Page 55 of Shadow & Stars
The man came up to my side, holding a pistol. “Where is he? The warlock shit stain owes us money.”
Bingo! There it was. “I don’t know him.”
“Then why were you running after him?”
“None of your business.”
The guy chuckled. “I think it is. Any cunt who hangs around with him is my business. You’re just lucky you seem to be dead.”
I stopped, the prick contributing to my irritation. “You’re lucky, too.”
“Is that a?—”
I cut him off before he could say ‘threat.’ “It’s a promise. I won’t be like this for long, and I might come looking for you to test out my return. A really gory test.”
If I was solid, I’d paint the pavement with his brains. My anger craved every possible second of ending his life, as hungry and thirsty as the rest of me.
“Now fuck off,” I said.
“You’re not dead?” Penny asked, examining my forehead.
Screw her questions. “I have stuff to do.”
“Like what?” they both asked at the same time.
“Like none of your business.” I started to leave.
The guy grabbed for me, his hand passing through my left arm. I laughed, his face purple with fury.
“Don’t mock me! I’ll?—”
A series of agonized screams tore through the night, shutting him down.
Shit. What now?
A winged demon landed on a roof, coming out of nowhere. Its huge talons gouged the roof tiles, sending pieces crashing to the ground. The demon resembled a crow, its body covered in silvery fish scales rather than feathers. But its wings were wide, covered in thick, black plumage.
Was that a human body in its beak?
17
ROMAN
The demon threw back its head, chowing down on the human.
Yeah. Thathadbeen a body.
Penny and Shouty Guy jumped back in their car, firing up the engine and tearing off down the street, triggering the demon to take flight after them.
It all happened so quickly. One minute the car roared, the next it became a pancake as the demon landed on it with a sickening crunch, taking out the two witches.
The demon jumped up and down on the ruined vehicle, flapping its wings with gleeful abandon until its white eyes found me.
I heard laughter to my right and looked up at the roof, spotting a demon monarch. Blond-haired, his skin a rich dark brown, sporting a severely pointed iron crown inset with emeralds.
“Roman Gold,” the king said. “You didn’t run very far, did you?”
The winged demon took flight, landing on the roof next to the house it’d already damaged.
