Page 25 of Nexus
Cleaning clearly wasn’t high on their to do list. Rubbish lay all over the floor of the living room and kitchen. Most of it was discarded fast-food containers. Empty bottles of alcohol were scattered among the trash. The couch and armchairs were a grungy grey color and stank almost as badly as the demons. There was only one bedroom, so a few sleeping bags acted as bedding. They lay on top of the trash, as if their owners didn’t care that they were literally sleeping on rubbish.
My targets had split into two groups. Two were hiding in the bathroom to my right. The other two were in the bedroom to the left. I headed to the bedroom and they lunged at me from both sides when I entered. A lamp smashed into the back of my head, showering ceramic shards all over the place. I shrugged off the blow, then stabbed the offending demon in the throat.
“What are you?” the second one wailed when his punch to my jaw had no effect on me.
“You’ll die with that mystery hanging over you,” I replied with a smirk, then jammed my machete into his neck. Going down with a gurgle, he was dead before I’d even left the room.
The remaining two demons had fled to the door. They were stupidly fighting each other to be the first to escape. One of them got the door open, but he forgot to disengage the safety chain.
“Idiots,” I said scornfully, then stabbed them both with two quick lunges. Closing the door, I relocked it just in case any neighbors came to investigate the noise. Next, I inspected the corpses. None of them had a heartbeat and they couldn’t regenerate like some species could. With my job done, I paid a quick visit to the bathroom to freshen up.
I examined my skin and clothes carefully in the mirror above the sink to make sure I didn’t have any blood on me. Ruen might turn weird again if he smelled any gore, so I was careful to clean my machete thoroughly. Turning to leave the bathroom, I caught sight of my reflection in the shower door and paused to study it.
“I’m not fat,” I denied. “I’m healthy, happy and I don’t give a crap what anyone else says.”
Feeling far calmer now that I’d killed the cretins who’d insulted me, I let myself out of the apartment. The sheath was still sitting on the floor, so I picked it up and slid the machete into it. Ruen would have overheard the fight and the body disposal team would be on their way.
The vampire’s nostrils flared when I reached him. “You have blood on the soles of your boots,” he informed me.
“I’ll clean them with disposable wipes,” I said crankily, annoyed that he hadn’t even acknowledged my success before ragging on me.
He glanced almost longingly at my boots before slinking over to the driver’s door and climbing inside. I carefully wiped my shoes clean with disposable wipes from my kill-bag, then stuffed the dirty wipes into a nearby trashcan.
A black van pulled over across the road. The driver scanned the street before opening his door. He and his partner climbed out and walked to the back of the vehicle to grab their gear.
“Are we going to get my payment from Drake now?” I asked as I slid into the passenger seat, trying to hide my eagerness at the thought of seeing our boss again.
“He’s expecting us,” Ruen replied. “I’m sure Lord Gilden will be pleased with your success.”
“Of course he will. I’m awesome,” I boasted and received a sardonic glance in return.
Chapter Twenty
ONCE AGAIN, LIGHTS shone brightly through most of the windows on the dragon’s twenty-story edifice when we arrived. His employees tended to work at night, but some of them must work during the day. Ruen drove to the underground parking garage and pulled into a spot that was reserved for him.
We took the elevator to the nineteenth floor and stepped out into the foyer. I couldn’t sense Drake, which meant he was masking his power again. The gold tips of his hair rose over the top of his chair like a mini crown. He had his back to us and was talking on his cell phone. His voice was too low for me to hear him, but Ruen could hear every word. I looked at him and he ignored me, making no move to cross to the desk.
Ruen gave me a dire frown when I fidgeted restlessly. His boss knew we were there. I had to be patient while we waited for him to acknowledge us. After a couple of minutes, Lord Gilden ended his call and swiveled his chair around to face us. Tonight, he wore a navy suit with thin white pinstripes and a white shirt. “Ms. Sterling. Ruen,” he said in greeting, voice velvety smooth and sensual.
“Lord Gilden,” my partner said respectfully and nudged me in the side to get me moving.
“Hi,” I said, mouth going a bit dry from instant lust. Memories of my fantasies about the dragon flashed through my mind. I had to force them away so I could concentrate.
“Ruen informed me you were successful in your hunt tonight,” he said, gesturing for us to take a seat.
“I scragged all eight lesser demons,” I confirmed. “They didn’t put up much of a fight,” I added with my upper lip lifted in derision.
“Why do you have ceramic shards in your hair?” Drake asked.
“One of them smashed a lamp over my head. It was no big deal.”
“You would have been seriously injured if you’d been a full human,” he pointed out.
“I guess it’s lucky I’m not a pathetic, fragile, skinny little woman then,” I said with a hint of ire.
Drake looked at his lackey for an explanation. “The demon pack insulted Ms. Sterling’s weight,” the vampire said in a low voice, as if I somehow wouldn’t be able to hear him even though he was sitting right next to me.
“Ah,” his boss said in understanding. “How much mess will the body disposal team need to clean up?”
