“Whoa,” she said. “I think we lost him.”
“Yeah.” I took a tentative glance out the back glass again. Nothing. Beside me, Rose had her eyes on the driver and one hand tight on the door handle.
“Hell of a way to meet,” the girl with pink hair said, thrusting out a hand to me. “I’m Kiera. I’m your new partner.”
TEN
“Partner?” I repeated. Okay, probably I should have guessed that one. After all, most Good Samaritans would at least blink at the sight of a behemoth demon attacking two girls in the street. And though a Samaritan would, by definition, stop to help, the odds were that said do-gooder wouldn’t be transporting a weapons cache in the front seat of a battered Pontiac.
Then again, I was no longer Trusting Lily. By then, I was Edgy, Suspicious Lily, especially since I had Rose to protect.
I eyed her warily. “How’d you find me?”
“Clarence,” she said. She shifted in the seat, leaning up against the driver’s door and stretching leather-clad legs out on the battered bench seat, revealing an ankle holster sporting a very badass knife. “Said you were going to go see some dude about keeping a girl.” She stretched, craning her neck so she could see over the back of the seat, then peering hard at Rose. “That the girl?”
“That’s the one.” I fought the urge to scoot protectively toward my sister. Then I wondered why the hell I was fighting. I slid over and pulled her close.
“Huh,” Kiera said.
I bristled. And, yes, I know she’d saved my ass, but right then I wasn’t entirely sure I liked her. “Huh, what?” I asked testily.
“Demon scent,” she said, then flicked her eyes up and looked at me. Just looked at me, waiting for me to say something in response.
What the hell was I supposed to say? I went for the obvious: “Excuse me?”
Kiera’s nose crinkled. “She’s got some on her.” She leaned closer, her nostrils flaring, as Rose shrunk back against the upholstery. “Huh. Can’t get a handle on it.”
After a moment of that, I pressed Kiera’s shoulder and pushed her back. “Do you mind?” I said, hoping my voice sounded level. “She was strapped to a slab while the bastards did a number on her. Do you really have to go and remind her?”
“No shit?” Kiera cocked her head, and I kept my expression firm. Obstinate. Because she had to believe me. If she didn’t—if she could tell that a demon was inside Rose—then I’d have to plead shock and ignorance. I might even get away with it. But Rose . . .
Well, she’d be in deep doo-doo. Because if Kiera was a demon hunter—and she damn sure looked the part—then she’d take Rose out.
Or, at least, she’d try to. And that wasn’t a battle I was keen on fighting.
“Bastard marked her,” Kiera said, crossing her arms on the back of the bench seat and staring me down. “Lousy demon fucking marked her.”
“Marked her?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes, all they want is a sacrifice, and any old body will do. Male, female, virgin, slut, doesn’t much matter. But sometimes, the demon gives a flip, and he marks his prey.” She leaned forward again, breathing deep. Then she looked up, her green eyes fixed on me. “Oh, yeah. If she got the scent after getting strapped down, then she was marked. Who is it? Who wants the girl?”
“I don’t know,” I said, reinforcing the lie by meeting her eyes dead on. “All I know is she was strapped down, and it was gnarly.”
“Huh.”
“Shouldn’t we get moving again?” I looked backward out the window, but didn’t see our warrior-demon buddy. “He might come back.”
“Oh, he will,” she said. “But he’ll regroup first.” She shifted her neck from side to side, sighing a little as it cracked. “But you’re right. I’m ripped.”
“Me, too,” I said, happy for the opening to get on with the program and get out of there. I mean, I was thrilled she’d saved our butts—and, yeah, she seemed to be who she said she was—but I was double-agent girl now, and I was towing a demon-infested sister along beside me. Really not the time to play get-to-know-you with the new girl at the office. “Can you take us back to my bike?”
Her eyes went wide. “Good God, are you bagging on me?”
“No,” I said. “I mean . . .”
“I think we both need to blow off some steam.” She smiled wide, perfect white teeth flashing. “And Little Bit there can come along for the ride. Can’t you, girl?”
Rose looked up at me, but I just shrugged, a mixture of acquiescence and befuddlement.