Читать книгу Demon Kissed - Patti O'Shea - Страница 6

The command for Andras to move shocked Bree. Demons didn’t waste time talking to humans, not even slayers, so why had this one bothered? Deciding it didn’t matter, she started forward, only to freeze midstep.

“You’ll have to go through me to touch her,” Andras said and she could hear the promise in his voice. The man was willing to die for her. That was the last thing she wanted. If anything happened to him…

Bree moved again, determined to fight beside Andras, but before she got there, a scuffing sound made her whirl.

Two demons were coming up on their rear, the same pair she’d barely escaped earlier. Both appeared battered, but they’d heal fast. She’d have to protect Andras’s back and let him take care of the blond male without her.

Gathering up her remaining power, she used it to create an energy shield around herself. It wouldn’t block a physical attack, but it would stop the fireballs that demons threw. She only hoped it lasted through the fight.

Without giving them time to position themselves, she charged toward the two, dagger raised. Their surprise didn’t last long enough.

The demon she targeted deflected her strike, and her blade sliced air. Damn.

Using her momentum, she spun out of range of the shorter demon’s talons. She risked a quick glance at Andras. He and the blond male were brawling. That wasn’t a shock. What stunned her was the demon wasn’t shooting fire and he hadn’t extended his claws, and Andras wasn’t using a blade.

Her stomach knotted up. Demons were stronger than humans; Andras couldn’t hope to win with his fists. Sometimes even a knife—

Bree pulled her attention back in time to avoid another swipe from the shorter demon. Kicking out, she caught him below the kneecap before going for her other foe. He evaded her strike and made a grab for her leg.

He was quick, but she was quicker, and she jerked away from his hand. Her landing, though, left her off balance. Bree felt the tip of a claw slice across the back of her jacket, but the leather protected her.

Locating the nearest demon, she slashed down with her dagger. He darted out of range, but he fell over a pile of refuse.

Before Bree could put him down for the count, the shorter demon shot a couple of fireballs and charged forward, face contorted. She tried to dodge out of the way, but she wasn’t fast enough. The fire connected with her shield. It wobbled and she held her breath until it stabilized. If that went down, she wouldn’t last long.

Neither of the pair seemed to realize how weak her protection was and she had to keep it that way. Drawing in a shuddery breath, she worked to regain her equilibrium. She needed to end this before they discovered how vulnerable she was.

The demon on the ground tried to get to his feet and she shifted, ready to put him back in the dust. She didn’t get the opportunity. The shorter demon came at her, ready to defend his partner. As he reached her, she grabbed him and used his momentum to send him sailing over his friend.

Her rush forward stopped abruptly when she heard a crash behind her. Andras! Bree spun, her gaze frantically searching for him. He had to be okay, he had to be.

She couldn’t see either male. “Andras!”

No answer. Knees shaking, she took a step toward where she’d last seen him. She wouldn’t let anything to happen to him.

The blond demon appeared from behind a large crate and Andras followed. They were circling, each completely focused on the other.

A hand jerked her head back by her ponytail and Bree sucked in a sharp breath. Instead of pulling forward, she dropped to her knees, counting on surprise to free herself. It worked.

By the time she was back on her feet, they’d separated, making themselves two distinct targets. That swung the odds further in their favor.

Bree moved, but they moved with her, countering her measure. Damn. She wasn’t used to being double-teamed. In the past, she’d always made sure the demon she was after was alone before fighting him. If she could get rid of half the threat, her situation improved. Some.

They let loose with bursts of fire and she twisted, trying to avoid their shots. Which one did she go after?

She made a quick decision—she’d focus on the shorter one. He had an arrogance that might make him overestimate himself. Bree took a deep breath and ran straight at her chosen target. His shots faltered for a split second, but it gave her enough time to reach him.

As a ploy, she raised the arm holding the blade. When she saw the demon’s attention follow, she delivered a snap kick to his knees. He hit the ground and she followed him, blade raised.

The other demon grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and flung her off his comrade. With a curse, she staggered to keep her balance. But the bastard came after her and struck her between the shoulder blades.

Bree went sprawling, the dagger clattering from her grasp. A boot landed in the middle of her back, pressing down with enough strength to force her flat on the floor.

She strained, stretching her arm out as far as she could to get her knife. Her fingers brushed the hilt, but she couldn’t reach it. Bree tried to shimmy forward. If he fired at this range—

The warehouse lit up. It started on the side where Andras’s battle was taking place and traveled to where she was.

A heartbeat later, the weight was off her back and she scrambled to her feet, snatching up her blade as she moved. It took a second before she realized the blond demon that Andras was fighting must have shot fire at the one who’d pinned her down. He’d saved her life.

Why? What the hell was going on here?

Nothing made sense. Bree danced out of the way of another fireball. A second shot from the other demon connected.

Her shield fell.

For an instant, she froze. In the next second, she sent all the energy she had left to reinforce her protection. There was a hesitation and then it sputtered back to life.

Crouching to avoid a blast, she scurried behind two large crates stacked atop each other. She needed a minute to come up with a plan of attack. There had to be a way. There always was.

Bree squared her shoulders. She was a slayer, damn it, and a good one. If she was going down, she was taking at least one of the enemy with her.

As she leaned forward to check where they were, she rested a hand on the crates. They swayed alarmingly.

Her eyes widened. The crates!

Cautiously, she poked at the bottom one and watched the direction it took. Bree measured the height of the wooden boxes and then mentally marked the target zone on the floor of the warehouse. If she waited until the demons were within that area, she could take out both of them.