Addict (Hunter #2)(57)

“I need backup at the clinic,” the demon shouted into a cell phone. I tried to shoot it out of his hand, but he was quick.

The desk thudded at my back, thumping as they shot into it. I kind of hoped they would run out of the damn things.

There was a brief lull in the firing, and I felt something rush past me in a great gust of speed. The door to the clinic opened and then shut again. The demon cursed and seemed to try to take out his frustrations on the desk again. I was ready to take out some frustrations of my own.

Casey. The bastard had run and left Liv behind. He’d been quick, but I caught sight of the shirt he’d been wearing as he ran past the window. I swore if I survived this, that brat and I were going to have a long conversation.

Casey running left me with no choice but to get this done now. I no longer could pray that Casey was smart enough to take Liv out the back. I had to get her out of here and fast. Someone was going to hear the shooting. Someone would walk down the street, hear the obvious sounds of gunfire, and the cops would be called. I didn’t know who I was looking forward to dealing with less—the Dallas PD or whatever the clinic considered backup.

Either way, Liv would lose, so I had to fix this situation now.

“Hold her down,” the demon shouted. “The cavalry is on its way.”

I wasn’t waiting on the cavalry.

“Liv, you run when I give you the go!” I shouted, not waiting for a response.

I needed to get some distance between us and the clinic. Then I would have to swallow my pride and call my uncle or Trent to pick us up. Without pausing to consider the idiotic move I was about to make, I leapt on the desk.

“Go!”

I put a quick two rounds into the nearest guard. The last human shouted and went down, but not before he got off a shot of his own. I felt a massive force shove me to the side. I went tumbling onto the carpet as the bullet whizzed by.

The residual magic in the air gave the demon a momentary pause. Liv stood in the open, her palms up. She’d saved me by shoving me out of the way. Now she shook with the force of the power she’d used. The demon saw his opening. His hand was out and reaching for her.

I jumped up and put myself between the demon and my best friend. He grabbed my arm, and I felt the power in him.

“Bitch, this is from my master,” the demon hissed. “Jack Frost says hello.”

I gasped as cold entered my skin and the world around me seemed to freeze.





Chapter Twelve



The pain was horrible. I’ve taken a lot of damage, but this was something different. Pain is usually hot, like a flash fire through my system. There was nothing warm about this. It was foreign, as though ice had suddenly replaced the blood in my veins, and the chill went straight to my soul. My arm felt like it was swelling, and for a moment I actually wanted the damn thing to burst. It would relieve the horrible ache.

Then something even worse happened.

It completely went away. I couldn’t feel anything from the elbow down on my right arm. It was like my forearm ceased to exist. The Browning dropped uselessly to the floor. Instinctively, I punched out with my left hand, hitting the demon squarely in the face, and he let go of my now useless arm.

I would have kicked out and continued my assault, but I dropped to my knees. Panic threatened. I could feel it welling up inside me because that chill was still in me. Alien. Foreign. It curled around in my body, and I worried that whatever had happened to my right arm was going to happen to the rest of my body. I looked down at my hand. It was sort of waxy looking, the skin going an odd opaque. Thick blisters were coming up as though I’d shoved it into a pot of boiling water.

And I felt nothing.

“Oh, shit.” I was in trouble because the demon was back on his feet.

He walked toward me. His eyes had bled to red, and his hands were out. Those hands were coming for me. They contained Julius Winter’s power. Somehow this shitty halfling—who I should be able to kill without breaking a nail—had the power to freeze off my body parts.

A smirk hit his mouth and his hands were squarely aimed for my throat. I scrambled, trying to move the gun to my left hand. I wasn’t great with my left hand. Marcus made me practice with it, and I was grateful to him. It didn’t look like it would matter. I couldn’t get a grip on it fast enough. I fumbled and fell back on my ass. Just as the demon was about to wrap those cold hands around my neck, gunfire exploded, and his red eyes widened. His hands fell, shocked as a neat hole opened in his forehead. He slammed backward.

“Are you all right?” Liv stood over me. She still held the gun she’d used to save my throat from becoming Elsa’s playground.

I wasn’t. Not even close, but I was alive for the moment. That was all she needed to know. Nausea rolled in my stomach, but I managed to nod. “Nice shot.” I forced myself to my feet, protecting my damaged hand. “Thanks, Liv.”

“I have no idea how I did that.” Her whole body was shaking. The gun she’d used to save me twitched in her hand. “What did he do to your arm?” She looked a little sick as she caught sight of my useless limb. “Oh god, Kelsey…”

There wasn’t time for sympathy. I managed to get the Browning into my jacket pocket. “We have to go. They called for backup and the cops will be here any minute. I don’t think we can use the train. They’ll look for us there. We have to run and hide and hope my uncle can get to us before the bad guys do.”