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The sun set while I tinkered with the new computer, building it out with everything I needed for both the day job and the URL bounce I built for the laptop we’ve had for years. A yawn caught me off guard and I stretched, arching my back in the chair to get the stiffness out of the muscles. A glance at my watch told me it was safe to proceed upstairs and find Naomi.
I stepped into the family room, finding Michael and Valerie engaged in a game of chess and Ted in the kitchen whipping up food.
“Where’s Naomi?”
All three of them looked at me like I should know and my skin flushed hot. I turned toward the bedrooms and skidded into the empty room. The bathroom was empty too.
“God damn it,” I muttered and took a closer look at her clothing. Her jogging shoes along with the parka I bought her were gone and I spun around, stalking to the living room.
“She went out jogging,” I said and the shocked silence filled the room. Then everyone scrambled at once and I put out my hands to stop them. “I’ll find her, just give me the controller for the gate, okay?”
Michael glared at me but didn’t say anything.
“Just let me borrow a coat and a hat and I’ll go look for her,” I said. “And I’ll need the remote to open the gate.” I headed downstairs and grabbed my sneakers, slipping them on before returning to the living room. Ted handed me a coat and a hat and then he offered another item that made my eyebrows rise. A nine-millimeter.
I met his gaze.
“Platinum rounds just in case,” he said.
“If a vampire bites her, they’re doomed.” Both Valerie and Ted registered slack jaws. “I’m not the only one that’s allergic to her.” I offered a smile, but I took the gun anyway. A bullet would do just as much damage to a demon regardless of the metal components.
I made sure the safety was on and slid it into the inside pocket of Ted’s jacket. He handed me a Red Sox cap and I tucked my black curls under the hat before looking at the group. “A remote?” I asked and put my hand out.
Valerie crossed to the kitchen and pulled a small key ring from the pegs, tossing it to me. I slid it into my pocket and headed out the front door. Walking the driveway with my attention focused on the asphalt, I sniffed the air, letting my sense of smell dictate the direction Naomi had headed.
I stepped through the open gate and pressed the remote securing the property behind me. Turning left, toward the path that headed into the woods, I adopted the slow gait of a jogger warming up. The urge to take flight and soar over the area took hold and I squashed it. That would give away our tie to the house. Instead, I forced myself to maintain the slow casual pace.
My heart thundered with each step and after I had traveled a little over a mile, the scent on the air thickened, mixing her natural musk with an undertone of fear. It drove my feet faster and when I turned the blind bend in the road, I saw her. She stood between two men, her hands clenched in fists and her stance defensive.
I stopped and inhaled, assessing her attackers. They were more than mere mortals and anger bloomed under my skin. Demons toyed with her, circling and laughing at the weak human girl. I caught a hint of wariness in their stance, like she had already delivered a couple of blows and they treated her with caution.
All upper level brain functions ceased and the animal in my heart took over. I growled as I darted toward the closest demon, but he turned, prepared, like this had been a set up all along. I dodged the glinting blade, ignoring Naomi’s cry of caution.
I should have listened to what she said because pain bloomed in my temple. The bastard had a knife in one hand and a hammer in the other. I stumbled from the blow, but was able to react quickly enough to deflect the knife from my chest. It cut through the layers of the coat and seared my arm.
A chain wrapped around my neck, burning my skin as the second demon pulled me against his chest, holding me in place as the one I attacked stepped closer. My gaze flicked from the knife to Naomi and both fear and wild fury filled her features.
She launched at the demon, screaming like a banshee, but something happened halfway through the leap. The demon was so intent on running me through with the knife that he ignored Naomi’s war cry. When the white tiger hit him, it knocked him on his side and the hammer shot from his hand, but he still had the knife.
A shot of adrenaline ran through me and I yanked the chain forward, bringing the demon’s hand into view. With no hesitation, I sank my fangs into the meat of his thumb and he yelped, dropping the chain, and I used the surprise to flip him over my head and onto the ground with my teeth still embedded in his hand. As much as I hated demon blood, I still drew a mouthful in and swallowed before I released. Instead of going in for a more lethal bite, I drew the gun and flipped off the safety, planting a bullet into the bastard’s brain.
The shot stunned both Naomi and the second demon enough so I had a second to train the gun on the demon, but he rolled away, putting Naomi in the way. His attempt to swipe the knife across her abdomen missed doing the damage he’d hoped, but it did break through the skin under her fur and the smell of her sweet blood filled the air. She didn’t yelp, instead, she roared and her teeth caught his wrist, snapping it. The knife tumbled away and he punched Naomi with his free hand. She snarled and yanked at the wrist her teeth were embedded in.
I still didn’t have a clear shot and the demon’s punches were connecting with her torso hard enough for me to hear the bone on bone connections.
“Naomi, off!” I yelled, praying she would listen and for once, my prayers were answered. She moved to the right and the demon lunged to the left, reaching for the knife. He never made it. The bullet shattered the back of his skull, exploding out the front of his face, leaving him unrecognizable.
I flipped the safety on the gun and turned toward Naomi. She lay on her back in human form with her hands clutching her stomach. A trickle of blood flowed through her fingers, igniting my hunger as well as the fear in my soul. I tucked the gun inside the pocket and ran toward her, transitioning and wrapping my talons around her. I took flight, ignoring the burn of her blood against my talons.
As the crow flies, I had less than a mile back to the house and I made it to the back yard within minutes, setting her down on the frozen ground before transitioning back into human form. I scooped her up, carrying her to the door, kicking it and waiting for someone to open it up.
Valerie opened the door, shuffling us both inside. I placed Naomi on the couch and stepped back, letting Valerie take over inspecting her wounds.
“What happened?” Michael asked as he took the space next to me.
I looked down at my blistered hands before returning my gaze to Naomi. “She was attacked by a couple of demons,” I said and shifted. “I got there just in time.”
“If you hadn’t...” she started and winced as Valerie swabbed the cut on her abdomen.
“Well, if you hadn’t been dumb enough to go jogging alone, they wouldn’t have known you were here,” I snapped before she could continue. “The only thing I confirmed was that I was in the garage. Not you. Do you really think I’m that much of an idiot?
Her lips pursed and my fists clenched in response despite the pain.
“Val, are you going to be able to get any more blood this week?” I asked.
She shook her head without looking my way and I inhaled. I’d have to hunt to heal my wounds and I turned away from them. I stripped the coat and the hat, tossing it on a kitchen chair before heading toward the back door.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Hunting. I’m ravenous.”