Demon's Embrace

“It’ll work.” He grabbed Nicolae’s hand and twisted it up behind the demon’s back and yanked the other over it, pulling the zip tie together until it was snug. “Go get the car. And hurry, before his minions come calling.” Blaise gazed at me, a smile quirking his lips. “And ignore the pounding on the trunk.”

“Jimmy?”

He nodded. “I used some of your duct tape to gag him, or he’d be howling his head off.”

Though I didn’t appreciate being ordered around by man or demon, my knowledge of what demons were capable of was minimal. Blaise knew all the tricks. I took off at a run, working my way back to where I’d stashed the car.

I could hear the noise before I reached the vehicle. Ignoring the pounding, I slid into the driver’s seat and pulled out onto the practically deserted street, while checking in with Detective Thomas. A nearby containment wagon and an ambulance were in route, and Detective Thomas would meet us to debrief on location. I hoped all the paranorms would still be there when the powers-that-be converged.

Half expecting the injured werewolves and the red-eyed demon to be gone when I returned, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Blaise had them all under control.

I went to the female first, checking her over to make sure the demon hadn’t injured her further. “Hey, can you stand?”

She clutched my hand, her grip weak, listless, like she could barely hold her arm up. “The others.”

“What others?”

“Shut up,” Nicolae snarled.

The female werewolf’s head lolled back. “He has others like me. Prisoners.”

“Where?”

The female’s eyes closed, her breathing shallow and growing more shallow by the moment, her hand rising to her throat.

My gaze captured Blaise’s. “She’s choking.”

Blaise’s eyes narrowed and he jerked Nicolae’s arms up behind his back. “Let go of her.”

The demon laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Blaise slammed the demon into the brick wall and pushed him up off his feet, until he dangled like I had.

The female gasped, dragging in a gulp of air. Then she sagged against me. “Please. Help them.”

Sirens wailed, echoing in the night, growing closer.

“What do you mean?” I hesitated, then brushed the hair for her face. “What others?”

“Women. Help them.” Her eyes closed and she passed out.

I stood and walked over to where Blaise held the demon pinned to the wall. “What women?” I demanded.

The creep laughed.

My fists clenched. “If you’re holding women captive, we’ll find them.”

He laughed again.

A surge of anger roared through me. I counted ten in my head, only it made me even angrier that this demon had information I needed and he refused to give it to me. The anger intensified, building. A gust of heated air lifted the stray tendrils of hair from my neck and wafted across my face.

“Tell me where you keep the women.” My voice boomed, echoing off the brick walls.

The demon’s eyes narrowed.

I touched a hand to my chest where the amulet nestled inside my bra. For a second, I could see a large room divided by curtains. Inside each room a woman lay on a pallet on the floor. The image appeared so vivid I could feel the pain, sadness and hopelessness of each woman’s thoughts. “You’ve got those women drugged.” I grabbed the front of his shirt and planted my nose to his. Where are they, damn it?”

“You have no idea what you have or how to use it.” He spoke in a low, steely tone that sent shivers coursing down my spine.

“You’re stalling.” I shoved him away. “We’ll see what the Tribunal has to say when we find them. Trafficking people for sex is illegal, immoral and just wrong now matter what kind of creature they are. I wish I’d killed you while I had the chance.”

“Killing him out of anger would only make you as bad as he is.” Blaise shook his head. “The Tribunal will punish him.”

Nicolae growled like a cornered dog. “You have something that belongs to me. I will get it back. When I do, I’ll kill you.”

Chapter Three

A chill slithered across my skin, raising gooseflesh. I forced a laugh. “Seems you’re not in a position to do much of anything.”

He didn’t respond, just stared at me, his gaze like daggers.

I turned away. I didn’t want him to know that his threat had made me more afraid than even the zombie attack during my first case.

Before long, the deserted street filled with ambulances, police cars and the transport vehicles specially designed to haul paranorms to the containment cell in the basement of the warehouse where the Paranormal Tribunal held council to decide the fate of rogue paranorms.