A Very Demon Christmas [Demon Hunters 1] (14 page)

She looked away, but the image of ragged muscle tissue, displaced intestines, and the edges of a torn uterus still visible through the deep gash stayed in her mind's eye. This was not the neat incision of a surgeon's scalpel. Loose pleats of lighter, almost amber scales lapped on either side of the mainly vertical rip through her very core. The injured demon's anatomy was similar enough to a human's for Holly to understand she'd been pregnant until very recently and to guess her young had been ripped from her womb by teeth and claws. Holly shivered in empathy.

For a moment, she met the demon's gaze and shared her pain. A movement on Holly's left caused the injured beast to angle her head. The monster's leg snapped forward, so fast there was no time for Holly to scream a warning. The demon's kick knocked Belinda against the wall. She hit with a dull
thud
and crumpled like a broken doll.

The attack dissolved Holly's demon-induced trance. She cried, “Noooo."

Golden eyes blinked, and then her powerful right arm swung. Holly rolled into a ball, protecting her vulnerable head and belly. She landed crouched in front of her fallen friend and bared teeth that wouldn't have scared a strong-minded gerbil.

She was outmatched in every way. Her defense of Belinda was more an irritation than any real menace, but she was not lying down for the wild demon's slaughter no matter how bad Holly felt for her losses.

The monster shook her head as if to clear a distracting irritation and then tilted her neck seeming to reassess Holly.

"Fine, look all you like.”
Curious stares are miles ahead of death blows.

Belinda groaned, drawing the demon's attention. Holly wanted to comfort her friend, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the enemy. All Holly could do was lean to block her view. “Uh-uh, watch me, not her, Big Mama."

The demon sidled to Holly's right.

Wishing she'd picked up a weapon or three and thought to order a suit of armor for the occasion instead of her winter pj's and fuzzy slippers, she pivoted to keep herself between Belinda and the enemy.

The demon's right arm whirred past. Nothing happened for a space of a quick breath. Then the middle of Holly's left shoulder caught fire. At least, that was what it felt like. The female's talons had sliced through skin, fascia, and trapezius with the same ease a butter knife cuts ripe brie.

Weirdly, the burn quickly subsided to blessed numbness, and the blood flow slowed.

Again the golden eyes blinked. “Mate."

Surprised by the beast's melodic voice, Holly jerked. Her shoulder let her know sudden movements were a very bad idea. She scrubbed away the tears of pain clouding her vision. “You're Thad's mate?"

"Colin's mate,” her enemy clarified with a small nod.

The lovely, civilized voice coming from the wounded demon jarred Holly, but this time she held herself very still. Pain was an amazing motivator.

With sickening insight, she understood that the female had come for retribution—as in an eye for an eye—a mate for a mate. She opened her mouth and lied. “I'm not Colin's mate. We just met tonight at the club."

Was it really only a few hours ago?

A single lethally sharp claw rested on Holly's chin and pricked the surface. The demon waited, poised to pierce deeper.

Holly shut her mouth instantly.

"Marked.” Thad's mate grimaced and panted. “Should torture you. Too tired. End suffering soon. Colin dies many times. Thad avenged."

She released Holly's chin.

A sluggish trickle of blood dripped onto the henley's placket, making a dark stain.

The demon drew back her right arm and balled a fist.

Each tiny increment of movement seemed to happen in freeze-frame slow motion. Death loomed closer, and there was nothing Holly could do to escape. Instinct still made her duck the deadly blow.

A copper fist ruffled her hair as it passed her face, plowed harmlessly through the air, and then lowered back to her side.

"Slowed her. Won't last long. Run.” Belinda groaned.

"I'm not leaving you."

"Run. I have m—” Belinda clutched her head.

Whatever the witch thought she had wasn't working for her right now. Holly tightened her jaw. She was staying.

The demon gathered strength and hauled back for another shot at Holly.

Her massive fist swung forward. There was no blur of demon speed, but she had regained enough power that there was no time to duck. The scaly knuckles clipped Holly's jaw and snapped her head back much too fast. She fought to stay conscious, but her luck had run out. The wounded female's wicked claws extended. She slashed for Holly's vulnerable neck.

