heart
jumped into my throat as her energies played against my
senses.
She was our killer.
Scarlett stared at her, finding her
voice first. “Who are you?”
The woman smiled. “The name’s
Jacqueline, but you can call me the Ripper, if you prefer.” Gone
was the scared and timid creature who’d begged for her life on her
knees. She stood there bold, chest jutted out, the wicked gleam of
foot-long silver blade sitting steady in her hand. The glistening
tear from earlier had been replaced by a malevolent glimmer and the
subtle dance of fire.
Jacky wasn’t human; at least not
completely. There was the definite musk of demonic heritage about
her. It wafted off her clearly now that I knew where to point my
senses.
“ Did Lucifer send you?”
she asked.
My cousin’s head swiveled
to me, only confirming that she’d picked up on Jacky’s scent , too.
“ I know, I know. Jesus,
woman, I know!” Scarlett waggled an angry finger at me. She hated
when I used the Lord’s name in vain. “No, Lucifer didn’t send us,”
I barked, turning my focus back to the other woman.
“ You aren’t here to take
me home?” Jacky’s eyes narrowed and she inched forward, the blade
shifting our direction. “If my lord Satan did not send you, then
who are you? Why are you here?”
I raised my hands to the sky.
“Seriously, can you just stop with that shit, already? I’m having a
hard enough time as it is.”
Scarlett huffed as she swallowed back
a chuckle. “Care to revisit our earlier conversation, Frank? You
remember, I’m sure, the one where you emphatically stated Lucifer
wasn’t involved in any of this.”
“ He’s not, damn it.” I
pointed a finger at Scarlett. “You’re starting to piss me off, you
know that?”
“ Prove me
wrong.”
“ I’ll prove my foot in
your ass.”
“ Stop talking to that
whore of an angel and answer my question,” Jacky shrieked. The
words were like daggers, each syllable sinking in to the
hilt.
Scarlett’s head snapped about to face
Jacky. “I’m a what?” The tips of her ears were a bright pink,
standing out against the golden blond of Scarlett’s
hair.
I took a cautious step to the side,
putting some distance between my cousin and me. Things were about
to get ugly.
“ You heard me,” Jacky
shouted back, brandishing her knife, “whore!”
There was that word again.
It was barely out of Jacky’s mouth
before Scarlett was on her. Curvy flesh slammed together as the two
women flew through the open door to disappear outside. I hobbled
after them, cursing the bullet hole in my leg, and paused in the
door frame where there was an excellent view of the cat
fight.
Well, cat fight might be a bit
misleading. It was more of a cat mauling, a pissed off lioness
versus a kitten. For all her bluster, Jacky was just a blip of
energy compared to the brilliant star that was Scarlett. Whatever
power she’d accumulated was more a side effect of the rituals she’d
been performing, leeching off the aether as she pecked the
dimensional walls. It wasn’t natural magic like Scarlett
controlled. It wasn’t even close.
Jacky clearly had demon in her
bloodline, but she hadn’t run up against any others and hadn’t
evoked a soul transfer to increase her natural power. She
definitely had never seen a real angel before, let alone one as
sensitive as my cousin. If she had, she would have known better
than to cast an unchaste accusation Scarlett’s
direction.
Angelic fists slammed into Jacky’s
face and forehead, reddened welts trickles of blood marring her
features. Our little Ripper was getting her ass kicked.
I knew I should jump in and save
her—letting someone higher up, or much lower, decide the woman’s
fate—but I was having too much fun. Jacky’s chest heaved, damn near
popping out of her tight, low cut blouse. She grunted with every
blow landed. Scarlett’s chest wobbled side to side, and I felt my
neck cramp trying to keep up. It’s not often I get entertainment
like
jumped into my throat as her energies played against my
senses.
She was our killer.
Scarlett stared at her, finding her
voice first. “Who are you?”
The woman smiled. “The name’s
Jacqueline, but you can call me the Ripper, if you prefer.” Gone
was the scared and timid creature who’d begged for her life on her
knees. She stood there bold, chest jutted out, the wicked gleam of
foot-long silver blade sitting steady in her hand. The glistening
tear from earlier had been replaced by a malevolent glimmer and the
subtle dance of fire.
Jacky wasn’t human; at least not
completely. There was the definite musk of demonic heritage about
her. It wafted off her clearly now that I knew where to point my
senses.
“ Did Lucifer send you?”
she asked.
My cousin’s head swiveled
to me, only confirming that she’d picked up on Jacky’s scent , too.
“ I know, I know. Jesus,
woman, I know!” Scarlett waggled an angry finger at me. She hated
when I used the Lord’s name in vain. “No, Lucifer didn’t send us,”
I barked, turning my focus back to the other woman.
“ You aren’t here to take
me home?” Jacky’s eyes narrowed and she inched forward, the blade
shifting our direction. “If my lord Satan did not send you, then
who are you? Why are you here?”
I raised my hands to the sky.
“Seriously, can you just stop with that shit, already? I’m having a
hard enough time as it is.”
Scarlett huffed as she swallowed back
a chuckle. “Care to revisit our earlier conversation, Frank? You
remember, I’m sure, the one where you emphatically stated Lucifer
wasn’t involved in any of this.”
“ He’s not, damn it.” I
pointed a finger at Scarlett. “You’re starting to piss me off, you
know that?”
“ Prove me
wrong.”
“ I’ll prove my foot in
your ass.”
“ Stop talking to that
whore of an angel and answer my question,” Jacky shrieked. The
words were like daggers, each syllable sinking in to the
hilt.
Scarlett’s head snapped about to face
Jacky. “I’m a what?” The tips of her ears were a bright pink,
standing out against the golden blond of Scarlett’s
hair.
I took a cautious step to the side,
putting some distance between my cousin and me. Things were about
to get ugly.
“ You heard me,” Jacky
shouted back, brandishing her knife, “whore!”
There was that word again.
It was barely out of Jacky’s mouth
before Scarlett was on her. Curvy flesh slammed together as the two
women flew through the open door to disappear outside. I hobbled
after them, cursing the bullet hole in my leg, and paused in the
door frame where there was an excellent view of the cat
fight.
Well, cat fight might be a bit
misleading. It was more of a cat mauling, a pissed off lioness
versus a kitten. For all her bluster, Jacky was just a blip of
energy compared to the brilliant star that was Scarlett. Whatever
power she’d accumulated was more a side effect of the rituals she’d
been performing, leeching off the aether as she pecked the
dimensional walls. It wasn’t natural magic like Scarlett
controlled. It wasn’t even close.
Jacky clearly had demon in her
bloodline, but she hadn’t run up against any others and hadn’t
evoked a soul transfer to increase her natural power. She
definitely had never seen a real angel before, let alone one as
sensitive as my cousin. If she had, she would have known better
than to cast an unchaste accusation Scarlett’s
direction.
Angelic fists slammed into Jacky’s
face and forehead, reddened welts trickles of blood marring her
features. Our little Ripper was getting her ass kicked.
I knew I should jump in and save
her—letting someone higher up, or much lower, decide the woman’s
fate—but I was having too much fun. Jacky’s chest heaved, damn near
popping out of her tight, low cut blouse. She grunted with every
blow landed. Scarlett’s chest wobbled side to side, and I felt my
neck cramp trying to keep up. It’s not often I get entertainment
like
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