gasped, seemingly oblivious to the blue fire that was swiftly engulfing the table I lay on.
“Blood, yes, her blood,” the demon snarled, bringing his snapping teeth down to my neck. I screamed, finally unable to hold it back.
The door burst open and the strange girl from the lobby stood there, holding a ridiculously huge gun in each hand. She didn’t hesitate, leveling the one in her right hand straight at the cypher, and taking his head off clean with one quick shot. It exploded, splattering the room, breaking my concentration for a long moment while I stared at the strange girl.
Ethel screamed and screamed, but the girl’s rough bark of a voice somehow drowned her out. “Banish the demon, or your head is next, hag.”
Something about the girl’s voice and the words she used triggered some kind of recognition, and I studied her, shocked and stunned.
The demon roared, scuttling towards the girl with it’s nightmarish gait. “Now or never, hag,” the girl barked, and the hag began to chant, her voice breaking in panic.
It was suddenly easier to breath in the room, and I let my flames abate as I realized that the demon had just disappeared.
Ethel chanted for a few more beats and then just stopped, raising her hands in a sign of peace to the girl. “He’s gone. Caged away. He’ll make me pay for that.”
The girl nodded, her face expressionless. It was then that I was positive of her identity. Her next move proved it. She raised her gun and shot the hag in the head, taking it clean off.
I shut my eyes in relief.
“The walls are still burning,” Caleb told me, in that strange girl’s voice.
I nodded. “This place is going to burn down. I got the fire too deep into the walls to stop it.”
I began to sit up, but Caleb was there, in that strange body, picking me up. “You’re seriously off of your game today, Jillian. That hag shouldn’t have been able to hold you so easily.”
I couldn’t argue. He was right. My injured body combined with my absent healing regeneration had seriously crippled me in there. It was embarrassing, especially in front of badass Caleb. “The fact that I attempted something like that at all should tell you just how off of my game I am at the moment.”
“Yes, that was amazingly idiotic. You need to bite the bullet and go see Dom.” He carried me out of the building in that tiny body amazingly fast, not even breathing heavy under my weight.
“I can walk,” I told him. He set me down, taking me at my word. I sighed, knowing I owed him now. “Thank you, Caleb. You know I owe you.”
He smiled, a cold little smile, just as creepy in that girl’s face. “Yes. Never a dull moment with the sisters. So what’s your plan now? Hopefully it’s something better than this fiasco.”
I sighed again, tired and unhappy with the way things had turned out. All of that, and I still had this fucking geas on my wrist. At least I had tried. “First, I need to stop by our house and grab some clothes. Then, possibly a quick trip to the spa.”
He just kept staring at me, waiting for me to finish. “Spa?”
“Yes. It’s a stupid girl thing. Obviously, you won’t understand.”
“You’re right. Ok. Spa. Then what?”
I grimaced. “Then I get this fucking geas off my wrist.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Forsworn
The Vegas weather was at it’s most manic, going from a bright sunny morning, and then switching to a late afternoon of flash floods, lightning, and thunder. It was a particularly violent one, even for the season. As I headed from our house at the lower part of the valley, to the strip, I actually saw some crazy teenagers trying to body board in it. I shook my head at the sight. Crazy mortal humans, always acting like death was so far-fetched.
The drive seemed unbelievably short, since I dreaded
“Blood, yes, her blood,” the demon snarled, bringing his snapping teeth down to my neck. I screamed, finally unable to hold it back.
The door burst open and the strange girl from the lobby stood there, holding a ridiculously huge gun in each hand. She didn’t hesitate, leveling the one in her right hand straight at the cypher, and taking his head off clean with one quick shot. It exploded, splattering the room, breaking my concentration for a long moment while I stared at the strange girl.
Ethel screamed and screamed, but the girl’s rough bark of a voice somehow drowned her out. “Banish the demon, or your head is next, hag.”
Something about the girl’s voice and the words she used triggered some kind of recognition, and I studied her, shocked and stunned.
The demon roared, scuttling towards the girl with it’s nightmarish gait. “Now or never, hag,” the girl barked, and the hag began to chant, her voice breaking in panic.
It was suddenly easier to breath in the room, and I let my flames abate as I realized that the demon had just disappeared.
Ethel chanted for a few more beats and then just stopped, raising her hands in a sign of peace to the girl. “He’s gone. Caged away. He’ll make me pay for that.”
The girl nodded, her face expressionless. It was then that I was positive of her identity. Her next move proved it. She raised her gun and shot the hag in the head, taking it clean off.
I shut my eyes in relief.
“The walls are still burning,” Caleb told me, in that strange girl’s voice.
I nodded. “This place is going to burn down. I got the fire too deep into the walls to stop it.”
I began to sit up, but Caleb was there, in that strange body, picking me up. “You’re seriously off of your game today, Jillian. That hag shouldn’t have been able to hold you so easily.”
I couldn’t argue. He was right. My injured body combined with my absent healing regeneration had seriously crippled me in there. It was embarrassing, especially in front of badass Caleb. “The fact that I attempted something like that at all should tell you just how off of my game I am at the moment.”
“Yes, that was amazingly idiotic. You need to bite the bullet and go see Dom.” He carried me out of the building in that tiny body amazingly fast, not even breathing heavy under my weight.
“I can walk,” I told him. He set me down, taking me at my word. I sighed, knowing I owed him now. “Thank you, Caleb. You know I owe you.”
He smiled, a cold little smile, just as creepy in that girl’s face. “Yes. Never a dull moment with the sisters. So what’s your plan now? Hopefully it’s something better than this fiasco.”
I sighed again, tired and unhappy with the way things had turned out. All of that, and I still had this fucking geas on my wrist. At least I had tried. “First, I need to stop by our house and grab some clothes. Then, possibly a quick trip to the spa.”
He just kept staring at me, waiting for me to finish. “Spa?”
“Yes. It’s a stupid girl thing. Obviously, you won’t understand.”
“You’re right. Ok. Spa. Then what?”
I grimaced. “Then I get this fucking geas off my wrist.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Forsworn
The Vegas weather was at it’s most manic, going from a bright sunny morning, and then switching to a late afternoon of flash floods, lightning, and thunder. It was a particularly violent one, even for the season. As I headed from our house at the lower part of the valley, to the strip, I actually saw some crazy teenagers trying to body board in it. I shook my head at the sight. Crazy mortal humans, always acting like death was so far-fetched.
The drive seemed unbelievably short, since I dreaded
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