I lost them in the crowd several times, but I managed to catch sight of them walking down a dark hallway toward the back exit of the club. I debated whether or not to alert my team and decided not to pull them away from the job for this. If it came down to it, I could easily handle a human male.
The metal door squeaked when I opened it and slipped outside into a loading area used for deliveries. At the bottom of a concrete ramp, I spotted the man carrying the girl, who appeared to be unconscious. He stopped walking and looked up at me.
“Well, this isn’t the right door.” I bit my lip, pretending to be embarrassed.
His gaze moved over my body before resting on my face. “You shouldn’t be out here alone, sweetheart.”
I jiggled the doorknob that had locked behind me. “Damn it. Now I’ll have to walk all the way around to the front again.”
“Come. I’ll walk with you.” He adjusted the girl’s weight in his arms. “I was just leaving anyway. My girl had a bit too much to drink.”
“Oh, thanks,” I said with exaggerated relief as I started toward them. “Is she okay?”
“She just needs to sleep it off.” He glanced down at the girl’s face. When he looked up again, there was no mistaking the hungry gleam in his dark eyes.
I took another two steps, and my nose twitched as the unmistakable smell of rotten oranges filled my nostrils.
My mind raced as I evaluated the situation. Tana demons were strong, but so was I. I didn’t have the speed or strength of a warrior like Raoul, but I could hold my own against a lone demon. My main concern was for the girl, who could be badly injured in a fight. And there was no way this guy was going down without one.
I had the element of surprise on my side. He wouldn’t be this calm if he knew what I was. If I alerted the team, he’d know, and he could hurt the girl before backup arrived.
“You coming?”
I started when I realized I’d stopped halfway down the ramp. I gnawed the inside of my cheek as I began walking again. What do I do?
The decision was taken out of my hands when the demon suddenly stiffened and his eyes narrowed on me.
“Mohiri.”
Crap. I’d forgotten that some demons – such as Incubi and tana demons – could recognize other demons. So much for the element of surprise.
“I only want the human,” I said evenly.
I hoped he didn’t see through my lie. This demon had already killed four women, and there was no way I was letting him go free so he could do it again.
His smile was more of a sneer. “You’re young, and I bet you’ve never met one of my kind before now. I’ve been around longer than you, and I’m not someone you want to mess with.”
A tendril of fear curled in my stomach, but I ignored it and spoke with confidence. “Leave the human and I won’t mess with you.”
He laughed.
Without taking my eyes from him, I reached down and pulled out one of the silver knives tucked inside my boots. I felt better with the familiar weapon in my hand.
The smile faded from his face, and he backed up several steps to lay the girl on the ground. He straightened and faced me, hatred churning in his dark, angry eyes.
I let my Mori come closer to the surface, relishing in its strength flowing through me. Now that the human was out of the equation, I was ready to fight.
“Report in.”
Raoul’s voice in my earpiece startled me. Before I could respond, the demon took advantage of the distraction and lunged at me, faster than I expected.
I moved to the side, but he managed to hit my right shoulder, throwing me off balance. I recovered in time to see him coming in for a second attack. This time, I was ready for him.
My knife sank into the flesh above his collarbone. He grunted in pain and spun away, pulling free of the blade. Black demon blood poured from the smoking wound.
“Beth, where are you?” Mason asked over the comm.
I hit the button on my earpiece. “Outside –”
It was all I managed to get out before the demon made a break for it. I guess he figured backup was coming, and he’d decided his meal wasn’t worth dying for.
I let my knife fly, as I’d done a thousand times in practice, hitting him squarely between the shoulder blades. He stumbled, and I tackled him, taking him down to the ground. I wrenched his arms tightly behind his back, and he howled in pain. Yanking out the knife, I raised it to deliver the killing blow.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
I paused mid-strike and stared at the blonde girl standing a dozen yards away. She wore dark jeans, red boots, and a red leather jacket I would kill for. In her hand was a long silver blade.
She scowled and strode toward us. “Do you know how long I’ve been after this bastard?”
The demon tried to buck me off, and I pulled his arms tighter. He let out a muffled scream and fell quiet again.
I looked at the girl. She wasn’t close enough for me to sense her Mori, but I had a strong suspicion she was one of ours.
“You want him?” I asked her.
She huffed. “It’s no fun once they’re down.”
A door opened, and I heard running feet.
The girl smirked. “Hello, boys. Come to watch?”
“Why am I not surprised to see you here?” Raoul sounded amused as he crouched beside me. “Nice work, rookie. You going to finish it, or sit on it for a while?”
I’d been about to take out the demon before everyone arrived. Now I felt self-conscious performing my first kill in front of an audience.
“Just taking a breather,” I quipped, earning a snort of laughter from the blonde warrior.
Raoul chuckled and stood. “How’s the human?”
“Out cold,” Brock called. “But she’ll make it. We should get her out of here, though.”
That was all I needed to hear. I raised my knife again and plunged it into the tana demon’s heart. He jerked, made a gasping sound, and went still.
I stood and brushed off my pants. Then I retrieved my knife, wiping it clean on the demon’s shirt before I looked for Mason, who watched me with a mix of envy and pride.
He walked over and held up a hand for me to slap. “Niiiice.”
“Thanks.” I tried to be all cool about it, but I felt myself beaming. No one’s praise meant more to me than his.
“Good kill.” The blonde warrior nodded approvingly and came over to hold out her hand. “Jordan.”
I shook her hand as recognition set in. “You’re Sara’s friend.”
“That’s me. And you must be Beth and Mason. She mentioned you last time we talked. Sorry I haven’t been by to give you the LA welcome. Been busy looking for this guy.”
“Guess this means we’ll have the pleasure of your company tomorrow.” Raoul smiled, putting his phone to his ear. As he walked past us, I heard him say, “We got him.”
Jordan sheathed her knife at her thigh. “This was your first kill?”
“Yes.”
“I saw you take him down. Those were some nice moves.”
“Thanks.”
She looked down at my tight black pants and red top.
“You can fight, and you have good fashion sense. I have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends, Beth.”
Taking my arm, she led me away from the others toward the street.
“What about the girl and the body?” I asked her, tossing Mason a helpless look over my shoulder.
“There are enough big strong warriors left to take care of the girl and dispose of the demon.”
“Oh.”
She shot me a mischievous smile. “Besides, if we’re going to be friends we need to get to know each other. Now tell me, have you been to Rodeo Drive yet?”
Chapter 3
Chris
I walked into the control room and let out a low whistle at the setup. It was twice the size of the one we’d had in Santa Cruz, and Tristan had obviously spared no expense. I recognized the guys from Raoul’s team manning some of the computers, and they all called greetings to me.
“Look who finally decided to visit us.”
Raoul left a station and came toward me. “Great to see you, man.”
“You, too.” I waved a hand at the room. “Nice digs you have here.”