I SPRINTED UP THE stairs, my nape slick with sweat.  By the time I made it into the dim club, Nate had Brett by the throat, holding him against his body.

Shit.

“Come any closer, and I’ll break your friend’s neck.”  Nate held a hand up as I stepped forward.  “I mean it.”

“I’m okay, Kory,” Brett said.

He was so not okay. 

“Do it, and I’ll torture you for the rest of my life,” I snarled.  “Hell, I might even go a little demon so you can see just how sadistic I can be.”

A humorless laugh slipped out of Nate.  “I can’t believe you’re the same girl who used to sell drugs and couldn’t give a flying fuck about friends or any of that bullshit.”

“I’m not the same girl.”  My fingers tightened around the hilt of my knife. 

Nate smiled darkly.  “You have no idea what is going on, do you?”  His laughter grated on my ears.  “It’s so much fun watching you squirm.”

“It’s going to be so much fun watching you die.”  My voice dipped to dangerous levels.

Nate shifted Brett, thankfully releasing some of the pressure around his neck.  That was when I noticed the long iron knife in Brett’s hand.

My chest squeezed.  Oh damn.  He was going to do something stupid.

Just after the thought crossed my mind, Brett lifted the knife and stabbed Nate’s thigh.

Nate released him with a growl, the iron no doubt stinging like a mother.  Brett slashed at his chest, cutting the demon below his collarbone. 

I sprinted forward, pushing Brett out of the way as Nate turned his oily black eyes on him.  He lunged for the quarterback, but I grabbed his arm, yanking with all my might. I plunged the knife into his back.

Nate let out a howl of pain and jerked his head toward me.  I’d just grazed his heart.  It wasn’t a death blow.  “You’re really going to stab me in the back, Kory?  Is that the kind of coward you are?”

My jaw clenched, baring my teeth.  I slipped the blade out, and before he could recover, I shifted him and slammed it into his chest.

Again, I barely grazed the heart.  This time, I meant to.

Nate laughed.  “I think your aim is a little off.”

“I think you forgot who you’re talking to.”  I pulled him closer, twisting the knife so it nicked the vital organ.

He let out a grunt.

“This is for making my aunt believe there was a decent guy somewhere inside you.”  I twisted the blade in further, and he gasped.  “This is for hurting Brett and Braelyn.”  The tip sliced his heart.

Nate’s black eyes melted back to hazel, and his demon teeth retracted.  It didn’t matter though.  His human face wouldn’t stop me because he’d been just as sick and evil as a human.  It simply took me a while to figure it out.

“And this is for drugging me and trying to steal my control.  And steal what innocence I had left.” I slammed the knife in, finally delivering the death blow. 

Nate let out a garbled moan as he died.  I dropped his body to the floor, watching as he turned gray.  I wanted to be sure he was dead.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I whipped around, my knife ready. 

Brett’s blue eyes widened.  “Woah.  It’s just me.”

I relaxed.  I’d forgotten he was there.

“You okay?” he asked, scrutinizing my face.

I gave a quick nod.  “We need to get out of here.”  I grabbed Brett’s arm and led him toward the door.

“I can walk on my own,” he said, a hint of laughter in his voice.  “I should be carrying you.  You’re the one still bleeding.”

I glanced down at the wound on my neck, fresh blood leaking into my sweater.  “Do I look like a freaking damsel in distress, Baustic?”

The cool air slid across my face as we hurried down the street.  “I borrowed a car.”

Brett’s lips pursed.  “You don’t even have your license.”

“I made it all the way from here to Bishop.  I think I’ve earned it.”

He snorted on a laugh.  “Tell that to the DMV.”  Brett shot me a look.  “When you say you borrowed a car, do you really mean stole a car?”

“Uh…yeah.  Something like that.”  I’d hot-wired a car from the Amarose parking lot.  I didn’t have time to hunt Braelyn or Kelsey down to borrow theirs.  I’d be back before anyone noticed.  Hopefully.

“We’re going to get arrested, aren’t we?”  His grin reached all the way to his blue angel eyes.

“Don’t be stup—”  My words cut off as the world tilted, and I stumbled.

“Woah.”  Brett caught my arm before I crashed into a parked car.  “You okay?”

My fingers reached up, touching the bite.  Maybe that skank’s demon venom was beginning to affect me.  “I’ll be fine.”  My words slurred into one another.

Brett cursed.  “It’s the bite, Kory.” 

I tripped over my own feet, and the street shifted.  “I’m good.”