The demon's lethal talons fell short, missing her jugular by a whisper.

Golden eyes blinked once again. Then the monstrously beautiful head tilted, wobbled, and rolled off her shoulders.

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Holly sagged, limp in his arms, and Colin damn near lost his mind before he found her pulse. Placing a grateful kiss on the side of her neck where her life's blood flowed strong and steady, he breathed in the reassuring scent of his mate and let her ground him.

Carefully, he checked her for injuries. When he gently turned her face, she stirred with an unhappy whimper. The reddened spot on her jawline slapped him with fresh guilt and anger. Noticing the rip in her top and the barely healed gash across her shoulder made him clench his jaw with self-loathing. She'd been hurt because of him. She'd damn near died because of him.

With a jerk and wince, she woke and grasped his upper arm. “Thank God, you're safe. I was so scared."

Colin could relate. Decades of hunting rogues, and he'd never been as frightened as he'd been on the endless trip from the alley to his apartment. Finding Holly hurt but alive and healing made his tired body shudder with relief he didn't deserve.

He tightened his hold around her until she protested with a squeeze of his bicep. “Please, I can't breathe."

Reluctantly, he loosened the vise grip on her torso.

Her eyes locked on his, searching anxiously. “Belinda—is she all right?"

"I'll check.” He grabbed a couch cushion to pillow Holly's head and lowered her carefully. “Don't go anywhere."

"I'm fine, really.” She started to rise.

He growled a warning, and she sank obediently back on the cushion.

Belinda's pulse was a little fast, her coloring paler than usual, and she had a bump on the back of her head as big as his. The main difference being that he had demon healing powers going for him and she didn't.

"How is she doing?” Holly had propped herself up on her elbows.

Because he didn't answer fast enough to satisfy his rebellious little slave, she rose, edged to his side, and then crouched to examine the witch for herself. She sat back on her heels. “I don't like that lump at all. We need to get her to a hospital."

As much as he liked the way “we” sounded, he had to correct her. “Not happening."

"Why not?"

"I'm going to explain what I can. But there are many things which I need to handle in order to keep you, Belinda, and the rest of this world's population safe. I won't be able to talk about everything that happens. I need your absolute trust. Will you give it to me?"

Holly lowered her gaze. “Yes, Master."

Colin's dominant heart swelled with new tenderness at her natural submission, and at her humbling gift of faith. Though he tried to clear the emotion clogging his throat, his voice still came out rougher than a stretch of gravel road. “Belinda isn't exactly one hundred percent human. Don't ask, because I don't know what else she is. That's none of my business. What I know for sure is a human hospital isn't equipped to treat her. Any exam by human medical personnel is only going to raise a whole bunch of very dangerous questions."

Keeping her eyes on the injured witch, Holly murmured, “Thank you for explaining."

He grunted, already dialing Duec. His boss picked up after two rings.

"Need an emergency pickup for our witch."

As usual, Duec didn't waste words. “Your place?"

"Yeah."

"How bad is she?"

"Can't tell—she's unconscious."

"Got an ambulance on the way. How ‘bout you—injuries?” Duec asked.

"Nothing serious enough to require a medic, but there's a civilian that needs checked out.” Colin cleared his throat again. “Tell the clinic I need a body and head pickup too."

"Rogue sighting was accurate. Damn."

"Not exactly. Zinja attacked Belinda and Holly. No choice—I terminated her. How big a problem is that going to be?"

"Medium to pain-in-the-ass. Fucking mating bond. Do what I can. Count on testifying at a council meeting."

"Thanks, boss."

"For what?"

"For believing I had no choice."

"You're one of mine, stupid bastard."

The damn lump was back in Colin's throat. “Same goes."

"Wait one. Holly—little slave in your shibari?"

"Uh-huh."

"Hell of a first date...even for a hunter."

"Rough night. Better send a along cleanup crew for a couple of door repair jobs."

"She listening?"

"With much better than human hearing."

Duec's dry chuckle ended the call.

The clinic guys knocked on the damaged door frame a few minutes later.

