She smiled. “Cursed.”
He paused for a moment. “You know the most interesting people.”
She slid her sword onto her back, adjusting it until it rested comfortably. After a quick check that she had everything, she zipped up the bag and tossed it back into the car.
“Where should we begin?”
She glanced around and drew her gun. No matter how skilled the person with the sword, a gun was still more intimidating to most people. “I don’t hear any screaming. I suppose that’s a good sign. Start walking. The person that called it in will find us, or we’ll find the shifter.”
Her gift brought searing pain with it this time. She ignored it and moved quickly down the street, Thomas right behind her. When they neared a cross street, she pressed against the corner of a building and leaned over to see around the edge. Halfway down the block a large hairy figure with no signature was leaning over something in the street. The distinctive sound of rending flesh had her swallowing the bile that burned its way up her throat.
Pulling her head back, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Her gift had served its purpose so she shut it down. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage. She could do this. She had to do this.
“What is it?” Thomas said next to her ear.
She opened her eyes. “Chewing. You hear it?”
He nodded once, his face grim.
She stepped out, raising her gun to point at the dark figure before her. “Walker. Stop what you’re doing and put your hands up.”
Nathaniel froze. Slowly he turned his torso to face her. His growl reverberated through the night making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Blood saturated the fur on his muzzle and chest and dripped in steady drops to the pavement below. Tissue clung to the teeth he bared as he snarled. There was nothing of her friend in the creature before her. She only hoped there was a little of him left inside.
The demon reached down, grasped something in its claws and lifted it. Though it was difficult to tell, she thought it was a length of intestine. The demon lifted it and shoved it into his mouth. His eyes never left hers as he started to chew.
“Okay. That’s just gross.”
The demon snapped its jaws at her and growled again. Thomas fired two shots from her left and hit Nathaniel in the chest. He rose to his full height. Arching his back, he howled in rage. He spun and jumped over the body. A couple of buildings down, he leaped up a fire escape before disappearing onto the roof. There was no way they were going to catch him. But she had to try.
“Damn it.” She slammed her gun back into the holster. She took off after her prey, keeping the spot where she’d last seen him in her sights. Just before they reached the fire escape, a figure stepped into view. It was gone just as quickly. It was probably the other demon, but if it was he’d found a new host. Just what she needed. She fired up her gift and stumbled a step when the pain tore through her brain.
Thomas caught her arm to steady her but she shook him off and went up the fire escape. The impact of her feet on the metal rang through the night air like a siren announcing her presence. The vibration of each step ran up her body and into her head, intensifying the pain. She was panting by the time they reached the top.
Thomas shoved her sideways before she even had a chance to get her bearings. If he’d been half a second slower, the headache wouldn’t have been a problem anymore. Bullets connected with the short brick wall behind them. He wrapped himself around her, protecting her. She strained to see around him, to get a glimpse of their assailant.
The shooting stopped, presumably so the gunman could reload. Thomas pulled her to her feet and hauled her behind a large air conditioning unit that offered more coverage. As they went, her eyes snagged on a patch of purple-blue smudged with black in the night. It couldn’t be. Thomas released her to ready his weapon and she scrambled out into the open.
Yes. There it was. She shut down her gift. In the half-second it took her eyes to adjust to the darkness again, he raised the gun. Raoul hesitated as their eyes met. It was the face she’d seen a million times in her nightmares. Only now, the entire right side was missing, melted off. When had that happened? And how?
“Juliana,” Thomas hissed and tugged her back against his side. He shook her. “Juliana! What is wrong with you? What is it?”
She shook her head. Here was her chance to finally get the man she’d been hunting for seven years and she was frozen like a fairy in a troll pod. She shoved down the fear that clawed at her insides looking for purchase. Pulling her gun out, she rolled to the side prepared to fire. He was gone.
No. No. No. She pushed herself to her feet and ran to where she’d last seen him. Nothing. She fired up her gift without thinking. Pain like an ice pick to the brain doubled her over. Liquid warmth flowed from her nose and she tasted the coppery tang of her blood. Through narrowed eyes she scanned the dark, but he was gone. She’d had her chance and she’d lost it.
She locked her gift down but the pain receded only enough to allow her to function. She swiped a hand across her face to get rid of the blood and turned on Thomas. “Why did you shoot him?”
Thomas eyed the blood smeared across her porcelain skin and trickling from her nose. “You can’t be serious. And why are you bleeding?”
She brushed aside his concern with a wave of her hand. “That’s not important. Why did you shoot him?”
His bride was an intelligent woman. She should already know the answer to that question. “He was eating someone.”
“It’s not like the guy was still alive. And now Nathaniel got away.”
She dug her phone out of her pocket.
His eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched. “He threatened you.”
“He was at least ten feet away.”
“And you really think it would be that difficult for any werewolf, let alone one hosting a demon to leap that distance before you could think of reacting?” She opened her mouth to protest and he shook his head. “Don’t. Just don’t. I will not justify my actions to anyone. Especially when it comes to your protection.”
“Jeremiah, it’s me. Any sign?” She paused for the answer. “Let me know.” She put the phone away and walked past him and back down the fire escape. He watched until she disappeared below the edge of the building. Damnable woman. He hurried after her. “And what was that on the roof? You nearly get your head shot off and you thrust it back into the line of fire. For what?”
“I thought I recognized the shooter,” she said as she hopped off at the bottom. She didn’t stop until she got back to the victim. He followed along behind her at a slower pace, mulling over her words, trying to remember if he’d gotten a glimpse of the person trying to kill them.
“And did you?” he asked when he reached her.
She glanced up but said nothing. It was answer enough. She did and she wasn’t going to share with him who it might be. “Talk to me, Juliana. What is going on? And why are you bleeding?”
A hand shot up to her nose and she seemed surprised to find the blood still trickling. He stepped closer to her and used the edge of his shirt to wipe the blood away. She looked at him a minute and then dropped her head, breaking the connection. “I’ve used my gift too much.”
He’d all but forgotten about that gift of hers. And he was an idiot for doing so. No wonder she was a full- blown Walker, risking her life in the field every day. They would never waste a talent like hers behind a desk.
Thomas shifted his attention to the body at their feet. It was a male. His throat gaped open in what was probably the killing blow and most of the stomach was gone. They always started with the stomach.
Juliana pulled out her phone which had no doubt vibrated to alert her to a call. “We’ll be right there,” she said after she listened a moment. “They found both demons. We’ve got to go.”
He put a hand on her arm to stop her. “There are two?”
“Yes. Didn’t I tell you that?”
“No.” His lips were a tight line. “You’ve been rather single minded about your wolf.”
“The other one’s smart and communicative. At least fifth level.”
“And they are connected how?”
