I don’t have time to reply. The doors bang open behind me and I spin around. Demons flow in, floating on a stream of laughter and shouting. It’s a mixture of Alfo’s soldiers and our plants. Some have no idea. Others play their part perfectly.
Alfo towers over his men, a cigar hanging from his mouth. His nostrils are red and enflamed, crusted with substances andmucus. He reminds me of a puss-filled, infected wound. Truly revolting.
“Where the fuck is this pig then, huh?” He yanks the cigar from his mouth and shoots an ungodly amount of smoke through his nostrils. “Let’s make this quick.”
“Hello, boss,” Misha purrs. She stills her weapon as Alfo comes to an abrupt stop.
“What the fuck is this?” He drinks her in, grabbing at his crotch. “You want me right now, baby?”
“Oh.” She tilts her head and smiles. “No.”
Then, Misha flings herself up into the air. Her legs splay, her sickle glints. She comes crashing down into the demons, swinging her weapon hard. The demons working with us know well enough to tuck and roll, but the others lose their heads in one single swift, clean cut that sends a jet of their putrid blood spraying across the room.
Misha jumps up from her crouch and then delivers two merciless kicks to the headless demons blocking her access to Alfo.
She grins at him. “Never that.”
Nisos’s face drains of color and he tries to stumble backward. Davìd and I grab his arms and haul him off to the sidelines. He thrashes against our hold. “Bloodsuckers. Fuckingbloodsuckers!”
Alfo growls and lunges at Misha, swinging his fat fists toward her—but she’s too fast. Misha snaps out of his way. His hand collides with a display case, shattering the glass in a thousand directions. “Fuck. Youfucking bitch.”
“Come and get me, scum.” Her voice chimes from just past the threshold, where the staircase is at her shoulders.
Alfo spins around and dives. The moment he passes through the doorway, we fling Nisos aside like a rag doll and charge at Alfo.
Misha throws back her head and cackles, once again disappearing.
We take off running and Alfo bolts.He’s afraid.Terrified.
“You, too?” he shouts back at me, his laughter echoing up the cavernous staircase, through the house. “Where the fuck is Leo?Someone fucking call Leo.”
I use my vampiric speed to glance past him, knocking my shoulder into his. Alfo stumbles over his feet before activating his own powers, catching himself on the iron railing before tumbling to his death.
He dives for the front door, but in an instant, Sofia descends from the ceiling, landing on the balls of her feet. Her fangs flash, her double-pronged tongue flicking viciously at the air.
“Ho fame,” she moans, rolling her head on her shoulders. “Dammi qualcosa.” She drags her hands through the carpet, tearing through the fabric and pulling up curls of wood with the strength of her claws. Her face contorts into a pained, sadistic smile. “Daddy.”
“You. I remember you.” He rears back and spits at her. “Puttana.” Then, he spins back toward Davìd and me, where we stand shoulder to shoulder, blocking his access to the staircase. “Let me guess—under that mask is your boyfriend?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Is that what you think he is to me? Someone I fuck? Is that how you see the entire world, Alfredo?”
His features warp with rage—his mouth twists, his muscles ripple. He’s not smart enough, fast enough, or demon enough to transform himself or possess my mind. All he does instead is splinter his veneers, the rows of sharp teeth they’d been hiding bursting forward, ripping through his gums. Thick black blood drips from his mouth. “So much fucking confidence.” His fists throb and bulge at his sides. His blood is heating, his human facade melting away. He grows beastly before us. “And yet, you havenothing.”
I take a step forward. “Do I? Then why won’t you face me, here and now? Creature to creature.” I bear my fangs and reach for the silver blade at my waist. I unsheathe it in a swift yank.
Our demons scramble like they’re desperate to protect their master, crowding around Sofia and Alfo, hissing at me. We begin to move, our bodies working symphonically.
“Why would I waste a single fucking second of my time on you? You prostituted yourself for freedom once and you’ve fucking done it again. Who are you working for?”
“I work formyself.” I push forward, lunging with my blade. Alfo swerves me, swinging one of his enormous fists toward my face. I duck and lunge again, pushing him farther into the darkness of the hallway.
“Do you? Or do you work for that human pussy you’re so obsessed with?”
“Human pussy”—I kick a demon away from my feet, the toe of my boot colliding with their jaw in a dull, wet crunch. Like I’ve stomped on an aluminum can—“is delicious.”
Alfo throws his head back and lets out a laugh that turns into a deafening roar. His jaw unhinges and his fat, greasy tongue falls forward. His eyes burn white. He extends his arms and sends a blast of energy at me. The hallway is too narrow, I can’t dodge the wave.
It hits me square in the chest. I feel my feet lift from the ground. I feel myself falling backward, demon hands tangling in my hair, gripping at my neck.
