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The hellhound streaked through where I had been standing, crashing into the casing. Sparks flew, hissing steam as the climate control circuits blew. Blue-white sparks fountained up. I cried out, throwing up a hand to shield my eyes, the light searing through dark-adapted pupils. Heard more snarls, more claws, and a curse in the spiky hurtful language of demons that made my blood run cold.
McKinley rolled free, gaining his feet in one fluid movement, I spat blood. Shook the dazing impact out of my head. There was a massive crunching sound, another scrabble of claws. Sekhmet sa’es, it sounds like more than one of them, oh please, Japh, don’t get hurt, I’m on my way—
McKinley, dark eyes blazing, held up his left hand. The oddly metallic coating on it sparkled like quicksilver. “Come on,” he said, low and taut. “Come on!”
Who the hell is he talking to, me or the hellhound?
The hellhound snarled—and Japhrimel, his coat flaring behind him, shot it twice in the head. Japh descended on the thing. I levered myself painfully up, watching as he moved gracefully, avoiding the thing’s dying clawswipe as he tore the life out of it. Then he gained his feet, black blood smoking from his hands, and spat a single word I covered my ears against, the hilt of my sword digging into my temple. There was another low slumped shape—a second hellhound, lying twisted and broken on the rooftop. Where the hell did that one come from? Anubis et’her ka, two of those things?
The bodies twitched, convulsed, and began to rot right in front of me. Noisome fluid gushed out of slack-jawed mouths, streaming between the sharp glassy teeth. The smell smacked into me, I took two steps back, cement gritty under my boots. They were literally melting in front of my eyes.
I swiped at my face with my free hand. Blood from my nose crackled as I scrubbed it away, resheathed my sword. Japhrimel looked at me.
“Are you hurt?” His voice was so cold I half expected the foggy air to freeze between us despite the steam wreathing him, twisting into angular shapes like spiked demon runes. I gasped, unable to catch my breath, looking down at myself. I didn’t think I was hurt.
“N-no.” I glanced at McKinley, who had a gun out and trained on the closest body as it rotted. His black eyes blazed, and the metallic coating on his hand shifted a little, settling back into his skin. Where the hell did he come from? “Where did you come fr—”
“Time to go,” McKinley said. “Transport’s waiting. There are more on the way.”
“Human, or otherwise?” Japhrimel’s eyes swept the roof. Where had the second hellhound come from? They were so goddamn fast.
“Yes.” McKinley’s dark eyes flicked over me once. He went back to watching the hellhound’s bubbling body. “My lord?”
“Come.” Japhrimel arrived at my side, grabbed my arm, and gave me a once-over, nodded briefly to himself. “Leave it, McKinley. It’s dead.”
The Hellesvront agent holstered his gun. “Fire escape.” He pointed.
“I told you to run.” Japhrimel’s voice was the color of steel. His eyes were furious, and his mouth a thin line. The mark on my shoulder turned hot, melting into my skin.
“I couldn’t leave you to face that thing alone.” I yanked my arm free of his hold. He let me, his fingers opening as if I’d struck him. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 30
I closed my eyes, leaning against Japhrimel’s side. Subway lights flickered as the hovertrain tore down reactive-greased tracks. McKinley watched the interior of the car from where he slumped in a seat, scowling. His crow-black hair was wildly mussed. We were alone on a New Prague subway train, fluorescent light buzzing overhead.
Japhrimel pressed his lips to my temple. He hadn’t spoken, guiding us down through subway tu
“That’s not something I ever want to do again,” I whispered finally. Where did the second one come from? I didn’t even see it. Gods.
He kissed my temple again. “I told you to go. McKinley was waiting to cover your retreat while I dealt with the hellhounds,” he murmured.
Goddammit. Just like a demon. “That was awful.” I contented myself with a noncommittal reply for maybe the first time in my life.
“I prize you, my curious. I would not lose you.” He spoke this into my hair, his breath scorching-hot.
“You won’t.” I tightened my right arm around him, my left hand aching as it squeezed the scabbard. “You killed it. Both of them.”
“Hellhounds for a hedaira. They could have killed you.” He sounded like he was just realizing it. I leaned into him a little more, suddenly very, very glad he’d found me. I had been extremely lucky not to run across any of those things on my lonesome.
“You were there. So everything’s okay.” I sound like a drippy heroine on a holovid. But it’s true.
He wasn’t mollified. “If we face another, you must do as I say. Do you understand me?”
The train rocked, bulleting through the underground tu
“Dante? If we face another hellhound, you must do as I tell you.” Japh repeated it slowly, as if I was an idiot.
I suppressed another flare of irritation with a healthy dose of fear. The thought of Japhrimel taking on those things alone chilled me. Even though I knew he was capable and was glad he was there… still. “I’m not going to abandon you,” I said finally. “Don’t ask me to do that.”
“You must live, Dante. While you live, I live.” He stopped abruptly, as if he’d intended to say more and changed his mind.
“If I run, another one of those things might be lying in wait. We’ve got a better chance if we stick together.” I didn’t think he’d go for it, but he sighed, his face still in my hair. It was comforting, I decided, my body begi
“The hellhound might be Velokel’s trick. He is the Hunter, and rode with hounds when your kind was not even a dream in the Prince’s agile brain.” Japh paused as the train bulleted around a bend. I felt his attention flare, sca
I absorbed this, worked it around inside my head, and tested it against the flash of insight I’d had while studying the magscan maps. It was worth saying out loud, at least. “The Hunter, right? He might be looking to take me out first, and you think Lucifer may have sent someone else too.” I worried gently at my lower lip with my teeth. “All right. I’ve got an idea.”
“Save me from your ideas, my curious. What is it?”
I wanted to look up at his face, but his arm was like a steel bar. The tension thrumming through him warned me; I didn’t struggle. Instead, I rubbed my cheek against his shoulder. Calm down, Japh. You scare me when you’re like this. “Try this hover for float, Japh. Lucifer wants these demons dead—but he doesn’t trust either of us, especially after you pull your stunt. So what does he do? He smacks me with a few hovers and an imp, making as much noise as possible to distract and draw out whatever demon is around; then he sends another group of hunters in to do the real dirty work. Only this Velokel is a few steps ahead of Lucifer, shows up in New Prague just after me—because I’ve made a hell of a lot of racket with the imp on the hovertrain—and he takes to the underground, because the earth will hide him better than the red-light district. Lucas had his hidey-hole underground, there’s a reason. Lucifer never said anything about us being the only ones after these demons, and he may have even wanted to clean us up as loose ends.” Though that wouldn’t explain why he gave you back a demon’s Power. Unless that doesn’t matter to him, unless he can easily take it away or kill you anyway.