Kiss of the Vampire(90)

She took a breath. Damn it. She recognized that smell! This was the bastard that had been leaving a demon scent at each of the crime scenes. Which meant… Either he’d been making out with a demon right before they’d happened on him, which she thought pretty unlikely, or else the son of a bitch had been dining on demons. That would explain why there’d been a demon scent at each scene, familiar but somehow different. The demon blood having mingled with his own had for a short time subtly altered his scent.

The second vamp rose to his feet and lunged for her. She ducked under his arm and shoved him as she went behind him. With a quick glance she saw Dante straight behind her vamp, fighting his own battle. He had wounded the vampire he fought, but he was still at a disadvantage.

As much as she’d like to help him, she had her own six-and-a-half-foot problem to take care of. And he was coming at her again. This time, as she tried to dodge him, he latched his fingers onto her hair and held fast. She couldn’t contain a yelp of pain. He laughed and hauled her back against him, wrapping his free arm around her waist. “Looks like I got you now, girly. Game’s over.”

When they had their fangs on display some vampires could talk and sound menacing, and others…not so much. This guy’s lisp was so pronounced he sounded like a girly-man. He was the pot calling the kettle black. And she was tired of it. No more Ms. Nice Guy from her.

“Don’t call me girly,” she ground out. Knowing she needed an edge, she actively summoned her demon side, letting it burst into a full, glorious explosion of strength. Everything became tinged in yellow, her insides burned with rage. Her horn buds popped, and for once she welcomed the pain that accompanied the stretching of the skin on her forehead.

She slumped against his arm, pulling him off balance. Then she reared up, slamming the back of her head into his face. He grunted, his hold loosening enough for her to pull free. As she left what felt like half her hair in his fist, she growled and spun her leg up, ramming it into his gut.

He staggered back. His eyes completely black, he stared at her for a second, rage turning his face red. Blood from his bullet wounds covered the front of his white T-shirt, making it stick to his chest, and now also dripped from his nose. His tongue swept out, licking it off his lips. “You’re gonna pay for that one, girly.” His hands fisted. “You’ll die screaming for mercy.”

Nix shot a quick glance over his shoulder. Tobias appeared at the top of a rise, heading her way at top speed, when he was tackled by yet another vamp. He rolled to his feet, going into a fighter’s stance as yet another vamp ran up to help his buddy. He appeared to be holding his own against the two vampires he fought—though all three showed signs of battle with blood and dirt covering them—and Dante had managed to stay out of the grasp of his vamp. She put her attention back on the bloodsucker in front of her. “You really think you can take me, akĥ khantu?”

He bristled at being called a carrion eater. She hoped her false disdain based on a long-lived prejudice would keep his outrage amped up and hopefully cause him to make a fatal mistake.

He came at her again and caught hold of her jacket. She twisted out of it, leaving it hanging in his grip, and slammed her foot into his knee. His leg crumpled beneath him with a satisfying crunch of bone and he went down.

He yelled and lurched forward, reaching for her. She dodged him, but he managed to grab hold of the hem of her jeans. Her momentum carried her forward then to the ground. She braced her fall with her hands, her eyes widening as her momentum almost face-planted her into a small barrel cactus. With a lithe twist, she turned onto her back and kicked the vamp as he pulled himself up her body.

One knee caught him in the chin. His head rocked back but he kept coming. She slammed her fist into his jaw, grimacing at the hard smack of bone on bone, and wincing again when he turned his head, catching her knuckle with the tip of one fang.

He caught her wrists in his hands and held her arms at her sides. His tongue did a slow lick over his fang, and his eyes narrowed. “Less than human but more than demon.” His slow grin was malevolent. “I’ve never done a half-breed before.” He licked his lips, the action bringing an image to her mind of Princess Leia facing Jabba the Hutt. Disgusting vermin.

“And you’re not going to have one now.” Tobias’s voice was hard. He yanked the vampire off her and tossed him several feet away. Then Tobias pulled Nix to her feet. “You all right?”

“Fine. I had him.” She watched the vamp pick himself up and turn toward them. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw two more heading their way. “We got more company,” she said with a lift of her chin.