1304 The Harbinger (The 13th Floor) Read Online Free Page B

blood.
    She caught a glimpse of movement on a nearby lamppost. A small black figure scampered up with a bucket in hand and draped it over the bulky decorative middle. Flames danced out of the top of the container and brought with them the sickening stench of burning flesh.
    An imp. Not just one. Meira spied them all along the street. A dozen. Maybe two. Rotten little bastards. What were they doing in Carmine?
    Sam helped a man whose wife was trapped in their car. The pair ran off into the nearest shop, but Sam turned to find an imp staring at him from the car’s hood. The devils were only as big as cats. They were hairless and looked like badly drawn cartoon pigs sprayed with acid. Some thin, some fat, but all were vicious.
    Sam’s back was to her, so Meira couldn’t see his expression, but he stood with legs apart and knees bent. When the imp leapt at him, Sam dodged to the right and swung out his arm to smash it to the ground. It scurried under the car.
    As much as the dread was smothering her, Meira felt a little turned on by his fighting. She’d always seen Sam as a gentle soul. A brilliant mind and a big heart. She knew he worked out, and his reflexes were fantastic. He stood with his legs wide and braced, ready for whatever was to come next.
    A trio of imps busted through the windows of a SUV across the street. A woman and a child screeched. Sam bounded over the hood where the other devil had just sat and threw himself against the van to knock off one of the creatures.
    Meira moved to get a better view when a leathery hand latched onto her ankle. The imp cackled as she glared at it and raised her leg as if she were going to kick it off. It held on tighter and grinned with yellowed fangs.
    Spreading her arms, she transformed with a hiss. The imp let go, and she caught it with her foot. Meira stomped it into the sidewalk.
    The mother and child screamed again, and Sam shouted at them to run. Meira jumped onto the roof of the nearest car, turning her attention back to her love. He had one imp pinned to the side of the SUV with his knee, and he was trying to fend off the second. No matter how quick his reflexes, the imp’s claws were slicing him into thin strips.
    Everything in her screamed for her to fly in and save him. Only her fear of the gods kept her in check. This had to happen for Sam to get a chance at all.
    The door slid open at the other side of the vehicle, and the woman carried her daughter out. The girl clutched to her mother as she fled.
    Sam saved them. He was a hero. Meira’s chest swelled with pride until her sorrow deflated it.
    Another imp climbed up the car toward Meira. She bared her teeth, daring the little bastard. It growled, but took off toward the restaurant. The devils weren’t smart, but at least they had some survival instincts.
    Sam’s cry caused her to shudder. This time, Meira couldn’t stop herself. She launched herself across the street with a few flaps and a glide.
    One imp had attached itself to Sam’s back and chomped at his neck. The other was tearing at the inside of his thigh. Sam rammed his knee again into the one, but it kept digging into him.
    Meira whipped her legs around and grabbed the devil off Sam’s back. Holding it in one foot, she tore off its head with the other.
    Sam sank to the ground, and she spun, cutting the other imp into three parts with her talons.
    Blood pooled around Sam as he turned his head to her. Even as his body shook with his horrible wounds, he smiled. “Always knew you were an angel.”
    “Far from it.” Meira whispered. She lifted her arm to wipe the blood from his handsome face, but her wing covered him instead.
    “Don’t worry about me. Help the other people.” He coughed, blood splattering his lips. No longer were they tinged red by her lipstick alone. When she didn’t move, he nodded once. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to a wonderful place.”
    It was so much like Sam. Always thinking about others. But