Demon Hunters 3: Tainted (Stand Alone Series) (Demon Hunters.) by Avril Sabine Page B

“Remedy.” He turned to face her. “I want the one who sent my father to you.”
    “You and me both.” He met her gaze. “You’re not ready. Not yet.” He climbed out the window.
    This time she saw him move away into the night. Her mouth dropped open as she stared after him. A few seconds later she was at her window, peering outside. The moon was no bigger than it had been earlier. She could see in the dark. Tomorrow night she’d hunt again. This time she knew how to do it. And she wasn’t going to let a demon get the upper hand.
    She grabbed a handful of hair, glaring at the long, reddish brown strands. It’d have to go. Tomorrow she’d visit a hairdresser and get it cut short. She rubbed the strands of hair between her fingers. She’d never had short hair before. Pushing her hair out of the way she reminded herself there was a lot of things she hadn’t done before. But she wasn’t about to let that stop her.
    Her finger trailed along the cut Remedy had made on her wrist. The blood had started to congeal. She’d get used to new things. Her survival depended on it. An image of her father lying on the floor, the dagger in his chest, came to mind. This time she didn’t push it immediately from her. The demon who’d sent him to Remedy would pay. Her gaze remained on her wrist. He’d pay in blood.

Chapter Ten
    Cassidy groaned as her alarm clock turned on, the radio station interrupting her sleep. She rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. She smiled as she realised what song was playing. ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’. She’d walked the streets alone every night this past week while everyone slept. Her only company had been demons. And they didn’t stick around long. She had to find a way to get rid of them permanently, not fight them until they fled. Maybe she should ring the hunters and see what they knew. Surely there was some way to get rid of them. Some way that didn’t involve joining their religion and following their strict rules. She didn’t believe in their God. No, he’d failed her far too many times.
    Her mum staring at her, asking her who she was came to mind, quickly followed by her father lying in a pool of his own blood. How could she worship someone who hadn’t been there for her? If they couldn’t tell her how to get rid of demons without being like them, then she’d figure it out on her own. Somehow.
    The song ended and she turned off the alarm clock, rising to her feet. Tomorrow, before she went to sleep, she’d get in touch with the demon hunters. Ringing someone at eleven p.m. probably wasn’t a good idea. She ran her fingers through her short hair. She’d considered getting a mohawk, but had decided that was probably too drastic for her first time with short hair. Instead she’d gone with a jagged, anime kind of look. A style that didn’t need a mirror to look after it. Her mirrors were staying painted. There was no way she wanted to face her father’s accusing eyes every day.
    It didn’t take her long to dress in black jeans and shirt, grab an apple to eat and put her daggers in her boots before she headed off on her motorbike. She was drawn towards the city centre, parking her bike in an area that was filled with the noise from nearby nightclubs.
    Laughter and music wafted on the air. Cassidy ignored those in favour of tracking down the demon she felt nearby. She ran her fingernails along the scab she kept breaking open from the cut Remedy had made on her wrist. It was probably going to scar at this rate. Blood formed along the line and she smeared it across her demon mark. Energy flared, the night grew brighter and power flowed through her. Then she caught scent of it and raced through the streets, coming to a dead end. And there he was, a young woman passed out at his feet where he bent over her.
    He reminded Cassidy of a spider, long joints, narrow limbs, fangs and grey skin that seemed stretched to a translucent thinness. She pulled her daggers from her