“Of course not.” The demon seemed giddy, its enormous smile exposing sharp teeth stained with blood. “You would rather fight.”
Khent nodded.
The demon didn’t waste time. It flew at him, waving the staff that did nothing to Khent but cause the surrounding vegetation to wilt. A poor imitation of the actual Staff of Blight, which would have obliterated all of them.
Well, except for Khent. Resistant to most poisons, he would weaken but wouldn’t completely falter. Valentine and Onvyr would likely die, though. And that wouldn’t please him, not until Khent had unraveled the mysteries of his secretive human.
He met the enemy blow for blow, not going all out, trying to see what the demon had to offer. Sadly, it wasn’t much. “Your name, creature?” Khent asked it again.
“This is clearly not working.” The four-eyes stopped moving, broke the staff in half, and used one of the jagged pieces to pierce one of its own eyes.
“Gross,” Val murmured.
“Totally,” Onvyr answered from above.
Curious as to what the demon wanted, Khent waited.
“Can you feel this, necromancer?” the demon asked, glancing up at the tree. “Does this give you that tingling sensation? Because Vladimir claims he can control us.”
“Us? So you’re a demon as well then?” Khent asked.
The demon ignored him. “Answer me, human.”
“I sense everything,” she said, her soft voice and lilting laughter a little creepy.
Impressed, Khent advanced on the demon, aware its splintered attention made it even easier to attack. Unless that was its plan, to draw him in.
He pretended to lunge at it, pleased when it blew out a breath of noxious fumes mixed with demon blood.
Easily avoiding it, Khent used his speed to circle the demon while Valentine continued to taunt it.
“The presence inside you is too vast for a hack like Vladimir to touch. He can’t know what I know. Using the power of the stone I?—”
“The stone.Where it is? I need it.”
“Fuck off.” She snorted. “It’s mine.”
Khent frowned, not appreciating the demon’s attention on Valentine. He also didn’t like being ignored. “No, the stone ismine.I control it; I control her. Everything she has belongs to me.”
That had the demon swinging his head back around to regard Khent. “Oh?”
“Your name, creature? I won’t ask again.”
“Then don’t.” A subtle ticking grew louder. Like that of a bomb…
Oh shit.
Khent raced up the tree, grabbed Valentine and Onvyr over his shoulders, and raced away from the demon.
Once out of lethal range, he tossed Onvyr to his feet and snarled, “Run.”
They made it another few seconds before a blast set fire to the top of the mountain. Flames unfurled toward them, in neon blues and greens.
“Poison,” Onvyr rasped and coughed, the fumes catching them too quickly.
“Ignore it. Move,” Khent ordered and ran faster. Valentine fell limply over his shoulder, and he didn’t like the feeling of worry gnawing at him.
Vampires didn’t know fear or anxiety. At least, Khent never had. And never would, he told himself, running like the wind until he reached the base of the mountain. He fetched a gallon of water from the trunk of the car, a handy antidote to many spells when properly utilized, and threw it over Valentine and Onvyr, who’d joined him.
