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“Aha, ha, ha, ha.” I laughed in an exaggerated tone, then added dryly, “Pretty funny.”
He scowled. “How’s your stomach?”
“Oh, awesome. Good as new. Next time, don’t be such a baby. You should really actuallytryto hurt me. How’s the nose? Didn’t heal quite right, from the looks of it.”
“Still got that smart mouth, don’t ya. Bet you’ll lose the attitude when I take you to Master.”
“You mean Danté? Oh, he doesn’t mind.”
Yes, I was feeling quite cocky. His scowl changed to suspicion. I peered past him and saw the other guy who’d been with him at the dojo that night lurking to the side. He looked as menacing as ever.
“He said you might not resist.” Fabio was trying to figure me out.
“Oh, he did, did he?”
Wow, one kiss and a kidnapping to Dracula’s Castle, and I was suddenly willing to hand myself over, body and soul. Danté was quite sure of himself. I suppose that comes with centuries—no, millennia—of seducing others to debauchery. I shivered and screwed my courage into place.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
I stepped away from him, heading for the door. A quick glance over my shoulder. Sure enough, he followed with his partner and three others in his wake. From the looks of it, they’d found the new recruits recently. They were sort of dazed and shifty-eyed, reminding me of the guy Garzel possessed at the jukebox.
Luckily, Mindy and the boys were kicking back another round of shots, completely oblivious to me sneaking off. As I made my way through the crowd, I noticed Kat slipping out of the cage. I squeezed past Sunshine at the door and others trying to get in.
“Hey, beautiful. Leaving so soon?” he asked, frowning at my odd escort.
“I’ll be back,” I called with a wave. “No worries.”
Beside me, Fabio latched on to my arm. His expression deepened into an ugly scowl.
“You know, I don’t think Danté would want you manhandling the merchandise.”
“I don’t trust you.” He yanked hard, pulling me close to his side.
I cursed inwardly, waiting for my moment. The mean-looking one took the other side with the new guys flanking us. The night had grown cool and windy, blowing my hair behind me. I wished I’d sacrificed a little style and worn it in a ponytail to keep it out of my face.
Two of the new recruits were dirty, oafish, and in a blind stupor. The third was skinny and unkempt. Greasy hair clung to his face and neck under a black skullcap.
I wondered if they’d found these guys from one of the homeless dens under the interstate, feeling somewhat sympathetic in spite of the fact they wished me harm. The humans didn’t, but the demons did. Now, Fabio and his buddy were another story. Jude had said they were fused to their human hosts, so all bets of mercy were off.
My nerves stretched, suddenly feeling alone with five determined demons marching me farther away from the comforting sound of music pumping and people babbling outside Tartarus.
They walked me nearly two blocks. The only sounds were boots on pavement and horns honking in the distance of the hip-hopping Quarter. I couldn’t sense Jude or Kat at all, putting me on edge. My stomach tightened. For a second, I feared Fabio might sift out with me, but Jude had told me lower demons have limited power. They couldn’t do that.
Taking a deep breath, I centered my VS and touched that inner place. A shimmer of starlight responded, making me smile.
“What’s so funny?”
Fabio glared, veering me down a side street toward a black SUV with tinted windows.
“You are. You and your thug crew just crack me up. Could you get a more obvious kidnapping vehicle? You could’ve gone old-school with a white van and tin-foiled windows, I suppose.”
“That’s about enough,” said Fabio, gripping my arm tighter.
“Yeah, you’re right about that,” I muttered, wrenching my arm free and spinning around to face them.
I pulled the cast of illusion back inside myself, revealing the daggers strapped at my ribs. Fabio snickered. His buddy circled to my left, straight-faced. The other three drones followed behind me. I remained motionless, squaring my posture, eyes on Fabio.
“Little kitty cat wants to play, you see that, Bor?” He took a step closer. “I thought you were being way too cooperative,” he grunted with a sneer.
