Glancing up, she watched as the mist solidified into the form of a chubby Miera demon that Brandel had used before.
“Give me the box,” the Nebule demanded, his black eyes that were slit with crimson glowing with a spooky hunger.
She clutched the box to her chest, shaking her head. “No.”
The demon held up a hand, his brown robes hanging unnaturally still despite the brisk autumn breeze.
“Give me the box or die.”
He wasn’t bluffing. Already the agonizing vibrations were ramping up, damaging vital organs as they swept through her.
“Sally, give him the damned thing,” Roke snarled, crawling toward her with blood dripping from his nose and eyes.
Sally hesitated only a second before she threw the box directly at the demon.
What choice did she have?
She might have increased in power over the past weeks, but her insides were turning to goo. She didn’t know if that was something she could survive.
And once she was dead, she didn’t doubt for a minute Brandel would use his poison on Roke and maybe even poor little Levet.
Catching the box in a chubby hand, the demon gave a maniacal laugh before he was blinking out of sight.
Sally slumped forward, her nose nearly touching the ground as the savage pain slowly receded.
Oh . . . crap.
Who knew the sensation of her innards repairing themselves could be almost as brutal as having them squished in the first place?
A cool hand brushed her nape, offering a welcome comfort.
“Are you hurt?” Roke asked, his voice thick with his own pain.
She forced herself to straighten, meeting his anxious gaze with a rueful smile.
“Nothing that won’t heal.”
With a grim expression, Roke shrugged out of his leather jacket, then with one sharp tug he ripped off his T-shirt to gently clean the blood from her face.
His own injuries were rapidly healing, the blood flaking off him to leave his face as starkly beautiful as ever and his dark hair as smooth as silk.
She smiled without humor. She’d just managed to destroy any hope of finding her father, and her mind was consumed with the knowledge Roke looked breathtakingly perfect while she probably looked like she should be in the emergency room.
Maybe her brain had been squished along with the rest of her soft organs.
It seemed the only logical explanation.
Once satisfied he’d cleaned off the last of the blood, Roke wrapped his arms around her, his touch careful not to jar her aching body.
She blinked back her tears, knowing how much it cost him not to vent his angry frustration at how close she’d come to dying.
It was evident in the tiny quakes that shook his body and the frantic kisses he was pressing to the top of her head. But, with uncharacteristic restraint, he kept his emotions tightly leashed as he murmured comforting words and his hands stroked down her back in a soothing motion.
She didn’t know how long they continued to kneel on the ground, her body slowly healing as she leaned heavily against Roke’s chest. Eventually, however, she became aware of the sharp breeze that cut through the material of her sweatshirt and the scent of granite that assured her Levet was near.
With an effort she lifted her head and glanced around the empty countryside. Her brain still felt fuzzy, but she knew that she had to think.
She might have lost the box, but that didn’t mean that she’d given up on her plans to rescue her father. There had to be another way to find him.
The thought barely had time to form when Roke was barking out a curse and dragging her from the box that reappeared on the ground mere inches from her knees.
“Voilà,” Levet cried, waddling toward them. “I told you Sally could not rid herself of the box. The spell has bound it to her.”
Far less impressed with the rematerializing act, Roke had his phone out and pressed to his ear.
“Styx, we need backup. You can locate us with the Land Rover’s GPS,” he snapped. “Send someone who can’t be hurt by the poison the demon carries.” Pulling Sally to her feet, Roke backed them away from the highway. “Help is on the way.”
Sally frowned, not doubting Styx’s ability to round up any number of warriors who weren’t vampires, but fairly confident that they would never reach them in time.
It wouldn’t take the demon long to figure out what happened to his prize.
“Shouldn’t we run?” she asked.
Roke shook his head. “I want my hands free the next time he shows up.”
Levet gave a snap of his wings. “He’s coming.”
Sally tilted back her head, feeling nearly overwhelmed by the surge of guilt.
Dammit. She should never have allowed Roke or Levet to come with her.
She’d known this was dangerous.
She’d even known that there was a good chance the demon would be hunting her.
But she’d never dreamed he could locate her so swiftly. She’d somehow assumed she’d be able to reach her father before he could track her down.
Now she deeply regretted not waiting until Roke was distracted and she could have slipped away alone.
“Roke,” she breathed, her voice raw.
“I know.”
He captured her face in his hands, kissing her with a fierce intensity that made her knees tremble. It was far too short, as he lifted his head to study her with eyes that glowed a brilliant silver in the moonlight.
“Do I get a kiss?” Levet intruded into the moment. “A hug?”
Roke snorted, dropping his hands so he could move back and prepare for the coming attack.
“Just be ready, gargoyle,” he growled.
It was a warning that shook Sally out of her lingering stupor and with a muttered curse she reached into her pocket to pull out the tiny amulet she’d prepared before leaving Styx’s lair.
She’d come up with a crazy idea for how to hurt the demon. It was nothing more than a theory that was as likely to get her killed as to actually help, but it seemed an appropriate time to give it a try.
It wasn’t like she had any actual spells that could hurt the creature.
There was a strange hum in the air seconds before the Nebule made his dramatic return. Immediately, he lunged toward the box that Sally had left on the side of the road.
At the same time, Roke lunged forward, knocking into the demon with enough force to send them both tumbling to the ground.
There was a high-pitched scream from Brandel as Roke sank his fangs deep into his throat, ripping through the flesh with a savage fury.
Sally scurried forward, kicking the box toward Levet who scooped it up and took off with a flap of his delicate wings.
The demon could obviously track the box, but Sally hoped to keep him from disappearing with it long enough to do some damage.
She was forced to skip backward as the demon threw Roke off him and tried to surge back to his feet. Roke growled, using his claws to rip through Brandel’s spongy flesh.
The demon cursed and the eyes flashed with a black and crimson fire as he gained his feet. At the same time, the air began to fill with the vibrations that threatened to destroy them.
Roke grunted as the wave hit him first, but refusing to concede defeat, he flowed upward, managing to slice a gaping wound through the creature’s chest. There was another wave of vibrations and, hissing in frustration, Roke managed to wrap his arms around Brandel’s waist as he was being forced to his knees by the pain.
Sally held the amulet in her hand, hurrying toward the back of the demon while he was distracted by Roke. Then with a muttered prayer, she leaped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pressed the amulet against his oddly elastic skin.
Brandel jolted in shock as the magic flowed over him, trying desperately to dislodge Roke’s ruthless hold so he could turn and attack Sally.