Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon

angel, the smoke spread out to form a body and wings. It wore a cowl that covered its head and hid its features.
    â€œFringe Guard?” Nick asked Kody, assuming it was one of the fierce creatures that protected the boundary between the human world and the spiritual one.
    She shook her head. “He’s demonic. And he’s definitely after you. Probably for the bounty. But not a Guard.”
    The zeitj ä ger made a hissing noise as it shirked away from Nick’s pursuer.
    Ah yeah, that ain’t good …
    Nick used his powers to daze the EMT so that she wouldn’t understand what was happening or see anything clearly. The last thing any of them needed was for a professional baretos to see what was going on and lose her mind over it. Most people couldn’t handle what they dealt with on a day-to-day basis.
    He pulled back slowly from Kody. “Why’s the zeitj ä ger afraid of my new friend?”
    â€œI don’t think he is.”
    She might be right. The zeitj ä ger seemed to be waiting for Nick to die.
    Sorry to disappoint . He wasn’t about to go down today, especially not for this ugly beastie. And not for something as ridiculous as money.
    Rising to his feet, he blasted the demon back and slammed his fist into its jaw. Yeah okay, that seriously hurt. He’d cry about it later.…
    If he survived.
    With a fierce shriek, the thing manifested a sword. It turned and narrowly missed taking Nick’s head.
    Nick ducked, but Kody caught the blade with her own sword before it could kill him, and kicked the demon back, out of the ambulance and into the streaming rain. The two of them went at it. He started to help and stopped himself, knowing she could handle it and wouldn’t appreciate his interference any more than he would. Besides, she was much better with a sword than he was, since she had centuries more experience using one, and they’d made a pact to never tread on each other’s expertise in a fight. He respected her abilities and she respected his.
    Instead, he went to check on the EMTs to make sure they were okay and stable, and that more help was on the way for them.
    As he moved past the zeitj ä ger, it cocked its head to stare at him.
    â€œWhat?” Nick asked it in a challenging tone.
    It vanished instantly.
    So did the mosquitos, and the rain slacked off, too. Yeah, okay, that was just weirder than holding Mardi Gras in June. Finding snow in August. Or Bubba in a tie and business suit. Made no sense whatsoever.
    Trying not to think about it, he moved to help the EMT who’d been tending him. She was shaken up and still dazed, but appeared to be physically okay. He left the rear of the ambulance to check the driver, who was unconscious. Worse, the driver was wedged in the wreckage and trapped behind the wheel. Since Nick couldn’t get him out, Nick returned to the rear to look for some way to cut the driver’s seatbelt, and pry the wheel away from his body.
    While Nick searched, Kody quickly dispatched the demon. As soon as she finished, she returned to his side, but they had no way of freeing the trapped driver, so they took turns maintaining pressure on a tourniquet against the driver’s wound where he’d been injured in the crash. The other EMT kept checking on the ETA for another ambulance.
    Kody frowned as she scanned the street while they listened to all the calls on the ambulance’s radio. “I thought Bubba was following us?”
    â€œWe must have lost him in the rain.”
    Kody used her powers to disguise her sword as an umbrella that she held over him and the two EMTs. “What happened to the zeitj ä ger ?”
    â€œDon’t know. He vanished.”
    Crossing her arms over her chest, she shivered. “This is bad, Nick. Real bad.”
    â€œI know, cher . I can feel it.”
    She jerked her chin toward the smoldering remains of the demon she’d dispatched. “They’re coming