Page 29 of Loup Garou

“That was her saving your ass from—” Gina stopped in midsentence as she stared at Exavier. “Why, lesson one in rhythm of course.”

Myra took me by the arm. She pressed her mouth to my ear and whispered, “We can’t sense it until it’s almost on us. How do we fight it?”

I stared around, waiting for any sign of its whereabouts. “I don’t know, but I do know that Stan is still in the building. He held a knife to my throat.”

“Stan is here!” she shouted at me. “And he held a friggin’ knife to your throat? That knife? Christ, Lindsay!”

Smooth. Way to keep a low profile.

Jay went for his off-duty weapon. “That’s it. I’m going to kill that little fuck.”

“Stan, the guy from earlier?” Exavier asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m with him. I vote we kill him.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “Would you believe me if I swore to you that Stan is, for the most part, harmless?”

“No,” they said in unison. I wasn’t sure if I was happy they seemed to be getting along or not. Having them gang up on me wasn’t all that great.

Chuckling, I locked gazes with Jay so he’d know I was serious. “Would you believe that he’s been possessed by a demon and isn’t responsible for his actions?”

Gina snorted. “Thedevilmade him do it.”

I saw the protest start and then instantly stop as Jay registered what I was telling him. “Oh, gotcha. Explains the sulfur smell. Never thought the defense would hold water.”

I sighed. “Well, I should really help Gina and Myra look for therat. I’m sure Stan is long gone. In fact, I think I saw him running out the back door. But if we run into Stan, we’ll give a shout out. Why don’t you and Exavier start eating? Everything’s on the counter.”

Jay shook his head. “Hell fucking no. You are going to take your entirely too-cute ass over there and sit down. Exavier and I will go find Stan and escort him to the station or the nearest church.”

I snorted. “You want to take Xavs?”

I couldn’t hold my laughter in. Gina followed suit. Exavier arched a brow. “Something funny with the idea of me lending a hand in the extermination process?” The way he said it made me wonder if he was on to us. Considering that would mean he completely understood demonic forceswereat work and doing their best to kill us, I highly doubted it.

Jay scratched the back of his head and appeared to be in pain. “Lindsay, Exavier and I might have gotten into a tiny scuffle. Umm, I can vouch for him. He’ll be fine.”

I slapped Jay upside his head and glared as I pointed the knife at him. I wouldn’t use it on him but it did make me feel special in a scary kind of way. “You picked a fight with him, didn’t you?”

“Ouch. No. Not exactly.” He cast me an apologetic look. “Okay, maybe I did. But I’m telling you that—”

I smacked him again, suddenly more concerned with Exavier being attacked by Jay while I wasn’t there to protect him than the evil that wanted me dead now. “You will go over there and get things ready for everyone to eat. I am going rat hunting. I can’t have them running loose in the center. It’s a safety and health hazard.”

“Lindsay.”

I glared at him. “I will deal with you later.” Glancing at Exavier, my expression softened. “Did he hurt you?”

A tic developed in his jaw. “No. He did not hurt me. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

The last thing I wanted to do was placate a famous guy during a fight with evil, but he looked like he needed it. “You’re a singer, honey. I lowered my expectations significantly already.”

Gina laughed so hard she squealed. I would have joined her but I sensed the evil again. Spinning, I watched both halls, unsure which it would come from. “Rat’s back!”

“Shit, so are the kids!” Myra shouted. “Gina, I thought you told them they couldn’t hang out here after dark.”

“I did.”

The evil picked up on our panic. I sensed the instant it decided to go after the group of teenagers who frequently spent an hour or so at night doing various forms of street dancing in our parking lot. With the influx of paranormal activity we had of late, they’d have been better off taking their chances partying at the mouth of hell. Though, the center was fast becoming a candidate for a backdoor entrance to the land of eternal damnation.

The mass of evil appeared out of nowhere and ended up heading straight at Exavier. I let my power up, knowing it would want the lure of pure energy. It took the bait.

Myra gasped. “Lindsay, no!”

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