Kral knelt next Belinda and got busy checking her over, while Moto approached cautiously. “May I examine your lady, sir?"

Colin nodded curtly and moved to her other side to allow the medic access.

After a few seconds, Moto stood. “She's healing extremely well. Will you be certain she gets plenty of water?” He glanced at Colin, hitched up his uniform pants, and continued firmly, “And some rest. She needs to rest, sir."

"I'm right here,” Holly muttered.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Kral said, “Excuse me, sir, ma'am. Miss Belinda is stable and ready to transport in three."

"Is she going to be all right?” Holly asked.

"She's stable, ma'am. You can call the clinic in an hour. By then the doc should be able to tell you more."

"Thank you. I will."

Moto looked a question at Colin.

Grateful for his tact, Colin tilted his head toward the hall and moved to shield Holly's view as the medic bagged Zinja's body and put her head in a separate case for incineration. The procedure was the only way to be absolutely sure a full-blood demon would stay dead, but it was nothing his mate needed to see.

He suppressed a shudder at how close he'd come to losing Holly. If he'd been a blink slower, Holly's body would've been the one being taken away. He needed to walk the medics to the ambulance in case they ran into humans and needed Colin to alter memories of the body bag and gurney. Lucky he was available to handle any human problems. If he hadn't been here, the medics would've had to wait for a magic practitioner or a high-level full-blood capable of projecting a veil of illusion.

Colin understood the necessity of his escort, but he was still too shaken by the narrow margin of Holly's escape to leave her alone. He gathered her up, cradling her against his chest, where she felt way too perfect, and said gruffly, “You're coming with me."

One of the medics sprayed Holly's shoulder with something that seemed to accelerate her amazing new healing powers. Although she wondered about the spray, she was too thrilled to be alive and safe in Colin's embrace to pester them with questions.

Cuddled against his hard chest, she felt the softness of feathers pressing into her left breast. This was the second time she'd experienced the sensory illusion of plumage on his chest. Perhaps she just had a thing for feathers, especially the soft blue ones that cushioned his sex. She closed her eyes, letting the sparks of arousal that even an imaginary touch of Colin's feathers lit grow into an inferno.

Colin stayed with the medics until the ambulance drove away. Although the night temperature dropped below freezing, the winter cold never touched her.

When he stepped off the elevator, she squinted against the brightness of the hall lights. Two sets of workers were already busy repairing the damaged doors. Mindful of superkeen hearing, she didn't ask Colin if the uniformed repair people were demons. But she wondered about the size of the preternatural community. And she wondered if there were other latents like her, living in the human world, never really fitting in, going through their lives blaming themselves for not measuring up without ever realizing they weren't entirely human.

Needing to be sure Belinda was all right, and wanting Colin, she tried to stay awake, but her heavy eyelids refused to cooperate. “So tired."

"Rest, little slave. I'll be here when you wake,” Colin assured her gruffly.

She nodded. Too tired to even talk. Perhaps a small nap first; then she'd check on Belinda and pester Colin to tell her more about demon life.

He settled her in her own bed, returning with a liter of bottled water before her eyes drifted shut again. Too thirsty to do anything else, she drank. She didn't even blush when he gently tugged off her slippers, henley, and pj bottoms. When he tucked her under the covers, the coolness of the sheets caused her to curl into a ball.

A heartbeat later, Colin slid into the bed, scooped her up, and draped her over the wonderful heat of his hard body. The soft plumage cushioning his sex pressed against her mound. His erection lay between her thighs—a thick tether of arousal, but comforting rather than demanding. Exhaustion overrode even desire, and she slept.

The first faint rays of a fiery winter sunrise lightened the edges of her blinds when Holly woke, which meant it was nearly eight. She edged off Colin and stretched, marveling at how great she felt after only a few hours’ sleep. Her lips curved, and she whispered, “Christmas Eve."

Colin rolled to his side and cupped her hip. “Christmas Day. You slept straight through Christmas Eve, little slave."

He molded her bottom, distracting her from the loss of one of her favorite days of the year. He must have noticed her back tensing, because he added, “Before you get worked up, I checked on Belinda. She's going to be fine."