cold air makes it sting even worse.”
That wasn’t a sting. That was real pain. The creature had sunk its teeth into Dimitri. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. “It tried to eat you.”
He cringed against another wave of pain. “They’re feral creatures, Lizzie. Eating things is what they do—animals, pets, people.”
The banshee struggled against the chain, stretching it tight. It watched me. It wanted me. I could see it in its eyes. I cringed as the rusted metal plate ground eerily on its hinges. “Tell me why we’re keeping this one?”
I had a split second of oh no as the chain snapped.
It leapt straight for me.
Lizzie!” Dimitri threw himself between me and the creature.
It attacked in a blaze of fury, lunging for Dimitri’s throat as I fired a switch star.
Dimitri reared back just as the churning blades of my weapon caught the creature between the eyes. The switch star sliced a clean hole through its head. Wet brain matter splattered onto the patio as the banshee fell on top of Dimitri. The creature’s jaws slackened and released him.
“Nice aim,” he grunted, throwing the corpse off. Black saliva ate at the threads of his torn T-shirt.
“Are you all right?” I rushed to him, with half an eye on the banshee.
Dead wasn’t always dead.
Dimitri eased his shirt off smeared the toxic spittle off his shoulder and arm, his skin firm and strong.
“The saliva doesn’t affect you?”
“Just the bites,” he grunted, inspecting the one on his stomach. It could have been a whole lot worse. “That’s why I wear leather.”
The jacket that he’d given to me. I ran my fingers down the coat and found gouged leather and bite marks. “You have to stop saving me.”
He laughed at that, which didn’t make sense at all.
The banshee would have been on me in a heartbeat and if I’d been without my switch stars, a fraction of a second slower, distracted in any way, Dimitri might be dead.
The creature bled mucus onto the ground as I tried to catch my breath. “I hate killing things.”
Before I’d come into my powers as a slayer, the worst thing I’d done was stomp a cockroach. Now I killed things all the time. In my defense, they were creatures who wanted to eat me or possess me. Still, it didn’t make it easy. The dead banshee reminded me a little of a smashed insect, leaking out its grape jelly insides.
What would happen if I had to kill my own father?
“I don’t think the six we killed tonight are the only ones,” he said, with a touch of resignation. “Someone knew we were coming and brought a small army here to take us out. Best I can figure, the original drop point was on the driveway out front, less than an hour before we pulled up.”
“You don’t think they just happened to migrate here?”
He scowled at the creature, broken and bloody on the pavement. “One, maybe. But six? No way. They tend to be loners.”
“And if you’re going to release six…”
“You’ll release a lot more,” Dimitri said, finishing my thought.
I sucked in a breath. I didn’t want to be running into any more of these things.
Dimitri rose to his feet. He stood shirtless in the glow of the porch light. His chest, well muscled but not overdone, gave him an air of understated sexiness.
He walked toward the beast and squatted over it. “Whoever did it isn’t used to working with banshees,” he said. “They didn’t realize how fast the creatures scatter.”
”And we have no idea who set these things loose?”
He shook his head. “That’s what I was hoping to learn by bringing this one to your Grandma.”
We stared down at the dead banshee.
“Wait.” I had to wonder. “Are they after the group, or are they after me?” The banshee had attacked me first, before Dimitri had gotten in the way. It had watched me, as if it were tracking me. And it had gone for the kill. If someone or some thing wanted the witches and their magic, it would need them alive.
Dimitri shook his head.
That wasn’t a sting. That was real pain. The creature had sunk its teeth into Dimitri. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. “It tried to eat you.”
He cringed against another wave of pain. “They’re feral creatures, Lizzie. Eating things is what they do—animals, pets, people.”
The banshee struggled against the chain, stretching it tight. It watched me. It wanted me. I could see it in its eyes. I cringed as the rusted metal plate ground eerily on its hinges. “Tell me why we’re keeping this one?”
I had a split second of oh no as the chain snapped.
It leapt straight for me.
Lizzie!” Dimitri threw himself between me and the creature.
It attacked in a blaze of fury, lunging for Dimitri’s throat as I fired a switch star.
Dimitri reared back just as the churning blades of my weapon caught the creature between the eyes. The switch star sliced a clean hole through its head. Wet brain matter splattered onto the patio as the banshee fell on top of Dimitri. The creature’s jaws slackened and released him.
“Nice aim,” he grunted, throwing the corpse off. Black saliva ate at the threads of his torn T-shirt.
“Are you all right?” I rushed to him, with half an eye on the banshee.
Dead wasn’t always dead.
Dimitri eased his shirt off smeared the toxic spittle off his shoulder and arm, his skin firm and strong.
“The saliva doesn’t affect you?”
“Just the bites,” he grunted, inspecting the one on his stomach. It could have been a whole lot worse. “That’s why I wear leather.”
The jacket that he’d given to me. I ran my fingers down the coat and found gouged leather and bite marks. “You have to stop saving me.”
He laughed at that, which didn’t make sense at all.
The banshee would have been on me in a heartbeat and if I’d been without my switch stars, a fraction of a second slower, distracted in any way, Dimitri might be dead.
The creature bled mucus onto the ground as I tried to catch my breath. “I hate killing things.”
Before I’d come into my powers as a slayer, the worst thing I’d done was stomp a cockroach. Now I killed things all the time. In my defense, they were creatures who wanted to eat me or possess me. Still, it didn’t make it easy. The dead banshee reminded me a little of a smashed insect, leaking out its grape jelly insides.
What would happen if I had to kill my own father?
“I don’t think the six we killed tonight are the only ones,” he said, with a touch of resignation. “Someone knew we were coming and brought a small army here to take us out. Best I can figure, the original drop point was on the driveway out front, less than an hour before we pulled up.”
“You don’t think they just happened to migrate here?”
He scowled at the creature, broken and bloody on the pavement. “One, maybe. But six? No way. They tend to be loners.”
“And if you’re going to release six…”
“You’ll release a lot more,” Dimitri said, finishing my thought.
I sucked in a breath. I didn’t want to be running into any more of these things.
Dimitri rose to his feet. He stood shirtless in the glow of the porch light. His chest, well muscled but not overdone, gave him an air of understated sexiness.
He walked toward the beast and squatted over it. “Whoever did it isn’t used to working with banshees,” he said. “They didn’t realize how fast the creatures scatter.”
”And we have no idea who set these things loose?”
He shook his head. “That’s what I was hoping to learn by bringing this one to your Grandma.”
We stared down at the dead banshee.
“Wait.” I had to wonder. “Are they after the group, or are they after me?” The banshee had attacked me first, before Dimitri had gotten in the way. It had watched me, as if it were tracking me. And it had gone for the kill. If someone or some thing wanted the witches and their magic, it would need them alive.
Dimitri shook his head.
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