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“Will do.”
I spun and ran back. My cage was flickering, failing, the threads of the spell barely clinging together. She screamed when she saw me and lashed out. Her claws cut through the magic and hooked the edge of my dress. She screamed again and dragged me closer; her tongue flicked out, snake-like and needle sharp. I jerked my face back but felt a sting
as one forked tip slid across my cheek. As warmth tricked to my chin, I raised the vial and threw the holy water at her face.
It hit her eyes, her mouth and her tongue; the response was instantaneous. Her skin began to bubble and steam, and her eyes exploded, splashing blood and God knows what else across my face. Even as I gagged and fell back, several shots echoed, hitting the Manananggal, spraying blood and gore and brains across the nearby wall.
Her screaming stopped, and she collapsed to the floor, lifeless and silent except for the bubbling hiss of the holy water still reacting against her skin.
I drew in a deep breath and dropped to my knees. Fuck, that was close…
That, Belle said heavily, has become an unsettling theme when it comes to demonic events around here. You okay?
Yeah. I wiped a hand across my cheek; my fingers came away smeared with red. The cut wasn’t gushing, so at least that was something. I raised the small vial and saw there was a little bit of holy water left; just enough to sterilize the cut.
Aiden knelt in front of me and caught my chin, raising it to inspect the wound. “Do we need to sterilize that?”
“Undoubtedly.” I gave him the small vial. “Pour the rest of this over it.”
I tilted my head to make it easier. He carefully dribbled the water over the wound; it stung like blazes for several seconds before easing off.
“Is that it?” He quickly scanned the rest of me. “Your dress is shredded, but I can’t smell any blood.”
“Because there isn’t any.” I glanced down. “Shame about the dress though. I really liked it.”
“Better the dress than you.” He caught my hands, then rose and tugged me up with him. “Do you want to head up to bed? I’ll deal with this mess.”
“It might be wise to call in Monty. He can make sure it’s safe to move her body.”
“She’s not likely to resurrect… is she?”
“I doubt it.” I hesitated and glanced at the Manananggal. There were few supernatural creatures that could survive having their face eaten away by holy water, let alone having their skull shot apart, but this particular one could live without half its damn body. “I don’t suppose you have a couple of wooden stakes hanging about, do you?”
His eyebrows rose. “No, but I could get them easily enough. Will any old wood do, or do you need something specific?”
“Ash is preferable, if there’s a tree nearby.”
“There is. Won’t be long.”
As Aiden headed out, I grabbed my phone and called Monty.
“What’s happened?” he said without preamble.
“The Manananggal made a surprise visit to Aiden’s. She’s now dead, but I was wondering if you could come out and supervise her removal.”
“Dead? Damn. Missed the fun again. How’d you kill her?”
“A mix of holy water and bullets.”
“And you’re sure she’s dead?”
“She ain’t moving, but we’re going to stake her with ash, just in case.”
“Good idea. I’ll be there in ten.”
My eyebrows rose. “You’re already in Argyle?”
“Close to. Belle rang and demanded I get my butt over to Aiden’s because you were about to be attacked. She just didn’t mention by what.”
