Extraits

Chapter 2

When Evalle reached the platform, Khaki Guy was trying to open the doors on the parked cable car. They were probably powered by hydraulics.

No human could break those apart.

Khaki Guy held his hands back-to-back and pushed his palms out, inching the doors open. The mechanism controlling the gears cried in protest.

Just great.

Now she’d have to call in Sen, the VIPER liaison and a roaring pain in her backside, to fix that before she left. Sen could thaw out the security guard and purge the man’s memory while he was at it.

She called out, “You can’t ride without a ticket.”

Ignoring her, the guy leaned forward, growled in strain, and shoved the doors open with a bang before he turned around. He still looked just like Joe Suburbia, but then he opened his mouth.

Guttural demon voice came out. “Who are you?”

She respected any being’s strength, but she had to clue this creature in before he decided to go toe-to-toe with her. Sometimes clearing up any misconception saved getting her favorite clothes bloody. “My name’s Evalle. If you’ll come quietly with me, I won’t hurt you.”

“I don’t have to do what you say.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. She pulled off her dark sunglasses so he could experience the full effect of her glowing green Alterant eyes, a mark of being half Belador and half Medb. Don’t even get her started on that issue. The fact that she was an Alterant had played havoc with her life for as long as she could remember. “I’m with VIPER and I have authorization to take you in.”

He stared at her, or more like through her, not blinking, which was creepy on a human face. Then he asked, “We’ll go together?”

Did he think she worked on the honor system?

Sure, I’ll give you an address for the hidden VIPER headquarters in the North Georgia Mountains and you’ll turn yourself in while I go home and take a long hot bath.

If only. “Yes, we’ll go together.”

He nodded and turned back to the cable car.

“Hold it. This way, buddy,” she called over to him.

The words flew right past him as he climbed inside.

Just once she’d like a demon, or whatever he was, to cooperate. Evalle pulled out her dagger just to be prepared and walked over calmly, standing in front of the door. “Come on out and let’s go.”

The seats in the car lined the walls, wrapping around the inside. He sat on the far side near the front with his body leaning against the window.

Was he demented?

She’d dealt with a Cresyl demon once that had acted confused, but the Cresyl had been under a spell. A Medb spell come to think of it, from what Evalle had put together since then.

She considered using her kinetic power to lift him off the seat and float him out, but he was acting docile at the moment, which was way better than the alternative.

Chapter 1

How am I supposed to find a demon among all these Santa elves and Christmas decorations?

Evalle Kincaid rubbed her gritty eyes and repositioned her sunglasses. She kept moving through throngs of locals from Atlanta’s suburbs, all enjoying the first weekend in November at Memorial Hall in Stone Mountain Park. She’d been here for four hours and it was only nine-thirty. A half hour yet until closing.

The park was decorated to celebrate the start of the holidays, and every tree was lit up. She’d never seen so many bright lights and happy freaking people.

Shoot, every surface glowed or sparkled. She wore dark sunglasses to protect her oversensitive eyes and to protect the locals from seeing those same green eyes glow.

Humans didn’t know about the strange beings that existed in their world. Like her. She was a Belador, one of an ancient line of warriors living secretly in the world today. But most Beladors looked human. Her weird eyes and deathly aversion to the sun came from her mixed blood.

Not her favorite topic to think about.

She squinted to avoid looking right into the hottest lights, because they kept messing with her vision.

If someone viewed the historic park from above, Memorial Hall would look like a glittering jewel against the dark night.

She’d be hearing Jingle Bells in her sleep tonight.

But even that would be better than the nightmares she’d had for the past week.

“Are you the Secret Service, babe?” a mouthy young guy wearing a dark pullover and dress pants asked Evalle.

“No.” She smiled and tried to pass.

“A Hell’s Angel?”

“No.” Without the smile this time.

He finally went on his way.

Okay, so she had on jeans, boots, a black jacket and dark glasses after sunset. She didn’t get the memo on wearing perky holiday colors, but that wouldn’t have changed her choice in clothes anyway, since this was her standard fare.

She caught sight of her potential demon again.

Or maybe between the lights screwing with her eyes, lack of sleep and wanting to go home, her brain was trying to help by convincing her that some poor schmuck might be a demon in glamour.