The Unlikeable Demon Hunter (Nava Katz #1)(72)

"It looked like a giant magnet turned on. The demon shot off you, sucked backward to the lamp post." Rohan approached the creature. Staying out of arm's reach, he examined the spine. "It's not the secretion holding it in place." He pried the tip of one spike off and released it. It immediately clanged back against the lamp as though magnetically charged.

"Did I do that?" Was this some new facet of my power?

"Yes?" He extended a blade from his fingertips. Holding a bent piece of spine away from the demon's body, he stabbed the gogota in the center of its back.

The demon gave one last cry and disappeared in a tiny whirlwind of gray dust. The twisted metal spine remained, attached to the post. Rohan tried to pry it off but it was stuck fast.

I stood there, chest heaving, doing my best to wipe off my face with the hem of my skirt. Beyond caring if anyone saw me with my dress up around my head. "It almost had me. It was unstoppable." A wave of tremors coursed through me.

Rohan draped his arm around me. "It's gone."

"Was this an isolated attack? Did Samson send it? You think he's on to us?"

Rohan scanned the darkness for any other threat. "Don't go tomorrow."

"I have to." I shook my head at him when he looked about to argue. "Samson might not have sent the demon. In which case, standing him up is only going to annoy him. Even if he did send it, there's nothing in his M.O. that shows him directly attacking or killing people. He won't try to take a Rasha down with so many other witnesses around."

"He doesn't have to," Rohan said. "All he has to do is work you into a depressed enough state that you take care of things afterwards." 

"Well," I smiled up at him, "you could personally ensure I'm in a good enough mood tonight that it carries me through any bad vibes tomorrow." I got an automatic smile in return but I could tell I'd lost him. Rohan was already thinking through all the ways tomorrow could go wrong, instead of the ways tonight could go right.

The cab pulled around the corner of the restaurant, slowing to a stop before us. Rohan, preoccupied, climbed in. Way to kill sexytime, you dumbass demon.





21





I grew angrier and angrier all the way back because it was clear from the way Rohan handled me with kid gloves that sex was off the table. At this point, I would have taken any handling, kid glove or otherwise. He spent the ride back talking me through various scenarios for tomorrow, spoken in a low voice so the driver wouldn't hear. My only break was when he had the driver stop at a store to get us each a couple of sports drinks, which I downed in no time.

I tried to concentrate on what he was saying but even being attacked by a demon mutant hadn't killed the heady mixture of adrenaline and desire I'd felt in the restaurant. If anything, I needed that release more than ever. I crossed my arms over my boobs, trying to get some relief from their heavy sensitivity without it seeming too obvious what I was up to.

This time when I entered the hotel lobby, I had my shoes. That's about all I could say for my appearance because I looked like an elephant had jizzed on me. Sticky silver slime cobwebbed between my fingers. It had hardened on my face and neck, matting my hair into unsightly white girl dreads.

Unable to help myself, I glanced at the front desk to see who was on duty this evening. Incredibly, it was a different employee, a stylish brunette. Given how she looked at me, like she wished she could snap my photo and pin it to a "do not allow" board, I'm guessing the staff talked. Let the haters hate. I had one objective here: get myself off. Inappropriate? Perhaps. Necessary? Understatement of the year.

Rohan finally finished talking.

"Great. See you tomorrow, boss man."

He narrowed his eyes at me but I didn't care. If he wasn't gonna be a help then he didn't get to be a hindrance. I was outta –

"Hi, Ro. Lolita." Lily bounded over to us.

Sunnydale wasn't the Hellmouth. This lobby was.

Lily's eyes widened at my appearance, one hand smoothing the skirt of her cute blue dress. I looked down at my own dress in dismay. It had been cute once. My hair had been flirty.

"Drunk guy. Science experiment." I widened my hands making an explosion sound.

"Oh. Okay." Lily still looked confused, but screw it. That was as good a lie as I had in me.

I clenched my teeth against a hot spurt of anger at all pretty people. That included Rohan. His shirt had taken the worst of it and since he wore his jacket over top again, he looked just dandy. The bastard. Fuck, I wanted him badly. A rage fuck would have been awesome but I'd settle for a rage wank.

Cuntessa throbbed harder, demanding I do something about her stymied predicament. I mentally fired back that I couldn't exactly rub one out standing here, could I? I had to get through the small talk first.