All Wounds by Dina James Page A

could be put to—” Billy growled, and Armaros opened his fluorescent green eyes.
    “Or do not,” the demon continued with a contemptuous glare down at Billy. “I forget your kind is incapable of rational thought.”
    “I’m about to rationalize you, buddy,” Billy warned. “Back in your hole, before I really get mad. And leave that little bit of nothin’ you got your dirty mitts on. She ain’t worth the hurt I’ll put on you.” Armaros laughed and shook his head. “Anubi,” he said with a wry smile. “Forever looking at what is in front of them, never what is behind.
    Foolish creatures, the lot of them.”
    The demon nodded and the door to each of the bathroom stalls opened to reveal a demon, each holding a thick chain leash attached to metal collars of large black dog-like creatures.
    Hellhounds.
    One of the hounds snarled, black drool glistening at the corners of its mouth. Some of the creature’s drool dripped in gold-colored threads to the floor where it hissed and smoked like acid.
    Rebecca’s eyes widened.
    Billy laughed and shook his head. “If that’s the way you boys want to play...”
    Coarse, shaggy brown fur grew from his skin. The hair on Billy’s head lengthened to meet the identical hair on his back while his ears lengthened into furred points and moved up and closer to the top of his face.
    He simply...all Rebecca could think of was that he melted —clothes and all—into a very large...beast.
    She did her very best not to scream. Not only did this new creature —
    what had just called himself “Billy” — tower above her, he stood on two legs. The fur that now covered his chest didn’t hide obvious scars. If the fur along them wasn’t missing entirely, it grew in all-opposite directions, unlike the smoothness of the undamaged parts of him.
    Anubi , the demon had called him, and Rebecca knew that she was staring a werewolf in the face.
    The face. That was perhaps the most frightening thing of all.
    The left side looked like it had been torn away then put back together again with glue that never dried. His left ear drooped much further down than the right one, and his left cheek did the same.
    Large, sharp canine teeth protruded from the top and bottom of Billy’s long, pointed muzzle. The undamaged right side of his wolf ’s face curled in a sneer at the five other demons that had shown themselves. Rebecca was shocked to hear him speak again.
    “So, we gonna do this or what?” came Billy’s voice faintly through the darker, deeper growling that the beast was using to talk.
    Armaros laughed. “A lone anubi and an untrained Healer against us and our guardians? I believe you are greatly overestimating your chances.” Billy was on her side! Rebecca hadn’t been sure.
    “There ain’t enough of you,” the anubi scoffed. “Pups and all, you wouldn’t make a mouthful. I thought you knew better, Armaros. But I forgot, you can’t count. Six against one makes for poor odds...on your side.”
    “One does not need an entire force if one does not intend to fight,” Armaros replied. He smiled, though it emanated nothing but cruelty, and gestured at Rebecca. “We wouldn’t want to damage—”
    “Touch her and it will take you a month to find all your parts,” Billy cut Armaros off with a deep growl. “You can’t have her.”
    “And why not?” Armaros replied, raising an eyebrow.
    “’Cause she ain’t yours to have,” Billy replied.
    He jerked his head in the direction of the bathroom door behind him without taking his eyes off the six demons in front of him.
    “Bit, these boys want to dance, I’ll be glad to show them the steps.
    Move your butt and get out of here.”
    Rebecca took another step back. Strong hands clamped around her upper arms. She screamed.
    Armaros laughed and shook his head. “You can’t hide her now, and no anubi lapdog is going to interfere in our business.”
    “And you just done what I told you not to,” Billy said with a grin. “Eat it,