Blackthorne, Taryn Even For Me

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to pull me off balance and buy some time by shaking me like a rag doll. I Changed my
free hand back and pulled a vial out of my pocket, smashing it down on the dog s snout.
Steam hissed and fizzed from the dog s eyes where the liquid had splashed and the
devil cloud was released. With it went the dog s summoned form. I made a mental note to
ask Jackson where he got this stuff from.
I turned my attention to the pool at last and heard clapping. That pissed me off.
Glad you enjoyed the show. I cocked my head. I could hear sirens, too far off to
reach human ears. They abruptly cut out. I wondered if they were within 500 feet yet.
So, you going to do the decent villainous thing and monologue or something while I
check out how wounded I am? Tell me all about how you plan to kill me and my friend?
How about the girls? Wanna tell me about them? Or Tammy? I couldn t keep the
bitterness out of my voice when I said her name, and the specter chuckled. I raised my
arm to see how bad the bleeding was and watched as the wounds closed up right before
my eyes. My ankle didn t seem to bother me much either and I could almost take a whole
deep breath of the clearing air without the sharp pain of bones jutting into lungs. This cat
thing was developing a few benefits. She swished her tail in an I-told-you-so motion in
my head and I smiled.
Your offering of your friend was appropriate. The voice echoed. I could finally
concentrate on it and was surprised to find that it belonged to a woman. Reaching the lip
of the pool, I gazed down past a floor littered with broken glass, metal piping, jagged car
frames and other objects with shining, deadly points. In the center was a wooden stage,
where Jackson lay under the woman s hands. With my vision, I saw a shadow shimmer
around her and knew how such a tiny woman had managed savage feats of strength that a
grown man would have trouble with.
76 www.samhainpublishing.com
Even for Me
Her demon seemed to not be controlling her, but just beside, whispering in her ear,
then weaving in and out of her body, giving strength to just the right parts at just the right
time.
It was with a start that I recognized her. The reporter, Susan Lucas, stood draped in
front me and it all clicked into place. The newspaper articles with the most details had
come from her. They would have earned her an on-air correspondent position. And she
could control how much information was leaked out, what details she d give the press.
She was her own best source, after all. She d even chosen her own handle, Ghost Cat.
And she had her brass claws lightly pressed against Jackson s throat. I slipped my human
form and shook out of the clothes. They fell away to be torn to shreds on the points
below. I didn t care much now. Lucas threw back her head and laughed with glee. I d just
given her what she wanted. She started talking again, but I was too far gone to hear.
I leapt in the middle of her confession, silent. She brought up a knife in her hand
from under her cloak and I twisted in mid-air to land on the lee side of her, putting
Jackson s inert form between us. The dagger flashed, not towards me but down into
Jackson s chest and a very human scream escaped my mouth. I slashed at her with my
paws, about to leap at her throat. The demon shimmered in delight, egging me on.
Aislyn! A few shots were fired. Susan Lucas s body slumped in front of me, a gun
raised right to my forehead, the demon urging her to pull the trigger. Her eyes gleamed
with the joy of the insane and her lips moved in whispered benediction even as she was
dying. I shoved my head into her and she fell backwards, off the platform, onto the
waiting jagged metal ring she d set up for me. The demon-shadow disengaged itself from
the twitching corpse and glided towards Jackson.
I Changed again, even though my reserves were wearing thin at this point. I pulled
Jackson onto my lap and yanked out the knife. Tears were dripping, mixing with the
ever-growing pool of blood. I thought about the way my arm had healed, tried to clear my
head. Panic swelled. Whatever made me different, a monster, a killer, a hunter, I poured
through that link between us. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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