Night Huntress 03.5 - Devil to Pay Read Online Free Page A
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Paranormal
me.”
“Heart attack, aneurism, blood clot, stroke.” Bones ticked the items off his fingers. “He’s human, so he could drop dead in seconds just while he’s standing there. This is why I didn’t want you coming with me, Kitten.”
Cat rolled her eyes, giving Elise a look that clearly conveyed her exasperation. “Paranoid,” she repeated. Then she turned her attention to Blake. “Sorry to meet under these circumstances, but we’re going to take you to Mencheres and hopefully he–”
“No!” Blake screamed, his hands flying to his head.
Elise knew what that meant by now. She flung herself onto Blake even as a blast of sulfur filled the air.
Bones also launched forward, wrapping one arm around Blake’s throat and the other across the heaving man’s chest. The fiery red lights were in Blake’s gaze again, his skin turning sallower with each instant.
“ Let me go, ” the demon hissed in a voice that sounded nothing like Blake’s. It was hoarse and sharp, like glass being ground together.
“Kitten, start the car,” Bones directed, not taking his attention off the demon.
Cat turned and walked to the car. The demon’s eyes followed her, then it let out a laugh.
“ Catherine. ”
The redhead froze at the suddenly older, feminine voice coming from Blake’s mouth. She turned around, eyes wide.
“Catherineeeeeee…” the demon drew out in that same voice, but now with a pleading undertone. “Please don’t leave. Help us. There were creatures at the door asking about you, Catherine. They’re hurting us. Make them stop. No, don’t, let my husband go! No, don’t touch him, don’t… NO! Joe, oh God, JOE!”
“Grandma,” Cat whispered, tears in her eyes.
“Bloody sod,” Bones snarled, clapping his hand across the demon’s— Blake’s mouth. “Don’t listen to it, Kitten.”
She still seemed shell-shocked. “That was my grandmother’s voice, Bones!”
“It’s a trick,” he said firmly. “That’s why the best thing to do is take this poor bastard out to the salt flats and kill him.”
“No one’s killing him,” Elise said at once.
Bones leveled her with a glare sizzling with green. His power expanded until it felt like it was burning her.
“Don’t be a fool.” Each word was scalding. “The only reason I’m not snapping this bloke’s neck now is because there are too many living creatures around the demon could jump to. But his life will end on the salt flats. The only way to get rid of a demon is to kill the host.”
Elise was frail compared to the power emanating off Bones, and as her sire Mencheres’s coruler, Bones was also in a position of authority over her. But that didn’t mean she was giving up on Blake.
“Mencheres told me I could bring Blake to him,” she replied, her voice hard. “So that’s where we’re going, not to any salt flats.”
Bones’s mouth curled. “You were always stubborn.”
Elise just stared at him. Y ou don’t know me, she thought . And you might technically be my Master now, but you’re not going to win this one.
“Shouldn’t we be going?” Elise asked.
The demon’s eyes locked onto hers. Evil. Knowing. Anticipating.
You’re not going to win, either , Elise silently vowed. Determination welled up in her, stronger than any emotion she’d felt in decades. I won’t let you . .
Chapter Six
E lise hadn’t seen her sire in months. That wasn’t unusual, except in this case, Mencheres had been the one to keep himself secluded away. One glance showed that the toll from the recent war that resulted in Mencheres’s long-estranged wife being killed still hung over him. Physically, Mencheres looked the same. His waist-length black hair was just as lustrous, his creamy skin still held the amber tint of his Egyptian heritage, and his features were as handsome and regal as ever. But sadness clung to him in a tangible way,
“Heart attack, aneurism, blood clot, stroke.” Bones ticked the items off his fingers. “He’s human, so he could drop dead in seconds just while he’s standing there. This is why I didn’t want you coming with me, Kitten.”
Cat rolled her eyes, giving Elise a look that clearly conveyed her exasperation. “Paranoid,” she repeated. Then she turned her attention to Blake. “Sorry to meet under these circumstances, but we’re going to take you to Mencheres and hopefully he–”
“No!” Blake screamed, his hands flying to his head.
Elise knew what that meant by now. She flung herself onto Blake even as a blast of sulfur filled the air.
Bones also launched forward, wrapping one arm around Blake’s throat and the other across the heaving man’s chest. The fiery red lights were in Blake’s gaze again, his skin turning sallower with each instant.
“ Let me go, ” the demon hissed in a voice that sounded nothing like Blake’s. It was hoarse and sharp, like glass being ground together.
“Kitten, start the car,” Bones directed, not taking his attention off the demon.
Cat turned and walked to the car. The demon’s eyes followed her, then it let out a laugh.
“ Catherine. ”
The redhead froze at the suddenly older, feminine voice coming from Blake’s mouth. She turned around, eyes wide.
“Catherineeeeeee…” the demon drew out in that same voice, but now with a pleading undertone. “Please don’t leave. Help us. There were creatures at the door asking about you, Catherine. They’re hurting us. Make them stop. No, don’t, let my husband go! No, don’t touch him, don’t… NO! Joe, oh God, JOE!”
“Grandma,” Cat whispered, tears in her eyes.
“Bloody sod,” Bones snarled, clapping his hand across the demon’s— Blake’s mouth. “Don’t listen to it, Kitten.”
She still seemed shell-shocked. “That was my grandmother’s voice, Bones!”
“It’s a trick,” he said firmly. “That’s why the best thing to do is take this poor bastard out to the salt flats and kill him.”
“No one’s killing him,” Elise said at once.
Bones leveled her with a glare sizzling with green. His power expanded until it felt like it was burning her.
“Don’t be a fool.” Each word was scalding. “The only reason I’m not snapping this bloke’s neck now is because there are too many living creatures around the demon could jump to. But his life will end on the salt flats. The only way to get rid of a demon is to kill the host.”
Elise was frail compared to the power emanating off Bones, and as her sire Mencheres’s coruler, Bones was also in a position of authority over her. But that didn’t mean she was giving up on Blake.
“Mencheres told me I could bring Blake to him,” she replied, her voice hard. “So that’s where we’re going, not to any salt flats.”
Bones’s mouth curled. “You were always stubborn.”
Elise just stared at him. Y ou don’t know me, she thought . And you might technically be my Master now, but you’re not going to win this one.
“Shouldn’t we be going?” Elise asked.
The demon’s eyes locked onto hers. Evil. Knowing. Anticipating.
You’re not going to win, either , Elise silently vowed. Determination welled up in her, stronger than any emotion she’d felt in decades. I won’t let you . .
Chapter Six
E lise hadn’t seen her sire in months. That wasn’t unusual, except in this case, Mencheres had been the one to keep himself secluded away. One glance showed that the toll from the recent war that resulted in Mencheres’s long-estranged wife being killed still hung over him. Physically, Mencheres looked the same. His waist-length black hair was just as lustrous, his creamy skin still held the amber tint of his Egyptian heritage, and his features were as handsome and regal as ever. But sadness clung to him in a tangible way,
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