Demons Prefer Blondes by Sidney Ayers

first assignment as a Paladin and he’d failed. Roanoke remained in the history books a mystery, but Rafael knew the truth. And sometimes fiction was better than the truth. Humans weren’t ready for it. Which is why he needed to get inside that shop.
    Reaching inside his pea coat, he extracted the silver dagger. It wasn’t enough to vanquish the bitch, but at least he could slow her down.
    “When times are dire, I do not discriminate. Adult blood, although diluted, can be very satisfying.”
    She tightened her hold around his body, her dark eyes flickering. “What’s happened to you, Rafael? I remember a time when we got along so well.” Her tail slithered up his leg and between his thighs.
    The silver blade glinted in the streetlight as he arced it down toward her scaly green tail.
    Her face curved into a frown. “You wouldn’t dare hurt a lady, would you?”
    “No, I would never hurt a lady.” His grip on the dagger remained firm as he sliced her tail clean through. “But you, Lamia, are no lady.”
    Lamia screeched in anger, her severed tail vanishing into a cloud of dust. Reaching down to grab what remained of her severed appendage, her eyes flashed. Dark crimson blood, almost black, dripped from her. “Bastard,” she seethed. Craning her neck toward the shop, she threw back her head and cackled. “Look at that, Paladin.”
    Rafael turned to the shop, his breath catching. “Fuck,” he grumbled, opting for a more modern curse. There was no mistaking the glow that emanated from inside. Diamond sparks spewed in the air as Lucia Gregory stood over the chest, her hand firmly planted on the lid. An aura of bright light surrounded her as she absorbed the energy from the chest. She may have been a latent succubus earlier, but she wasn’t now. He could feel it.
    Lamia lashed out with her regenerated tail, wrapping it around his wrist. “Looks as if you’re too late… Again.”
    Rafael spun around, sending Lamia flying. Thank the demons her newly grown tail hadn’t fully absorbed her power. “Better late than never you bloodsucking bitch.” With that, he sent the dagger flying. It connected with her chest, sending her into a giant puff of dust.
    Lucia and her friend would be safe—for now.
    ***
    Heat shot into her palm, up her arm and into her chest. She threw her head back as wave after wave of energy, growing stronger by the second, coursed through her body. The intense heat radiated through her entire being, edging her on.
    “What the hell?” Serah’s voice, distant yet close, came out like a squeak. She reached out to shake Lucy, her hands clasping her friend’s shoulders. Crackles filled the air and she went flying against the wall. “Oh my God,” she wailed as she crashed against the shampoo bowls.
    Lucy opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the chest, her hand glowing against it. Alertness raced through her body. Wrenching her hand free of the chest, she spun around. Panting unevenly, Serah clutched the foot of the shampoo bowl chair.
    What have I done?
    With a loud whoosh, geysers of water erupted around them. Spray hoses flung themselves around as jets of cold water gushed through the air. Mirrors one by one, cracked, sending bursts of shards flying across the salon. Lucy stood tall and confident, as if she’d taken a huge dose of liquid adrenaline. Oblivious to the glass slicing at her face, she took smooth confident strides toward her friend.
    “Serah?” she asked, hovering over her.
    Serah glanced up from where she crouched and brushed needles of glass from her face and hair. “Oh my God!” she screeched, scurrying away. Cowering in her corner, she held up her fingers in the sign of the cross. “You’re a demon!”
    A what? “Just because some silly box electrocuted me and blew the crap out of my shop doesn’t mean I’m a demon.”
    Thanks, Serah. My shop’s just been destroyed and you’re accusing me of being one of Satan’s minions?
    Lucy sucked in a deep breath and ran