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ChapterOne
I hated being demon bait.At least the one slithering on his belly between ancient headstones couldn’t hide his true nature behind a glamour. His lethal teeth, slimy body, and claws exposed him for what he really was. A monster.
Just like me.
My black military boots sank into the soggy ground of Colonial Park Cemetery as I meandered around the cherub and angel statues, my grip tightening on the dagger’s hilt where magic concealed the blade. I didn’t have claws or devil horns, but darkness ran through my veins, and innocent blood coated my hands.
Thanks to the ravens, I had a shot at redemption. And I sure as hell wouldn’t let anything stand in my way, even if it meant slaughtering this sub-demon and any other nightworlder who deserved it.
To be honest, most deserved it. They were lucky ravens followed the accords.
I halted at a small gravestone and brushed away the coarse grime to uncover the dates below the carving of prayer hands, my throat constricting at the short lifespan. Susan Marie Johnson died at thirteen. Her life had been severed before she ever really lived—just like Jayla.
A twig snapped, and I whipped around, my long ponytail slapping my face. Spanish moss hanging from twisting oak branches drifted in the warm wind like ghosts while the creaking of limbs produced an eerie cadence. The sub-demon still lurked behind a tall statue, his stench crinkling my nose.
Nervous energy built within me, and sweat vanished into the black, moisture-wicking shirt suctioned to my body. I’d melt in the brutal summer heat of Savannah, Georgia before this creature attacked.
What the hell are you waiting for, demon?
Once this was over, I’d be cleared for The Calling spell tomorrow.
My fingers clenched and unclenched around the dagger, the warm metal digging into my palm. I couldn’t bear the disappointment in Captain Coltrane’s eyes if I botched my field test tonight.
I couldn’t fail. At anything. Ever again.
One by one, the lightning bugs winked out, leaving behind a thick shroud of darkness. The crickets stopped chirping, and the cicadas’ repetitive song ceased. Even the croak of frogs in the distance halted.
The hairs on my nape rose, and goose bumps scuttled along my arms like writhing bugs. Tension solidified through the night, heavy and oppressive.
My muscles tightened, poised for battle.
A massive, slug-like animal lunged out of the shadows, short legs carrying his slimy body across the slick grass. The grotesque thing, twice the size of a Great Dane, opened his giant maw to reveal circular rows of razor-sharp teeth that glistened with gooey saliva.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Damn, he was a nasty one.
When the sub-demon was close enough to make me gag on his fetid breath as it poured over my face, I activated the dagger’s blade, jerked my arm forward, and stabbed his neck.
Black blood spurted out of the wound while he released a shrill cry.
My lips hitched into a smile. “Gotcha.”
His shock quickly faded, and the creature snarled as he realized his mistake. I wasn’t his next meal. I was his death.
I snatched the knife out and rubbed my thumb over the rune again to lengthen the blade into a sword, my movements quick and precise. Any hesitation could leave me vulnerable. And I didn’t do vulnerable.
The beast’s roar shook the ground beneath my feet, but before he could sink those jagged teeth into my flesh, I lopped off his head.
Decapitation was the only surefire way to kill a demon.
Shrieks erupted into the night, and another sub-demon slug skittered through the graveyard, leaving a viscous trail in his wake. I twisted into a battle stance that had been drilled into my brain until it became second nature.
“This one’s mine.” My partner emerged from behind a tall headstone, his beaming grin a stark contrast to the dangerous situation.
What else would I expect from Hawk, though?
He jumped onto a stone bench, spun, and slashed his sword through the air, cutting off the demon’s head in one swift arc. Ebony blood sprayed the statues and granite slabs.
I lowered my weapon. “Was the spin necessary? And the jump? You could have just as easily walked around the bench.”