Strong arms caught me around the middle, a mixture of sweat and light cologne swirling around me.  “I better drive.”

I scoffed.  “You don’t even know which car I stole.”

He grinned down at me and pulled me to his chest, his body warm.  “Then tell me, beautiful.”

My face screwed up into a grimace.  “Don’t flirt with me, king douche.”  I breathed in deeply as blackness crept around the edges of my vision.  “You always smell good.”  I felt my legs give out under me as my mind dropped into oblivion.

 

“Maggie, I need you to take Kory for a few days.”  My mother leaned against the counter, wringing her hands.

“Sure.  I’d love to.”  My aunt sat at the round kitchen table, the sunlight glinting against her glossy blonde hair.  “You and Owen want some grownup time?”  She wiggled her eyebrows.

My lips curled as I peered around the corner, eavesdropping.  Grownup time was probably something boring.  What did grownups do when kids weren’t around?  Clean or pay bills?

My mother shook her head, tossing long strands of dark hair just like mine.  “I wish.”  She swallowed hard.  “I saw one in town.”

Maggie shrugged.  “Just one?  That shouldn’t be a problem.  You or Owen can take care of it.”

“This one is old.  Very old.”

“You’re not talking about—”

“No.  It’s not Lucius.”  My mother dropped into a chair next to my aunt.  “But he’s powerful.  I could feel it.  I doubt it’s a coincidence.  Lucius could have found us.”  She rubbed her temples, worry lines forming on her forehead.  “Either way, Kory needs to be out of the house while we deal with it.”

My eyes widened.  Were they talking about a dragon?  They were, after all, dragon slayers.  Maybe they spotted one in town and were going to kill it.  There was no way I was going to miss that.

I yanked the plastic knife from my boot, stabbing the air.  I was going to be just like them when I grew up.  I was going to slay evil monsters too.

I spun around and ran toward the door, yanking it open…

 

Darkness coated the scenery and the foul stench of garbage, car exhaust, and urine mixed with horns blaring in the distance.  Graffiti streaked the broken asphalt and abandoned buildings.  The sounds of the homeless and rats scrounging through the dumpsters echoed. 

I never understood why Aunt Maggie moved us to such a shithole.  Bishop City had an abundance of druggies, thugs, and criminals.

Low cost of living probably tempted her.  Plus there were a ton of lowlifes she could befriend.

A sneer curled my lips thinking of her latest boyfriend.  He cornered me in the kitchen last night while Maggie was passed out.  He was lucky I was tired and only gave him one black eye.  Next time he’d remember to keep both eyes off of me.

Sick creep. 

I could see the disgusting thoughts playing through his mind about me.  I was only thirteen for shit sakes. 

I blew on my hands, my breath fogging in front of me and then shoved them in my pockets to chase away the chill.  Wouldn’t be the first time or the last.  Maggie dated a lot of losers. The scars that one asshole burned into me flared to life.  He was long gone, but I wouldn’t mind meeting him again.  I was older now. Stronger.  I wouldn’t hesitate to fight back.

The scuff of a rubber sole echoed behind me, and my shoulders tensed.  Someone was trying—and failing—to sneak up on me.  My hands slipped from my pockets, one of them grabbing a pair of wicked brass knuckles.  What?  A girl’s got to protect herself.

A slow smile melted over my lips as my fingers tightened around the weapon.  I whirled around and struck out.  My fist connected with a hard face, the crunch of bone echoing.

“Son of a bitch!”  The cry was muffled as blood spurted from some creep’s nostrils.  “She broke my nose.”  He was twenty-something with greasy dishwater hair and scabs from picking his face.

Obvious drug user.

“That’s not all I’m going to break if you don’t leave me alone.”  I cracked my neck just as another guy appeared from the shadows.

His shoulders were thicker, and a cruel smile twisted his lips.  “You’re a pretty little girl, aren’t you?  But you got a mean streak.”  He popped his knuckles.  “I’ll just have to beat that out of you.”

I scoffed.  “You can try, dip shit.”

His laughter crawled across my skin.  “I am.”  He lunged at me. 

His size made him slower.  I dodged his hands and spun around, slamming my naked fist into his jaw.  Pain whipped across my knuckles, but I ignored it and danced out of his reach. 

“Get her, Tim.”  The other one was standing off to the side, wiping blood off with his shirt.  “She’s just a kid.”

The meaty guy gritted his teeth.  “Shut up, Mickey.  You’re the one with a broken nose.”  He barreled toward me, gripping my arm and punching my gut.

