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“These no-skill lackeys?” I clapped back.

“Were elder vampires, yes. You two made quick work of them, which suggests you aren’t on the same level as the rest. I’d been warned, but call me a skeptic. I haven’t seen Hunters this strong since I battled one who even the great Dark Fae fears.”

Phillip.

Well, at least this dude was as stupid as they got and appreciated a good monologue. Smart villains were hard to come by these days. Nothing like in the movies.

Green Dude yawned to himself and checked his watch. Yet another reason to scorn his outfit. Wearing a silver watch over black latex was outright ridiculous. I’d never let Phillip tell me I was a poor dresser again. Not with this dude walking around, wearing his latex ensemble like it was hot shit.

“I’d love to stay and play, but I’ve got very antsy bosses who expect their little princess delivered within the next thirty minutes.” His eyes dropped to Sloan’s bare chest, and I’d only just noticed myself his pants were buttoned again.

When did he do that?

“So sorry for spoiling your fun.”

Usually I’d bemoan a chatty villain, but today it bought Sloan and I plenty of time to orchestrate a silent plan. What little I did read about creatures with hellfire, they had two weaknesses: they themselves were slower than us, though magical hellfire was faster, and hellfire wasn’t without its limitations. If we could beat the speed of his hellfire or make him use more than necessary, exploiting the pause as it was forced to regenerate, then we could get the jump on this arrogant asshole.

Sloan never moved more than necessary, and he was always watching. He was looking to exploit an opportunity. It was Hunter 101 when you fought a foe stronger than you. Never act without a strategy, and Sloan was definitely forming a plan.

Certain hand signs and eye movements with Hunters were used to plan when words weren’t an option. I’d picked up on his coded actions over along minute, decoded their meanings, and now I was biding my time until he signaled for me to start.

Our enemy’s eyes narrowed and his body tensed. The hand on mine jerked away, and it was the signal I’d been waiting for. We flanked the green-haired villain from both sides, putting space between him and us. Hellfire scorched the floor where we had once been and then took a wide path to follow us. It was a mad-dash to get into position, but we did it.

Sloan appeared behind Green Dude and kicked his leg out, landing it with punishing force on our little green-haired friend. But the Brit wasn’t fast enough, because green flames were already underneath him.

Fear hit my chest the same way it had when Sloan was close to being overcome by Eros. The feeling was so intense I was staggered by it. And in an instant, instinctively, my body knew what to do.

It wasn’t clear how or for what reason it reacted, but it did. Time slowed to a stand-still. Like before, the world around me froze as the green fire attempted to take hold of my companion. A wave of nausea hit my stomach and a strong, dizzying sensation occupied my head.

I grabbed hold of my knees to stabilize myself before I collapsed. The feeling finally eased a few seconds later, and I acted without thinking.

I didn’t know what these Yokai-inspired bastards were or how to kill them, but decapitation seemed to do it for just about any creature that ever existed—myself included.

Dashing towards the car, I stole a long sword from the open trunk and didn’t take in a single breath—not that I needed to anyway—before lopping off the Green Dude’s head.

I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t drop a badass line like they did in movies. I didn’t wonder for what reason I could stop time. I didn’t ponder my blood.I didn’t give two shits about anything but doing whatever I could to save Sloan.

It was weird to know my sword cut through but the frozen Green Dude’s head remained right where it was. So, I used excessive force to punt it with the handle of my weapon, and then stabbed him through his heart for good measure. Thinking for a minute, I spun and sliced through every limb before slashing through his torso in a zig-zag pattern.

I literally cut him to pieces to make sure there wasn’t any way he could survive. Honestly, I couldn’t cover enough bases at this point.

Hunter swords were among the sharpest and strongest weapons ever made, so I didn’t question whether or not it’d do the job. I refused to repeat our last fight’s mistakes. I wanted to be confident the bastard was dead, especially after he ruined my perfect night out and much-needed sexy moment.

It would’ve been nice to interrogate him and find out who his bosses were, but not if it meant Sloan was in danger. It may seem easy enough for other Hunters to put their own interests first, but I’d never let myself be that person.

Never.

Another wave of nausea hit before I was yanked away from Green Dude, now Very Dead Dude, and practically dragged across the dirt in a hurry to get me as far from our green-haired enemy as was physically possible. Guess my partner evaded the hellfire somehow, and I silently berated myself for not trusting him.

But it was Sloan’s harsh pants in my ear that surprised me the most as our enemy collapsed onto the ground, headless and no longer a threat. Thearms wrapped around my chest tightened impossibly before I was spun around and kissed hard enough to taste blood on my tongue.

“I lost sight of you and thought the worst,” Sloan breathed against my lips after the kiss came to an abrupt end. “You disappeared and then you were in front of him. Was it…?”

Not used to hearing the man in any way hysterical, I nodded lamely. “The time thingy happened and I just…” I struggled to say anything with the raw emotion exposed on Sloan’s face. “I didn’t want to make the same mistake I made last time.”

His forehead met mine before I was released. “No. You did what any Hunter would. You exploited an advantage.” He turned to peer down at our slain enemy. “What brought on the power?”

The only thing that made sense was…