Stella wished the rest of the training would be just as easy as shadow walking was. Probably because when jumping from one dark spot to another she was using the shadows but not manipulating them. That sudden realization made her pause and rethink her whole approach of the shadow-as-a-weapon thing.
“I knew you’d like this,” Nero said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Come on, let’s head towards Riverside.”
“Race you!”
Stella grinned at him, before taking off. The breeze of dusk was caressing her skin as she ran from growing shadow to shadow, she herself nothing more than one. From time to time she felt Nero brushing against her, a cold and yet warm touch. Laughter, like a bubble in her heart, wanted to escape and burst free. She had never felt so good before.
All to o soon they reached Riverside and slowed their pace to walk the roofs of the buildings along Quay Street, staying to the shadows but keeping an eye out for creatures that would soon reign throughout the night. In the west the sun had lost the forever waging battle and its last light touched the sky, turning it an incredible shade of turquoise.
“It feels good doesn’t it?”
Stella looked at Nero, who had watched the sky as well and was now facing her. “Yes, it feels…right.”
Nero smiled softly and then admitted, his voice low and deep, “I remember my first patrol. I didn’t want the dusk to end.”
“How did it go? Did you fight demons?”
He rubbed his chin. “Yeah. A cat at first and it went pretty well, too well maybe since I got cocky and didn’t pay as much attention as I should have been when a ghost started toying with us a little later in the night. Erm, it was a mess to be honest but in the end I got the job done.” He glanced at her from the side. “You know that house with the collapsed roof on Royal Street, in the French Quarter?”
Falteri ng in her step she gaped at him. “Everyone knows that one. I believe it’s even part of the tours through the Quarter.” Then she started to laugh. “That was you?”
It was difficult to tell in the growing darkness but it almost looked as if he was blushing. “Well, the ghost did most of the damage, but yeah, that was me.”
“Huh. Never would have thought it actually was haunted.”
Their night turned out to be rather quiet . Whenever they came across a demon Nero wanted her to stay put given the fact that she had only been training for a week and took care of them on his own. Stella didn’t mind at all, watching him fight was a treat for the eyes she didn’t want to miss. There was always this alertness, this presence, about him, even when they laughed and joked, but when a demon was near he switched into total warrior mode. And it was sexy as hell. His focus, the way he moved, powerful and silently, a predator in the night.
Only after they reached Hunter’s Park did real trouble find them.
A teenaged couple was using the park as their hide-away to steal some kisses and gropes, when a group of blood demons showed up.
Stella had only ever seen demons of prey before and not this kind. While the formers were hideous hybrid creatures, these looked like ordinary humans. At first she wondered why Nero would stop, but then she noticed it. There was something about the way they moved and carried themselves as they approached the couple, acting as if a bit drunk and just having fun. It was…odd, too robotic and fake. And then their eyes turned red and their fangs dropped down.
Nero jumped off the roof of the carousel they’d been perched on and right into the middle of the fray.
Before Stella could follow him down to make sure the kids were okay, she saw them running away as fast as their legs could carry them and shrugged. Getting their asses home was probably the best way for them to stay alive anyway. When she returned her attention to the fight below, her breath caught in her throat.
Two more demons were sneaking up on Nero from behind. Five against
“I knew you’d like this,” Nero said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Come on, let’s head towards Riverside.”
“Race you!”
Stella grinned at him, before taking off. The breeze of dusk was caressing her skin as she ran from growing shadow to shadow, she herself nothing more than one. From time to time she felt Nero brushing against her, a cold and yet warm touch. Laughter, like a bubble in her heart, wanted to escape and burst free. She had never felt so good before.
All to o soon they reached Riverside and slowed their pace to walk the roofs of the buildings along Quay Street, staying to the shadows but keeping an eye out for creatures that would soon reign throughout the night. In the west the sun had lost the forever waging battle and its last light touched the sky, turning it an incredible shade of turquoise.
“It feels good doesn’t it?”
Stella looked at Nero, who had watched the sky as well and was now facing her. “Yes, it feels…right.”
Nero smiled softly and then admitted, his voice low and deep, “I remember my first patrol. I didn’t want the dusk to end.”
“How did it go? Did you fight demons?”
He rubbed his chin. “Yeah. A cat at first and it went pretty well, too well maybe since I got cocky and didn’t pay as much attention as I should have been when a ghost started toying with us a little later in the night. Erm, it was a mess to be honest but in the end I got the job done.” He glanced at her from the side. “You know that house with the collapsed roof on Royal Street, in the French Quarter?”
Falteri ng in her step she gaped at him. “Everyone knows that one. I believe it’s even part of the tours through the Quarter.” Then she started to laugh. “That was you?”
It was difficult to tell in the growing darkness but it almost looked as if he was blushing. “Well, the ghost did most of the damage, but yeah, that was me.”
“Huh. Never would have thought it actually was haunted.”
Their night turned out to be rather quiet . Whenever they came across a demon Nero wanted her to stay put given the fact that she had only been training for a week and took care of them on his own. Stella didn’t mind at all, watching him fight was a treat for the eyes she didn’t want to miss. There was always this alertness, this presence, about him, even when they laughed and joked, but when a demon was near he switched into total warrior mode. And it was sexy as hell. His focus, the way he moved, powerful and silently, a predator in the night.
Only after they reached Hunter’s Park did real trouble find them.
A teenaged couple was using the park as their hide-away to steal some kisses and gropes, when a group of blood demons showed up.
Stella had only ever seen demons of prey before and not this kind. While the formers were hideous hybrid creatures, these looked like ordinary humans. At first she wondered why Nero would stop, but then she noticed it. There was something about the way they moved and carried themselves as they approached the couple, acting as if a bit drunk and just having fun. It was…odd, too robotic and fake. And then their eyes turned red and their fangs dropped down.
Nero jumped off the roof of the carousel they’d been perched on and right into the middle of the fray.
Before Stella could follow him down to make sure the kids were okay, she saw them running away as fast as their legs could carry them and shrugged. Getting their asses home was probably the best way for them to stay alive anyway. When she returned her attention to the fight below, her breath caught in her throat.
Two more demons were sneaking up on Nero from behind. Five against
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