“Jacobson.” Fury vibrated in Zane’s voice.
Jacobson, no, Henry-'cause, yeah, he’d asked her to call him by his first name when he’d picked her up at that low-class bar-snarled. His eyes were pitch black, the perfect black of a demon’s true gaze. Most demons used the magic of glamour to hide their real eye color so the humans wouldn’t run screaming all the time. Henry wasn’t trying to pretend right then, not trying to lull her like he’d done before.
The man wanted blood-hers. Too bad for him … she was rather fond of living.
“Give me the bitch,” Henry growled. “And just walk the fuck away.”
Oh, um, no, that wouldn’t work so much as a plan.
Zane grabbed her hands, held tight, then shoved her at Jacobson. She staggered to a quick halt a few feet in front of Zane.
What the hell? Zane was supposed to be the damn good guy.
She blinked and shook her head. Not part of the plan.
“You want her?” Zane drawled. “Then come and get her.”
What? Asshole. Was he using her as some kind of freaking bait? She was not good bait.
Jacobson launched right at her, running hard and fast with his hands out, with death in his eyes, and she knew if he touched her, he’d rip her apart.
Dammit. She didn’t plan on dying. Not then, and certainly not by some low-budget demon jerk’s hand.
Jana yanked out the scalpel she’d stolen from the hospital and screamed as Jacobson’s foul stench choked her.
Not. Dying. Tonight.
Chapter 2
The woman-Jana-sliced Jacobson right across his injured arm. A hard, deep slice that had the demon howling … and Zane swearing.
Not an Ignitor. Pak was wrong-this woman couldn’t stir fire. Shit, if she could, she’d be burning Jacobson to ash, not screaming and stabbing with-what was that?-a scalpel. Innocent.
And he had one rule. Just one. On his watch, no innocent woman would ever be hurt while he was there.
So when Jacobson knocked the scalpel out of her hands, and Jana stumbled back, Zane lunged forward and did what he’d been dying to do all night.
He got ready to kick some demon ass.
Zane caught Jacobson’s hand, squeezed hard and heard the demon’s breath whoosh out when the bones crunched. “Get behind me,” Zane ordered, and Jana rushed, nearly tripping as she hurried to obey.
A human. Small and defenseless. And Jacobson had been ready to kill her.
“Not your fight,” Jacobson gritted out.
“Asshole, I’ve been looking for this fight for days.” He grinned. “And if you hadn’t been hiding like the coward you are, I would’ve already kicked the shit out of you.”
Fear widened Jacobson’s black eyes as he struggled to break free of Zane’s hold. “I just want her.”
“You’re not getting her.” Playtime was over. He’d run his test on Jana. Seen what he needed to see. Not my target. Time to end the game.
Then the prick head-butted him. Well, tried to. Zane jerked back, punching out hard at the same time, and Jacobson fell to the ground.
Footsteps thudded behind him. Jana … running away. “Wait!” His head swung toward her.
And that asshole demon charged him, grabbing Zane around the waist, and they both went down hard, slamming into the pavement.
Jana kept running. The thud of her footsteps echoed in Zane’s ears.
“Don’t worry about the bitch,” Jacobson grunted, and oh, damn, but the guy’s face was wrecked. “The others will get her.”
What? Others?
“You think you’re so bad … hunting your own kind.” Jacobson plowed a fist into Zane’s face, and Zane took the punch because he wanted the bastard to keep talking. “Fucking traitor, want to be human, can’t—”
This time, Zane caught the fist that came at his face. And because the demon had pissed him off, Zane broke two of the guy’s fingers.
Jacobson howled. Zane squeezed tighter. “Who are the others?” he demanded. He couldn’t see Jana anymore. That woman sure moved fast for a human.
“L-let…g-go…”
Zane smiled. “No.” It was his turn to head-butt. He smashed his forehead into Jacobson’s nose.
The demon crawled away, gagging as blood flew from his broken nose.
“Something you should know,” Zane murmured as he rose to his feet, brushing off his hands. Jacobson was still on the ground, moaning. “I like to fight dirty.” Then he drove his booted foot into Jacobson’s side. Paused. Then did it again. The demon curled into a ball. “Next time, leave the humans alone.”
“Bastard!”
True. But flattery wouldn’t stop him. Where was Jana? Zane risked one moment to let his gaze rake the darkness. That was when he heard her scream.
“You’re a naughty girl, Jana.” The angry whisper blew against her ear.
Damn the supernaturals in the city. They were everywhere, and it sure seemed like they were all gunning for her. Why was she becoming Ms. Popular?
“Let me go,” she said loudly, really hoping that Zane had caught her scream. And, come on, what had been up with him shoving her at the crazy demon? Hadn’t the guy ever heard of protecting the weak? Hadn’t she looked weak enough for him?
“You’re a hard woman to track.” The jerk didn’t let her go. He just shoved her up against some smelly alley wall. She couldn’t see his face. Since she was human, she didn’t get bonus vision in the dark. Just a body that could break too easily. And had, too many times.
“Wh-what do you want?” Come on, Zane, haul ass. She didn’t need to see in order to know the identity of the man who’d snuck up on her and now held her in his too cold and too tight grip. She hadn’t planned to meet him tonight. Hadn’t been ready. But she’d known that he was watching. He was one of those pricks who liked to watch while the world went to hell around him.
“I want to make sure you understand the rules of the game.” Great. He’d pushed her hair to the side and now his breath was on her neck. She really didn’t want this guy’s mouth on her neck. She didn’t want him anywhere near her.
If Zane’s not coming, then I can take care of him. I can do it.
As long as Zane wasn’t there to see….
Her breath came out on a long, slow rush. “I understand the rules.” He didn’t.
“Then why the hell did you go after my man?” His claws pressed into her chest. Right above her heart.
Jana stilled, barely daring to breathe because she’d just caught the glint of fangs in the dark. When a vamp’s fangs were that close to your throat—hell. And those claws hurt. He hadn’t shoved them too deep, not yet, but if he wanted, the guy could cut her heart out in less than two seconds’ time.
I hate vampires.
“How was I supposed to know he was yours?” She started talking, fast, but kept her voice quiet now. “He’s a demon, I thought—”
A growl. “You thought wrong. You’re not supposed to attack the demons.”
Wasn’t she? Sometimes, the jobs all ran together.
“I let you live after you took my men—”
Right, those two evil, sadistic, murdering bastards had been his men.
“I tracked you, could have fucking drained you dry, but I let you live.”
The vamp smelled like a graveyard. Jana tried real hard not to inhale too deeply.
“You’re alive because I want you to hunt,” he snarled, “and you hunt who I say. I’m the one in charge, bitch.”
“Jana!” Oh, finally, Zane’s voice. Talk about taking his sweet time.