Page 8 of The Last Slayer
I whirled around, the ax coming up. A tall stranger was watching me, leaning against the bathroom door. The tight pull of his ponytail accentuated the sharp angles and planes of his face. Long platinum hair and keen emerald green eyes drew me in, a trap for any animal dumb enough to miss the substance beneath the pretty package. Layers of glamour wrapped around him, trying to disguise his true nature, but it was obvious that he wasn’t human. Maybe an incubus? I couldn’t tell for sure, which was worrisome. Normally I can smell the things a mile away.
My grip on the ax tightened, my heart hammering against my chest. Something must have been wrong that day. First I’d missed Selena’s true nature, and now I couldn’t tell about this guy?
It, I told myself. A demon was an it, not a guy…but something about this one compelled me to think differently. And damned if that something wasn’t working, because I couldn’t bring myself to call him “it.”
Crap. I was really in trouble.
“You fought superbly.” There was a hint of admiration in his voice, which was a rich baritone that went over me like a coat of warm honey. “I doubted you could kill her, not in your mortal vessel.”
Part of me wanted to preen a little, but another part—the smarter and stronger one—was appalled that I was flattered. Demons were the enemy. They never did anything nice without a reason. Besides, he probably hadn’t even seen the fight. I hadn’t sensed Selena inviting anyone else into the dream, and I would have noticed if another
demon had entered unbidden.
“What do you want?” I said, my tone flat.
“To save you.”
Despite myself, I laughed. Guess some demons have a warped sense of humor, although he was the first one I’d met.
“As good as you were,” he continued, “she marked you.”
That sobered me up. Maybe he’d seen the fight after all. Was he Selena’s buddy? I couldn’t tell, and nothing made me jumpier than uncertainty. Still, he made no move forward. He remained relaxed, and my gut said he wouldn’t hurt me.
My gut was probably delusional from the lack of food.
If I couldn’t rely on instinct, I had to trust logic. And right about then logic was pointing out that the sense of security I was feeling was a trap. There were lots of demons that wanted me dead. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the one in front of me was a card-carrying member of the Kill Ashera Club.
“Yeah, well, ‘marked.’ Once I take a shower I’ll be fine.”
“You won’t last a day without my help,” he said.
“A day? You mean like yesterday? Or the day before that?” Just because Selena had claimed to have marked me didn’t mean I was going to start hiring demon bodyguards or something. I’d’ve trusted a starving dog with a slab of prime rib before I trusted a demon with my safety. “I’ve stayed alive all these years without you, and I’m sure I’ll continue to stay alive without you. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going now.” I took a step forward, ax at the ready. “Alone.”
He took a graceful step back, like a matador. “As you wish.”
It was kind of disappointing. “What, you aren’t going to try to stop me?”
“I would never force you to do something that you didn’t wish to do.”
I frowned. The angle of my ax drooped a bit. Nobody had said anything like that to me before. In my life, things were always done because they were expected of me or because they had to be. Like now, facing my second demon of the night instead of being home with Chinese food.
Despite the glamour, the demon couldn’t quite disguise how old and powerful he truly was. He could try to force me to do what he wanted, and I’d have a tough fight on my hands. I’m okay with an ax, but more comfortable with a sword. So why did he care about what I wanted? What was his game?
“In any case, you will soon recognize your error,” he said. Conviction added a weight to his words. I had a feeling he wouldn’t attack me. He hadn’t promised to leave me alone, but if he’d wanted to kill me, he would’ve tried by now.
Still, in my line of work it paid to be careful, especially when those emerald-green eyes were making it hard to think clearly. The containment circle was still in place at the foot of Selena’s bed. I indicated it with my chin. “Go stand in the circle.” It wouldn’t give him much problem if he wanted to break it, but every extra second counts.
A brief look of amusement crossed his features, but he went and stood quietly. “Before your birthday is over,” he continued. “It is a day of significance… Three upon three upon three.”
Slightly more relaxed, but still keeping an eye on him, I bent and picked up Selena’s head. “Sure, whatever. Hold your breath. Hey, can a demon die of asphyxiation?”
“He will come for you, and you are not yet strong enough to stand against him without my assistance. But you remain unconvinced. Very well. Should you need me, simply say…‘uncle.’”
“Bite me.”
His eyes changed slightly, something ancient and primal glinting in them as they traveled down my body. Surprisingly, he smiled, straight pearly whites sparkling. “It would be my pleasure.”
The words whispered through the air, each syllable a silken caress. I shivered, my throat suddenly dry, and it was all I could do to rally myself. “Yeah? A pleasure you’re nev—”
