Wild Night Road(37)

“What did you say they were?” she asked.
Crispin flicked out of sight and reappeared on her shoulder. “Fehin.”
“And Gaebryl brought them from…where?”
Crispin tugged on her ear because he knew she hated that and pointed at the sky. “They are very bad. Only a stupid witch stands around and asks questions.”
She wanted to strangle him, but he’d already blinked away, leaving her alone.
A single howl echoed through the dark forest followed by a chorus of were voices.
Something big crashed through the trees.
Lilith ran.



Lilith ran hard down the trail, dodging gnarled roots and overhanging limbs, shunning the small branch trails, pounding steadily down the hills, scrambling higher up the other side. There were other trails she could take, longer, narrower, less frequented trails that would take her all the way to the lake and back. If she did that, she would surely lose her pursuer, but she kept an eye on the sky, darting glances when she passed a break in the trees. Every time she saw the same dark shapes, wisps of evil circling and circling. They were too close to her cabin for comfort. Too close to Tasha.
Evil that threatened because of Gaebryl.
Fury gave her speed, but not enough. The pounding of footsteps behind her grew louder until she could hear him. The sound of a heavy body crashing through underbrush. The heavy footfalls that were not…paws.
She swung around the backside of a huge tree and paused, panting.
Her pursuer must not have shifted like the others. Then she heard his voice.
“Lilith!” he called. “It’s me.”
Remy.
She pressed her face into the rough bark and wished she knew the spell that would allow her to vanish inside the tree. Had he come to help her? Or drag her back to Gideon?
He came into view, slowing his pace and looking right and left. She stepped out from behind the tree. He smiled and dragged a hand across his brow.
“You’re a long way from home,” Lilith said, making sure to keep her expression neutral.
“You can be a hard woman to find.”
“I don’t need your help and the woods aren’t safe tonight.”
He shrugged. “Gideon sent them. I didn’t have anything to do with it. Listen, I’m only here to help you.”
As he spoke, Lilith watched an evil shred of midnight float through the trees and perch on a branch over Remy’s head. It coiled one end of its length around the tree limb; the orange heart glowed in the darkness.
“Am I boring you?” Remy asked.
“I’m not talking about the weres.” Lowering her voice to barely above a whisper, she said, “Walk very slowly and get behind me.”
Remy shook his head.
“I’m not kidding.”
“Lilith, you can trust me. Please. I don’t care what you’ve got going on with Tasha and Owen. Whatever it is, we can work it out.”
Two more demons…fehin…broke away from the circling flock above and dove toward Remy and Lilith.
Quickly, Lilith sidestepped around the lyr and sketched the same protection spell she’d used earlier. “You wouldn’t happen to be wearing stilettos, would you?”
He chuckled softly. “I left them at home tonight.”
“I was afraid of that.” She finished the pattern, adding a few flourishes for good measure, but paused before closing the last loop. “As soon as I finish this spell, we’re going to have to run like hell.”
He’d come up close behind her, close enough that she could feel that his big body had gone rigid. Even if he didn’t understand what was going on, he knew something was wrong. “I’m ready.”
Lilith closed the last loop and spoke the final sequence of the spell. It was a more advanced variety than what she’d used earlier, but had no idea if it would hold off the demons.
The pattern fired.
Lilith and Remy ran.
Spent power tingled at her fingertips, trailing red and gold sparks behind her as she ran. Markings a were could follow more accurately than any scent trail, but it was too late to worry about that. Remy put on a show of speed and surged ahead of her. As he passed, she caught a glimpse of his aura. It shone iridescent bright in the night forest, shimmering blue and green and yellow, but a filament of midnight fog streamed from it like a demonic flag.
Still running, she formed one hand into a fist then opened it and breathed fire, crushed it into a ball and threw it at the fehin. It hit dead center, crisping the creature.
Remy stumbled, catching himself with one hand against a tall pine as he ground to a halt.
“What the fuck, Lilith.” He panted.
She only had eyes for the smoking region above his head where the fireball had demolished the fehin. “Do you feel all right?” she asked.