Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)
“I’ll take the hag. You get the cat.” I never take my eyes off Liadan. I stare in almost helpless fascination. The hag appears bigger than she did before, her body stronger. There’s no question that Liadan is a predator.
Dante’s voice cracks a bit. “I don’t like cats. They’re creepy. I’m more of a dog person.”
“I’m not asking you to take it as a pet,” I practically snarl back. “I’m asking you to kill it. I’m taking on the big, scary hag. You can handle one kitty.”
“We need to talk about this new trend toward emasculating me at every given opportunity,” Dante mutters. I stare at him, my eyes narrow. “I can handle the cat.”
“Do that.”
I pull the gun from the holster and shrug out of the confines of the jacket. I no longer feel the chill in the air. My skin is hot with the anticipation of the next few kill-or-be-killed moments. My heart pounds as I face down my enemy. Liadan is looking the other way. There won’t be a better time. I stand.
“That’s not a good idea.” Dante tries to pull at my hand.
“Just take care of the kitty,” I shoot back at him. It’s time.
I look out across the forest that separates us and take aim. The cat hisses, the sound so much louder than it should be. It echoes through the forest. As the hag turns, I let out the breath I was holding and pull the trigger.
The hag is quick, but not fast enough. She moves to the left. I was aiming at her heart. Blood blooms across the hag’s shoulder, and she shrieks as the hollow-point lodges itself in her flesh. It isn’t enough. I curse when Liadan staggers but does not fall. She remains on her feet despite the blood beginning to soak her dress.
Liadan snarls as her eyes find me. I pull the trigger again, but Liadan is ready this time, jumping across the space. One moment, the hag is there and the next she’s ten feet away, the bullet flying uselessly through the forest. Liadan holds her good hand up and speaks some words I don’t recognize.
It’s as though a giant rush of pure energy strikes me squarely in the chest. It knocks me off my feet, but I don’t hit the ground. I fly back, the air sucking from my lungs so I can’t breathe. The hag grows smaller as I race backward through the forest. The world around me seems to spin out of control. The weight of the gun in my hand is the only thing that seems real. I clutch it tightly and don’t try to fight the power shoving me backward. My body hits the rough bark of the tree, and my head falls limply forward.
Breathe. Beck’s voice speaks inside my mind. He’s calm and patient, and suddenly I don’t feel so alone. Beck is with me, and he’s lending me his experience.
I drag in a breath as my body slides to the muddy forest floor.
Stay down and take cover. Don’t panic. You can do this. Take out her heart and she’ll die.
“Easier said than done,” I complain quietly as I shove the gun in my holster and force my aching body to crawl through the mud toward a downed log. Every inch I gain makes my bones ache, but I manage to hold on to the gun.
“So, the little bitch made it back.” The hag’s voice booms through the forest. “I wonder how much that cost you. What did you have to pay the demon for the trip? And he gave you some form of magic as well. You must have given him a lot.”
I make it to the relative safety of the log. It’s time to set up my next shot. I ease the gun back into my hand and peek over the curve. Dante is still in his hiding place. He’s crouched down, his eyes seeking something. The cat prowls not far away. Her feline nose scents the air with predatory grace. The hag paces back and forth as though the pain from her arm bothers her. Her black eyes scan the area up and down, seeking any sign of where I landed.
“I had to sacrifice a virgin to that damn demon. Then I had to sign a contract offering him my soul,” the hag admits. “And look what it got me.”
I clench my fists thinking of the young woman who’d been so kind to me. The hag is trying to force me out. She is the one who killed Bri, and she obviously knows I cared about the girl.
But the voice inside my head urges patience. Beck whispers to me that I must stay calm. Calm wins battles.
“I slit that stupid girl’s throat, and you’re back anyway,” Liadan says with a sigh. “Do you have any idea how messy that can be? She had a lot of blood in her. It should have gotten me something better than this. Ah, Ain found your friend.”