Veiled Threat Read Free Page A

I’d been inside a pentagram; taking out the pentagram with the scorpion tip tail had banished the demon.
    This time around they were in the physical world, no pentagram to hold them.
    “Don’t let them sting you,” Erik said, calmly, as if telling me what the weather report was for the next twenty-four hours, “that would not be good.”
    I ignored him, knowing the scar on my chest, the black snowflake, gave me Immunity from the demon’s venom. The first demon gave me a big grin, its mandible cracking wide and then chittering together, before engaging me. There was nothing I could do but work to get around it.
    Working fast, I drove my swords through the air, through the demon’s waving pincers. Black, thick blood poured out of the stumps as the demon reared back in pain, its tail arching high, a thick drop of poison hanging from the tip.
    “Come on, bitch. Let’s see what you’ve got.” I snarled, sliding around the side and driving both swords through the thickly muscled tail. The demon fell forward, unbalanced without the weight. I grabbed the stinger at the base and jumped onto the demon’s back, pushing the stinger deep into its neck. It shuddered once, twice, then went still. Booyah for me.
    Liam was on the ground, a demon over him, and—Erik was engaged with the last demon, though he didn’t seem to be faring well. He was doing a lot of dodging and almost looked like he was trying to talk the demon down. His lips moved but I couldn’t hear the words. Not that it mattered.
    There was no question for me. Liam came first. With him pinned to the ground, the demon had its back to me. Stupid, very, very stupid. I swung my two swords in tandem, crossing them in front of me. With one swipe I took the demon’s tail and head.
    The body shuffled and I scooped up the tail, ramming the stinger into the demon’s back over its heart to be sure. Flopping like a decapitated chicken, nerve endings still firing, the hoarfrost demon bounced on the ground but it was death throes. Its jaw clicked a few more times even unattached from the rest of the body, eyes dulled and finally it went still.
    Liam rolled to the side and we approached the final demon, who’d put Erik into a corner. He was blowing hard, barely able to keep the hoarfrost demon at bay.
    “You are in trouble, little man. Orion wants to talk to you,” the demon said to Erik, its tail arching high overhead. Even with a clear shot, it never tried to stab Erik with the tip. Neither of them seemed aware we were coming up behind them. Good for us.
    Lightning fast, Liam struck, taking out the demon’s legs and pitching them sideways. A scream of rage erupted from the demon, but I was on it before it could take a second breath, using its friend’s stinger and cramming it into the demon’s mouth.
    “Suck it, you piece of shit.” I pushed hard, felt the stinger drive deep into the back of its throat. It thrashed for a moment, then slowly stilled. I climbed off it, breathing hard.
    There was a shuffle of feet and the three of us spun to see the captain of the red caps standing in the doorway.
    “Remind me again about how tough you assholes are?” I wiped off my swords with a rag from the red cap arm that had come through first.
    “They appeared in the middle of us, through a cut in the veil, and headed straight for this door; demons are supposed to be bound to the deep levels of the veil.” He seemed truly confused. I didn’t care.
    “Demons have not been truly bound for nearly thirty years, and some don’t need a proper doorway to step through,” Erik said, helping Liam to his feet. “Were any of your red caps stung?”
    The captain nodded. “Three.”
    Erik’s eyes were grim. “Kill them. There is no cure.”
    The captain didn’t argue, but he did give a slow nod. “I did not see you, Slayer. I thought all your kind were done in during the last rout.”
    Slayer?
    “No, not all. But most, you are correct. Kill your men, captain, and burn the