.”
“Give it back.”
He backed up, saluted me with the dagger I’d lost at his house, turned in a whirl of frayed coat, and ran, disappearing into the bushes. I bolted after him. The ground trembled beneath my feet, and as I leaped over a fallen palm, the earth shifted, dropping out from under me. I landed awkwardly, but I caught a glimpse of Torrent’s coat and burst off my back foot. A roar split the air. The larkwrari . I couldn’t worry about that. Joseph would deal with it. Torrent had the stone. Allard had told me to stay put. I disobeyed, and now, I’d lost the coronam . This was worse than not getting him his lesser demon. This stone was precious. I’d lost it. I had to get it back at any cost. If I had to chase this demon to the ends of the earth, cut him to shreds, and pry the stone out of his cold, dead hand, I’d do it.
He twisted and turned through the overgrown gardens, almost too fast to track. He glanced back once, saw me, and smiled. Smiled! He wouldn’t be smiling when I dug my claws into his chest. I pushed more demon into my veins, welcoming her crackling energy. With her, came the strength. Head down, legs pumping, I was catching the bastard. Left and right, he zigzagged, trying to lose me. It wouldn’t work.
He burst from the foliage, leapt up, bounded over the rusted carcass of a car, then sprinted through the disused parking lot. Damn, he could run like the wind.
You’re mine.
Demon spilled into my vision, bringing the parking lot and the barren street ahead sharply into focus. I
“There, there, easy now, Icy,” he purred. “I just came to get back what you stole.”
“The second you let me go, I’m going to run you through.”
“Then I guess I’d better not let you go, huh?” He pulled the stone from my pocket, closed it in his fist, and held it against my stomach. The stone throbbed, low and thudding, like a heartbeat. He felt it too, the power. His breath hastened against my cheek, and the hard press of his chest suddenly seemed to burn against the chill of my back.
He wasn’t letting go. Would he cut my throat? He should. I would. And if he let me go, I’d kill him before he could draw a single breath.
“In another place, another time, we might have gotten along.”
“I doubt that, demon .” I shaped a thin ice dagger in my left hand, fingers tingling as my element tightened and twitched.
“I’m going to take the coronam back, and you’re going to walk away, Gem.”
“I’m not walking away.”
“I’m stronger than you.”
I managed a slight shrug. “Is strength all you have?”
“Don’t push me.”
I twisted the dagger so its edge pressed against the inside of my wrist. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.” I clenched my fingers tighter, careful to get a solid grip, and punched it deep into his side—only it didn’t quite work as I’d planned. The dagger burst apart. Too late. I’d made my move. I had to attack and smacked my head backward. Something gristly crunched. Torrent let out an oomph, and his grip loosened. I stamped my boot on his, spun out of his arms, and punched a loose right fist into his cheek. None of it was particularly strong, but it was all fast, precise, and enough to drive him back.
He blinked watery eyes at me, cradling his bloody nose. “Fugh!” He grunted and spat blood to the side.
He should have been bleeding from the stab wound in his side, but beneath his tattered coat, above where his compact crossbow hung, there was no sign of my ice doing him any damage. I didn’t miss. I never missed. Why wasn’t my ice getting through?
He straightened, jerked his chin, and flicked blood from the hand clutching the coronam. “’ou gan fight. Agh gib ’ou ghat.”
“Give it back.”
He backed up, saluted me with the dagger I’d lost at his house, turned in a whirl of frayed coat, and ran, disappearing into the bushes. I bolted after him. The ground trembled beneath my feet, and as I leaped over a fallen palm, the earth shifted, dropping out from under me. I landed awkwardly, but I caught a glimpse of Torrent’s coat and burst off my back foot. A roar split the air. The larkwrari . I couldn’t worry about that. Joseph would deal with it. Torrent had the stone. Allard had told me to stay put. I disobeyed, and now, I’d lost the coronam . This was worse than not getting him his lesser demon. This stone was precious. I’d lost it. I had to get it back at any cost. If I had to chase this demon to the ends of the earth, cut him to shreds, and pry the stone out of his cold, dead hand, I’d do it.
He twisted and turned through the overgrown gardens, almost too fast to track. He glanced back once, saw me, and smiled. Smiled! He wouldn’t be smiling when I dug my claws into his chest. I pushed more demon into my veins, welcoming her crackling energy. With her, came the strength. Head down, legs pumping, I was catching the bastard. Left and right, he zigzagged, trying to lose me. It wouldn’t work.
He burst from the foliage, leapt up, bounded over the rusted carcass of a car, then sprinted through the disused parking lot. Damn, he could run like the wind.
You’re mine.
Demon spilled into my vision, bringing the parking lot and the barren street ahead sharply into focus. I
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