Guardian Demon (GUARDIAN SERIES) Read Free Page B

thought, Taylor vanished her shoes into her hammerspace. She waited, her toes curling against the hot sand. She’d learned this from Michael—even when she couldn’t see or hear something coming, bare feet could detect vibrations and movement.
    She didn’t sense anything. If Michael had made that sound, maybe he was still waiting. If it hadn’t been Michael, perhaps it had been Khavi—hiding and watching to make certain that nothing ate her before Michael got his chance. And if it hadn’t been either of them, Taylor prayed that whatever it was would run the other way.
    Then again, maybe it was waiting for
her
to run the other way. Or just waiting for her to look the other way, so that it could sneak up behind her.
    Still holding her breath, Taylor pivoted and stared at the boulders ahead.
Come on,
she urged whatever it was.
Come on out and let me see you.
This wouldn’t trick Michael. He’d know that she was waiting, listening. Still, there was no reason not to give a little mental incentive to him, too.
    You know you want me, Michael. A yummy redhead. I’ll probably taste like ginger.
    And a little stringy, but that was partially his fault. The demons’ fault, too. Taylor hadn’t coped all that well in the years between discovering the Guardians existed and her own transformation: smoking too much, drinking too often, not eating enough. Now nicotine didn’t do anything for her and she couldn’t get drunk—and she still looked just as thin. Hardly an appetizing mouthful.
    Of course, any dragon that ate demons who were covered in scales probably wouldn’t care if she was a bit bony.
    A slight tremor under her feet. A whisper of sand behind her. Taylor spun around, gun raised, searching for her target. There, a thousand yards away, maybe. A hulking figure emerged from behind a boulder. A huge form. Eyes glowing red.
    Six
eyes. Three heads. Taylor’s heart stuttered. Not Michael. Not a wyrmrat or a dragon.
    A hellhound.
    It paused, watching her—a predatory beast sizing up its prey.
    Taylor’s stomach dropped and rolled into a sick ball of fear. Only a little over a half mile separated them. Not far enough. Not
nearly
far enough. Frozen, terrified that any move would provoke it into chasing after her, she stared across the distance.
    She’d encountered hellhounds before. One served as a companion to the woman who directed the Guardians’ investigations on Earth. Khavi kept another as a pet. Both were puppies, stood taller than Taylor’s head, and scared the crap out of her even when they were playing nice. She didn’t think this hellhound intended to play nice—and it was no puppy. Fully grown, probably over two thousand years old, it appeared almost as big as Lucifer’s hellhound, Cerberus. Taylor couldn’t have reached its belly with her hands raised. Each of its giant heads possessed a mouth full of serrated teeth, with fangs as long as her arms. Barbed fur spiked through crimson scales, creating a mangy hide of armor that could shred flesh.
    Her gun wouldn’t do shit. Even a shot to one of its eyes would barely slow it down. Taylor maintained her aim, praying the hellhound didn’t know that. It probably hadn’t seen a pistol before. Uncertainty was the only thing holding it back now.
    That wouldn’t last long. Hellhounds weren’t just big, mean dogs. Though not as smart as a human or a demon, they could analyze and reason. Soon it would determine that Taylor didn’t pose a danger—and realize that since she hadn’t already escaped by air, she couldn’t fly. Then it would come after her.
    What to do then? Her mind raced, searching for options. All of her guns were useless against it. Her skill with a sword was nonexistent. She should have brought a rocket launcher, but even that might not work. Hellhounds were too fast. By the time she’d fired a missile, the hellhound could already be on her.
    She needed the spear that Khavi had used to carve the symbol into her chest. Taylor had once used