Page 49 of Cold Curses

“Not your fault they picked this spot,” I said—and then thought about that again.

“Unless they thought it would be fun to test a sorcerer?” Lulu asked, voicing my realization. “I’ve been wondering about that, too.”

“I’ll ask them.”

Theo walked up, cast lifted. “It’s fine, and I’m fine. Thanks for asking. Hell of a mess, though.”

He looked around the battlefield—two commercial blocks on the edge of Hyde Park—and took in the dented and charred cars, broken windows, spewing fire hydrant, damaged buildings. And Lulu’s mural, which looked literally sketchier than before.

“Fixable,” she said, absently scratching Alexei’s ears. I hadn’t noticed that he’d gone to her, but both seemed comforted by their connection. She looked at me. “I need to talk to you, I think.”

“You think?” I asked with a smile.

“I might have seen something—,” she began.

I felt the wrongness before I saw anything, that sudden tingle in the air. And by then it was already too late. The fireball was already flying, having been launched by the golden demon, who’d reappeared and was grinning through bloody teeth.

The blast hit Lulu’s abdomen, and I heard a sharp inhale of breath. And then her eyes rolled, and she went down.

NINE

Lulu!” I screamed, but Alexei got there first, shifting from wolf to human so quickly, there was only a single flash of light and magic and then the transformation was done. He caught Lulu on the way down.

I fell to my knees. The fabric at her torso was scorched, but her skin was intact and unbruised. I tapped her cheeks. “Lulu! Wake up. Come on, Lulu. It’s just a little magic. You’re fine.”

Alexei, Lulu unconscious in his lap, stared down at her in shock.

“Chicago is ours!”came a shout from behind us.

I looked back. The gold demon grinned triumphantly, and another fireball was poised in his hand.

“Need an ambulance over here,” Theo called out.

I was up—sword in hand—before I’d considered the consequences; my only thought was about the protection of those around me. My only emotion was fury that he’d hurt my friend.

His eyes were daring and without fear; his fireball was in the air within a microsecond. I slashed through it, splitting the magic into a thousand fiery sparks that stung where they hit my skin and peppered the air with sulfur. The bravado in the demon’s eyes slipped away. I could feel him attempt to gather magic again, but he’d exhausted his resources, at least temporarily. He instinctively lifted an arm to block my first strike, then screamed andstaggered back when blood poured from the gash on his arm. But I didn’t stop.

My second slice put him on his knees.

The third finished him. Even a demon couldn’t come back from decapitation.

I flicked gore from my sword, sheathed it, and promised it a thorough cleaning later. Then I went back to Lulu. I was breathing heavily from the fight. Her breath was too slow, too shallow.

“Lulu,” Alexei said, smoothing his hand over Lulu’s hair, her face. “Come on, Bell.”

I’d never seen such fear in his eyes. Fear hadn’t seemed something that could penetrate his shield. But it had sunk its claws in now.

“I don’t see anything wrong with her,” I said. “No burns or anything.”

“It’s a magical injury,” Alexei said. “I can feel it.”

That was obvious now, and I had missed it in my panic. I closed my eyes to shut out the new chaos rising around us, and put a hand on hers. I felt a vibration. A rattle like a warning from a snake. Something had gotten its teeth into her, and with every second that passed, they seemed to sink deeper.

I opened my eyes again. “Magic,” I confirmed. I looked at Alexei, then down at Connor, still in wolf form. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help her.”

And I’d killed the demon who’d done this.

Panic threatened, and I pushed it down ruthlessly.