He tilts his head to the side and holds the knife out. It remains dark. A light bulb goes off. Somehow, it detects magic.
I chuckle. “I don’t have magic, asshole.”
Grabbing a kitchen towel, I flick it hard into his face, and as he rears back, I flick my wrist again, wrapping the towel around the knife, and yank. Surprisingly, he manages to hold on to it, but at least I’ve neutralized the sharp threat for a second. Before he can unravel it, I pull him forward and knee him hard in the groin.
He grunts, but it’s not near the reaction I was expecting. What did Letz say at the museum? Five of them took on a vampire, which means their suits must be fortified somehow.Damn it.I swing him around and throw him into the far wall. He crashes into the plaster and falls still. I may not have magic, but I’m not exactly human either.
Laughter fills the silent room behind me. I turn until I can see the kitchen. Three more guys, dressed in matching camo, armed to the teeth, stand there laughing.
“Who decided the party was at my house?” I ask, stalling while I try to decide whether to go after the gun taped under the kitchen island or the one in my bedroom.
“It’s only fair since you crashed our party last week,” the man in the middle drawls.
I study him, wondering if he’s the leader of this little band. He looks hard, like a career soldier, with his constantly shifting eyes and finger on the trigger. He nods to the men by his side, who immediately start tossing kitchen drawers to the ground.
How did he know it was me?I wonder.
Bedroom it is. I pivot, hoping to get there before he does. My fingertips are grazing the knob of the nightstand when a jolt of electricity catches me in the back, and I fall to the floor writhing, muscles and teeth clenched, trying to catch a breath.
The one I’ve dubbed the leader stands over me grinning with a taser in his hand. “That’s the easy setting. Now, all we want is the key and panel. If you tell me where they are, I’ll kill you quickly.” He tilts his head, waiting for me to answer.
I thought the humans bought the panel, so why is he asking me about it? “Letz sold the panel. I sold the key. Made a few million too,” I spit out when I can talk again. A little truth will help sell the lie. “How about an exchange? Buyer’s name and you let me go. What do you say?” I pull myself up against the side of the bed within reach of the nightstand.
In answer, he jabs the taser into my forehead. “Guess you’ll be going with us then. Stand up.”
I slide my feet under my body, then launch upward, throwing my entire body at him. He stumbles backward but doesn’t go down.Damn, he’s strong for a human.I use the angle to slam my elbow into his temple. With a roar, he shakes his head and shoves me off, then pulls a familiar-looking knife.
“You might not be magical,” he says, waving around the knife. “But you’ll still bleed when I cut you.” He jabs forward, and I stumble back.
I dart a glance around and spot a book on my nightstand. Snatching it up, I block his next hit, then slam the book into his face. He parries and thrusts again. The knife slides across my ribs, and I leap up and clock him in the eye with a superman cross. The bones around the outside of his eye cave in and blood seeps from a vicious tear in the corner.
He yells for help, and the other two soldiers rush into the room. “Hold this bitch down.” Hand over his eye, he sways back and forth.
With him slightly incapacitated, I swivel around to deal with the two men moving in to surround me and see a third in the doorway, plaster coating his uniform, knife in hand.
“Three against one really isn’t fair,” I admonish them. “Let’s even the odds, shall we?”
A beautiful strand of pearls comes to mind. Fifteenth century. Used by the Earl of Salisbury to choke his mistress. I place my hands on the guy nearest to me. He lurches backward, coughing and wheezing, then starts clawing at his throat. Red creeps up, covering his face. He motions frantically for his friend to help him.
Darkness starts dragging me under.
His partner closes in and jerks me away from his friend. “Stop whatever you’re doing!” His eyes dart from me to the other guy, watching in horror as something invisible chokes him. “Do something! The Heimlich! Or whatever!” he screams at the other soldier.
I sway. When I remove a curse, it leaves the object and temporarily becomes mine to use. How? I’m not really sure. I rarely use them as a defense tactic because they take a lot of energy. My eyes drift to the nightstand, but it’s too far away. The only weapons nearby are theirs. Letting my knees weaken, I wait until he grabs me with both hands, then pull his gun out of its holster. He immediately grabs it, wrestling for control, but I’ve got a firm grip. My finger caresses the trigger, but before I can shoot, I’m forced to let go to grab the meaty hand squeezing my throat.
The leader yanks me back and slams me against the wall. Hand clenched tightly, he dangles me above the floor. I kick out, but his suit is too fortified for me to make a dent. He squeezes, tighter and tighter. My throat closes, cutting off all the air.
He glances back at his men. “Did you find anything out there?” When they both say no, he motions to the room we’rein. “Toss this one. I have a feeling she’s telling me the truth, but we need to be sure.” As they move to follow orders, he leans in and drags the knife across my cheek. “I really hope we find what we’re looking for so I can gut you.”
Well, damn, that’s going to hurt.
I open my mouth, but his grip is too tight. He eases back, allowing me to suck in huge gulps of air. When I’ve filled my lungs, I give a raspy chuckle.
“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve died. Won’t be the last. But when you die, I’ll make sure to send your body to the demons. There’s nothing they like more than human flesh,” I promise him. It’s true. Bonus, it takes care of loose ends.
Enraged, his face turns purple, and he slams my head against the wall several times, making me wish I’d saved the curse for him. My strength is rapidly declining, so I hold off on using another or striking back. Finally, he stops.
“Did that old mage tell you where to find the panel?” he roars in my face.
