Deals With Demons by Victoria Davies Page A

cried a warning even as Devlin twisted out of the way, narrowly avoiding a death blow.
    When flashes of fire lit the dark, Talia knew Devlin was attacking with magic as well as physical strength. It looked like her demon needed every advantage he had. Saleel must be stronger than he’d anticipated.
    Talia watched in stunned silence as the two ancient, powerful beings tried to obliterate each other.
    Grunts of pain filled the air and Talia smelled the tang of freshly spilt blood. Both demons had been wounded. Devlin attacked with blinding speed even as dark blood pumped sluggishly from his shoulder.
    Baring his teeth, he lunged at Saleel. He wrestled him to the ground before the other demon blasted him off with a burst of hot fire.
    Devlin rolled out of the way, patting out the flames that clung to him. It’d take more than a little fire to take down such an old demon, but Talia still winced in sympathy.
    The two demons circled each other, each looking for an opening. It was excruciating watching them fight and knowing she was useless to help.
    Or was she?
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    Talia inched backwards until she was able to slip the car door open without alerting the demons to her plan. Slowly, she crouched and reached a single hand inside. When her questing fingers felt the cool leather of her bag she grabbed it and yanked it out.
    Crouching behind the car to hide her actions, she carefully withdrew the black gun from her bag. It was her Plan B backup. Demons didn’t die from regular bullets, but if the gun was loaded with silver ammo it would slow them down. Clicking off the safety, Talia slowly stood.
    She knew she’d only get one chance at this. If she fired at Saleel and missed, the demon would come after her. Worse, if she fired and hit Devlin then they were both dead.
    Sliding towards the warring demons, she kept the gun hidden behind her body. She didn’t want Saleel alerted to what she was going to do before she did it.
    The two demons were locked too tightly for her to get a clean shot. Talia had always been a dagger kind of girl. She knew how to fire a gun but it wasn’t her area of expertise. This time, however, she had to be perfect.
    One chance , she thought. Make it count.
    The demons grappled before her. Devlin had Saleel pinned to the ground but once again the demon fought free of Devlin’s attack, launching himself into the air.
    Talia whipped her head back, trying to spot the dark demon against the black sky. As if by magic, Saleel was completely hidden from view.
    Devlin paced the ground, staring intently at the sky.
    How long can he stay up there ? Talia wondered, pressing her back against the car for protection in case he came after her.
    Suddenly Devlin shot his hand up towards the sky. Deadly energy erupted from his palm to rip through the night like lightning.
    A painful cry sounded as the attack hit home.
    Caught by the fiery magic, Saleel thundered back to the ground, slamming into the pavement with brutal force. Devlin was on him in an instant. Curling his sharp claws, he lunged for Saleel’s vulnerable throat.
    Even as his body twitched from the surge of electricity thrumming through him, Saleel had enough strength to roll free of Devlin’s attack. Saleel twisted like a snake and drove his own claws deep into Devlin’s uninjured shoulder.
    Devlin’s cry of pain echoed through the empty parking lot. Talia flinched in sympathy, knowing how much pain her demon must be in. He never admitted to discomfort. Only something extreme would get a rise out of him.
    Saleel turned his claws viciously, cutting even deeper. Devlin was forced to push back in order to free himself, losing his advantage over his foe.

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    As Devlin limped back, Saleel pushed to his feet. He looked down at his weakened opponent, but instead of jumping back into the fray to press his advantage, he turned to look at Talia.
    Talia retreated a step when jet black eyes locked on her. Opening her sensing powers automatically, she