I bent over, wheezing as I tried to catch my breath.  Laughter echoed around me.

He was going to pay for that.

I recovered faster than he expected and rammed my knee into his crotch.  Hard.  He groaned and hunched over.  I took the opening to smash my brass knuckles into his ribs.

Crack.

I hit him again.

Crack.  Crack.

He dropped to the ground, crying out in pain.

“That’ll make you think twice about sneaking up on little girls,” I snarled, leaning over him.

A click echoed.

I knew that sound.  I also knew what a cold blade felt like pressed to my neck.

“Make one wrong move, and I’ll slit your throat.”  The other guy’s breath reeked of liquor and rot.

My gaze flickered over.  “You keep shaking like that, and you’ll slit my throat either way.”  He was trembling like a homeless stray staring up at animal control.

His nostrils flared, and he stepped closer.  “I’m going to take you behind that dumpster and teach you what happens to bad little girls who—”  His words were cut off, and the blade was gone.

I spun around.  The guy was being held up by his neck, his feet dangling in the air.

“Only the weak pray on small, young girls.”  The man that held him had a smooth, flawless voice, but something about it sent chills down my spine.  “It looks like she wasn’t so weak after all.”  A pair of ice blue eyes landed on me, so cold my blood wanted to freeze.

He tossed the guy—literally tossed him as if he was nothing—into a pile of trash by the dumpster.  His gaze flickered toward the other one cowering on the ground.  “Run along.  I’ll catch up with you later, little mouse.”

He rolled onto his hands and knees, crawling away as he whimpered.

The guy turned those eyes on me again.  It felt as if I could fall right into them and freeze to death.  “You’re welcome.”

My lip curled, and I crossed my arms against my chest.  “I didn’t need your help.”  I wasn’t going to let him know how much my heart was pounding.  Never let them smell your fear.

He blinked.  “Oh really?”

“Yeah.  I was just about to smash that guy’s face in.”

Smooth laughter rolled out of his mouth as he brushed pale blonde locks from his face.  “You are not what I expected.”

“I get that a lot.”  I shook out my hands.  “So, are we fighting or are you just going to stand there looking at me like I’m your long-lost puppy?”  I sure as hell didn’t want to fight him.  He was strong, and there was something dark and sinister about him.

And yet, he was intriguing.

He smiled as those blue eyes wandered over me.  “You’ve got darkness in you.”

“No shit.  What tipped you off?”

He continued as if he didn’t hear me.  “There’s something about you I like.”  He tapped his chin.  “I didn’t expect that at all.”

I swallowed hard.  I was starting to get the feeling I was missing something.  “Who are you?”

“No need to worry.  I’ve had a last-minute change to my plans.”  Within a blink of an eye, he was in my face, the sharp sting of cold winter mixed with something sweet filled my nostrils.  “I’m not going to kill you.  Not yet anyway.  I want to see how you turn out.”

My eyes widened, and I tried to step back, but his hand caught my arm.

“Don’t worry.”  Blackness began to swirl within his blue irises.  “You won’t remember any of this, Koralein.”

 

Snapping echoed in my ear and my lids fluttered open, a pair of angelic blue eyes staring down at me.  They looked nothing like the ones I’d just been dreaming of.

“Brett?” I croaked.  I was slumped in his arms.

“She’s awake?”

My muscles quickly went into action, and I stood on my own.  Johnston was beside Brett, staring at me with concerned eyes.  “I’m fine.” 

“You were bitten.”  A council hunter strolled up, his gaze lingering over the wound.  His dark auburn hair was combed into a fohawk. 

“I’m fine,” I repeated, covering my neck with my hand. 

My thoughts turned to the memory I just had.  I met Kye years ago.  He had sought me out to kill me, but something stopped him.  He liked the darkness in me.

Had he been watching me since I was thirteen?

My stomach knotted.  Were there other times he’d interacted with me and made me forget?

I shook the emotions off as I felt Johnston staring at me. “You’re still here?” I blurted.  I thought he and Wallace went back to Rome.

“Don’t look so disappointed, Ms. Colt.”  His eyes roamed over me then Brett.  “You both need some medical attention.  We should be heading back to Amarose.”

Brett pumped a fist in the air.  “Sweet.  I’ve been dying to see this place.”

I ignored Brett’s enthusiasm.  “How much trouble am I in?”

Johnston shrugged.  “Let’s go find out.”