As soon as I step through the threshold of the dilapidated structure, I feel the evil. It pulses through the room, vibrating the walls and shaking the unsteady floorboards under my shoes. The peeling wallpaper gives way, and that’s when I see the blood trickling down the walls and pooling onto the floor.
How many people have been dragged into this place, never again to see the light of day? How many unknowing victims came of their own free will, simply following the lure of sin and sex and false promises whispered in their ear? A literal house of horrors is where these demons have lured us. It has no effect on angelic beings, but the humans aren’t protected.
I rush through the foyer and down a dark hallway, following the scent of demonic muck. Rounding a tight corner, I nearly trip over the redheads, who are at the back of their pack. With their ears pressed against the wall, they attempt to make out what lies on the other side. How many are we up against?
It doesn’t matter, and the longer we stand here, the more likely we’ll give ourselves away. Having the element of surprise on our side gives the humans a better chance of making it out of here alive.
I walk right past them, but Zeke’s arm shoots out, stopping me.
“What are you doing?” he hisses. “You can’t just bust in there.”
“Why?” I whisper, my brow peaked in confusion.
His eyes dart around at the humans, seeming to convey that we can’t use our typical abilities while in their presence. Which only reminds me of why I haven’t hunted with them before. I’d momentarily forgotten, but what does that matter anymore?
I have done everything in my power to conceal my celestial heritage, because it’s the law, but I’ve been banished from Heaven. Their law no longer applies to me. If I’m going to be stuck on this Godforsaken Earth, I’m going to embrace exactly what I am.
I lean in close. “Maybe we shouldn’t hide anymore.”
With that, I kick open the door that separated us from the demons. Quickly scanning the room, I note that there are over a dozen of them crammed into this one section of the house. Who knows how many more are lurking?
“Ah… something angelic this way comes,” a red-skinned demon sings, sniffing the air afterward. “And she’s brought dinner.”
The way he slurps his tongue has Maeve gagging.
“Sweetheart, you’ll need to push down the revulsion and get your head in the game if you’re going to be of use to me,” I shout at Maeve.
She growls, glaring at me in response. Good. That was the point of goading her. She needs to be good and pissed.
“Brothers, we have a show to go with our meal.” The demon claps and the others laugh and jeer at us.
“You want some? Come get it.”
The two beefiest of the demons charge my way and I almost laugh out loud. The bigger they are, the harder—and faster—they fall. With a simple roundhouse kick to the jugular and an elbow to the side of the other’s head, they’re both on the floor groaning.
“Maeve, dagger,” I shout, knowing full well she has a small dagger hidden behind her shirt at her back. It won’t disintegrate these assholes like Solis would, but it will kill them nonetheless. My energy is all that’s needed, and the dagger will act as a conduit. However, that leaves the need for cleanup afterward.
She purses her lip, wasting time.
“Now,” I demand, and finally she complies.
The dagger flies through the air and my hand snaps out, catching it by the hilt. I slam the blade into the heart of the first and then the second, while three more demons rush toward me.
I kick the closest dead demon into the feet of those heading my way and they topple like bowling pins. Maeve’s blade slashes through skin and marrow to pierce each of their hearts.
“Are you guys going to help?” I call over my shoulder to the group of hunters, who’ve stood around watching bug-eyed as I single-handedly took out five demons.
From there, it’s a cacophony of fists hitting flesh and blades slicing through the air as the humans join the fray. Demons drop all around us, and within minutes, the place is silent. The smell of rotting evil permeates my nose.
“Ugh,” I groan. “This is so damn messy.”
“As opposed to?” Blaine asks with a raised brow.
Yet another reason I don’t fight with humans. Too many damn questions.
“What do we do with all of these? We can’t dump this many bodies in the landfill,” Danny states.
“You dump demons in a landfill?” My voice pitches.
