Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(43)

Rose swung her gaze from the demon to Damian, her confusion palpable. “What the hell is he talking about?”

Damian glared at the Gryndor. “If you hadn’t torn through an entire wolf pack, injuring dozens of shifters before heading off and doing the same to one of the Maine covens, you wouldn’t be on the Council’s radar. There’s no one to blame here except yourselves.”

“Enough talking.” The demon growled. “I’ll rip both your spines from your bodies and use them as coatracks!”

Rose grimaced. “Can you wear coats with wings? Or do you get them specially tailored?”

Damian swallowed a chuckle just as all three demons lunged at once, two from the back and one from the front. Rose blasted a javelin of Magic at the one closest to them, but it ricocheted off his demon skin without the Supernatural breaking his stride, and nearly slammed into Damian’s foot.

“Aim for the poison-tipped talons,” Damian shouted. “It’s their only vulnerable spot while in this form.”

“Nothing like a needle in a haystack,” Rose muttered, blasting off another shot, which went a little wide thanks to the demon’s surprisingly quick speed.

Damian’s own inner beast pushed to the surface, quickening his reflexes and sharpening his senses. If he let his demon completely free, things would get a hell of a lot worse, but his second self didn’t seem to agree.

Damian grimaced through the pain of keeping himself in check as he met Demons Number Two and Three in a flurry of fists and wings until Rose’s sharp yelp turned him toward her.

Her Gryndor advanced, his wings deflecting each magical bolt she threw his way until he whipped out a winged tip and raked it down her puffer jacket as if it were a heated knife through butter.

“Son of a witch’s tit!” Rose cried, eyes glittering in the moonlight. “That was my favorite jacket!”

She unleashed another Magic-spear, this time hitting her mark. With a howl, the Gryndor jumped back, colliding with his friend, who collided with the third one. They collapsed like demon dominoes.

Now with the upper hand, Rose swirled her hands, molding her Magic into an oversized Magic-ball … and tossed it into the middle of their entwined bodies. The second the orb hit the three Gryndors it split apart, not only confining their arms and wings but rooting their feet to the asphalt.

The Gryndors growled and lashed out.

“Let us go, bitch.” The first spit in Rose’s general direction, but she didn’t so much as flinch.

“Because you asked so nicely … no.” She glanced at the fluff coming out of her torn jacket. “Damn it. I got this on sale, too. It was the last of its color.”

Damian propped his hands on his knees, his chest heaving because damn, he was out of Hunting shape. “You could do that the whole damn time? That magical handcuff thing?”

“Demon wrangling wasn’t exactly on the approved Prima-in-Training curriculum. I didn’t know I could do it until I tried.”

“What do we have here?” Julius stepped out from the alley. His gaze bounced from the demons to Rose, and then to Damian. “All three? I’m impressed. That’s quite the haul-in even for a Hunter of your caliber. Especially one that’s been out of the game for as long as you.”

“You told me one, Jules. One Gryndor.” He nodded to the three snarling demons. “Does that look like one?”

His brother didn’t look the least bit apologetic. “That’s what our reports led us to believe, but it doesn’t appear as if it were a problem for you. Or should I say, for the two of you. You’re quite the team.”

At the glimmer in Julius’s eyes, Damian growled. “Not happening. This was a onetime deal. From now on, do your dirty work yourself.”

“Come now, brother. You have to admit that it felt good to let him out … just a little bit.”

Slipping his hand around Rose’s, Damian pushed his shoulder against Julius’s on the way toward the motorcycle. “Make sure the money is in my account by morning … three times the original offer since your report was off.”

At the bike, he handed Rose his spare helmet, and she paused before accepting it with a wary look.

He smirked. “Tell me you’re not afraid to get on a bike after you faced three snarling Gryndor demons.”

“All I had to do back there is trust in Magic, which has never once let me down. This requires trusting you not to splat us against a building or into another vehicle.”

“No splatting involved. I promise.” He held out a hand and helped guide her into position behind him. She stayed a few inches back, her ass hanging off the seat. “Scoot closer … and hold on.”

With a little sigh, she hooked her fingers into the sides of his leather jacket and inched closer until the front of her body pressed intimately against his back, and damn if he didn’t like it. He waited for her to tighten her hold, and when she didn’t, he gently drew her arms around his waist.

Rose hissed, instantly tensing.

That’s when he saw it.

Her pink puffer jacket wasn’t the only thing shredded. Fuzzy stuffing stuck out from the tear in her coat, but it wasn’t all white. Blood tainted the snow-like fabric.

He spewed off a string of curses. “We have to get back to the clinic and treat that cut.”