Page 46 of Cold Curses

A green fireball flew toward our heads, smashing into the building and knocking bricks from the corner. It hadn’t been aimed at us, but the demons were moving closer. We had to move.

“Go,” he whispered, and we gave each other understanding nods.

I trusted him to do his part and ran toward the fire escape, jumped, and grabbed the edge of the first landing. I pulled myself up, then took the stairs two at a time until I reached the roof. This one was flat and warm and covered in gravel that scratched beneath my feet.

I ran across to the edge of the next building. I reached the parapet, jumped onto it, and flew across the alley to the warehouse building, ignoring the thirty-foot drop between. I hit the warehouse’s roof, sliding in gravel for a few feet until I got purchase. Then I sprinted to the other side of the roof, went to my knees, and looked over the edge.

There, huddled behind a storage container, were Lulu and her crew. One sorcerer and several humans. Magic exploded on the street only a few feet away from them, sending a volley of bricks and dust into the alley.

When the smoke settled, I sent Lulu a message:Look up.

She did, nodded, whispered to the others, who also looked.

I gauged the distance, then stepped over the edge of the building. Vampires and gravity were very old friends, and the three-story descent to the ground below felt like little more than a long step. Albeit a very exhilarating one.

I hit the ground in a crouch, stood up, steadied my katana.

One of the humans squeaked, covered her mouth with a hand, apparently surprised I’d stuck the landing. And then I realizedshe was looking at me with fear; my fangs had descended, and I hadn’t even felt it. Adrenaline and demon magic were a heady combination.

“She won’t hurt you,” Lulu whispered, her face lit by a burst of magic that had a demon groaning somewhere nearby. Her tone said it wasn’t the first time she’d said something like that tonight.

I offered a little wave and smiled (without fangs). “Is everyone okay?”

The younger humans nodded, but didn’t look like they meant it. Clint had a gash across his right cheek.

“I’m okay,” he said. “It was just glass from the first shot.” He tried for a chuckle, but it didn’t sound convincing.

Lulu squeezed his arm in support. She looked fine but for the enormous paint splotches across her shirt. “Tipped over a tray on our way down the scaffolding,” she said. “They cracked some of the brick. I’m sure it’s worse now.”

“You’ll repaint,” Clint said with an effort at a smile.

I appreciated his grit.

“I don’t spend much time in the company of supernaturals,” he said, “which is clearly something I need to remedy. You’re a very exciting bunch.”

“In fairness,” I said, “this has been a pretty unusual week.”

Something hit the container hard, knocking Lulu off her feet and throwing sparks into the air. Before I could offer a hand to pick her up, she was on her feet and moving to the front of the alley. Then a fireball was in her hand. The squeaker squeaked again as Lulu lobbed it toward the fight.

Theo suddenly dodged around her into the shadows of the alley. “Thanks for the cover,” he said.

“No problem.” She looked at me. “Lots of magic in the air,” she explained.

Lulu could only do what was commonly called “blood magic,”because blood was usually required to kindle it. That requirement was apparently mitigated when the air was full of demonic energy. That might have been concerning, except for the steady look in her eyes.

I nodded, returned that look.

“Thoughts?” Theo asked me.

I glanced around the alley. As Lulu had reported, it dead-ended not far behind us, and there were no doors or windows in the facing buildings. The only ways out were past the demons…and up.

“How bad is it out there?” I asked Theo.

“They’re pissed about something. It’s a full shoot-out.”

“What the hell is going on in this city?” I whispered to no one in particular. If he truly wanted to try to build an empire here, maybe Dante would know.

Monster pushed inside me, using what strength it had to demand I let it out. Which wasn’t something we could accomplish here even if we didn’t have humans to rescue. Which we did.