“Who runs this bitch?” Raven asked, her fingers crackling with energy.
“We do.” Tanya replied, stepping to her side.
Gabby put a hand on Ray’s arm. “Don’t do anything rash. We’re winging it now, and taunting will only make the demon retaliate. We won’t have time to think.”
Her friend flashed a half grin. “Look at you all cooler heads prevail.” She laughed a little “You’re right, Gabs, but I need to do something to draw the demon away from Luke. He’s still prone, and the bastard will use him as a pawn if we don’t occupy his attention. I won’t sacrifice your mate and that baby’s father as collateral damage, so get your trigger finger itching if we need something pulled from the heavens or the earth.”
Gabrielle nodded, moving to flank her friend. “Maybe this’ll be good. We can kill two for one. The demon and Brodeur.” She touched the tender spot left from the head laceration. “Like Moe said yesterday. I owe him”
Raven stepped out of the shadows with the witches and the wolves at the ready. “Hey! You!” Angel fire crackled violet and hot across her palms. “Newsflash, asshole. I’m nobody’s Persephone!”
“Holy shit! Look at its eyes,” Tanya murmured. The demon wore Tim Brodeur’s face, but the eyes were blood red and goat slit. “How did he change Tim so fast?”
“You can dig through Ray’s notes all you want once we send this asshole back to hell,” Gabby replied, keeping her eyes on their quarry.
The demon laughed at Raven, but its grin faded when Aiden and Jared seemed to grow in size. Two giant wolves, teeth bared and growling.
“Look what you’re up against you stinking insult to God. Blood witches, sentinels and me.” Raven lifted a hand, and a ball of purple energy pulsed, rotating in her palm. “Still want to play ball?”
It licked its lips at the angelic energy pulsing like a heartbeat in Raven’s hand. Its laugh was almost a manic squeal. “Your eyes! True Angelis Gloriana! Oh, you are my prize, little angel. One that will sustain this form for a thousand years!”
Raven’s eyes swirled purple and silver, glowing like the angel fire in her palm. The others knew that meant she was full strength and full speed ahead. She kept the ball rotating in one hand, but raised her other palm out.
“Ladies?”
Tanya and Capiria raised their hands as well. The demon laughed when they recited the Latin invocation from the Rituale Romanum.
“Girls,” it tsked. “Better than you have tried that and failed.” Its eyes narrowed at Raven. “Like your friend, Father Pete. I decided to show mercy and relieved him of his tortured soul. The priest is no more, poor thing.”
“It’s taunting you, Ray. Don’t let it get in your head.” Gabby kept her hands at the ready, and when the demon turned its eyes on her, she swallowed at its intense stare.
“Maybe I should feast on your friend,” it paused, angling its head at Gabrielle, “and her unborn child.”
That was it. Raven lifted both hands, each filled with purple light. “Thazos! I compel you!”
The demon stared in disbelief.
“Never underestimate a woman on a mission.” She pulled energy from the heavens, letting it spread and grow. “How about a taste of your own medicine?”
“Wait!” Capiria held her breath. “Crush the energy, Raven.” She nodded. “In your own palm. Crush it until it feels as fine as dusting powder, then let it loose. Maybe it will be too fine for him to feed from.”
Raven focused on the crackling energy, and then closed her fingers into her palm. When she opened them flat, she let the cloud of angel dust engulf the demon.
“Suffer, you bastard!”
The violet burst hit, and the entity hunched into itself, growling and thrashing, as its body writhed.
“Holy crap! It worked!” Raven looked at Tanya and Capiria. “Can either of you feel its energy? Can it be drained?”
Capiria gripped Tanya’s hand and they both reached for its essence, only to pull their hands back as if burned.
“Damn it.” Raven chewed her lip. “Anyone else have an idea?”
“Seems as though our powers are limited to incarnate demons,” Capiria said, thinking. “Still, we can create a vortex around you, so it can’t turn the tables.”
Raven shook her head. “No. It will use your energy to feed its own power. Knowing its name gives me some control, but it has a new host, which means a fresh soul. It’s only a matter of time before it pushes back. The angel dust burns, but I’m still not sure if it’s too fine for him to absorb.”
“Look!” Tanya pointed to Luke.
The wolf got to its feet. Wobbly at first, but it shook its enormous head and then lifted its snout to the sky and howled. Aiden and Jared joined in wolfy chorus before stalking closer to the other black wolf.
Luke barked, nosing Tim’s backpack by the truck door. Aiden raced for it while the demon lurched, trying to shake off the effects of the angel’s dust. He dragged the bag toward Raven, with Luke and Jared following behind.
Gabby threw her arms around the wolf’s neck, and he yelped. “Sorry, babe. I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
Raven didn’t budge. She kept her angel fire spinning in her hands for another cloud burst.
Luke barked again, nipping Raven’s pant leg and tugging her back.
“Aiden, what the hell is he doing? I need to concentrate.”
Her eyes went to Tim’s backpack on the ground. “He said there’s something inside that will help.”
Gabby spread the zippered opening and reached inside but jerked her hand back. “Ow! Fuck, that’s cold!”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. There’s something inside that’s so cold it burns,” Gabby curled her fingers into her palm.
“We don’t have time for
