Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(81)

The Gryndor roared again, her immense jaws wide open as she targeted her new victims.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Priming her Magic, Rose stepped into the open and fired off a warning shot that flew millimeters over the demon’s left shoulder. The Gryndor paused her pursuit, her head swiveling until locking on Rose. “Just because you’re having a shit day doesn’t make snarling at everyone who crosses your path okay.”

Behind her, still hiding, Julius cursed. “Fuck. She’s looking this way.”

“That’s the point.”

The Gryndor released another eardrum-piercing roar. “I. Want. My. Mates.”

Rose shrugged, forcing herself still while every fiber in her body told her to run and hide. “Get in line. Most of us would love to find our special someone, but that doesn’t mean we’ll terrorize an entire city until we do.”

“They’ve been taken by the Council.”

“Then they obviously did something they weren’t supposed to do … kind of like what you’re doing now.”

“I. Want. My. Mates.”

“You. Can’t. Have. Them,” Rose enunciated slowly. “For the love of Goddess, partners can be fun to have around, but they shouldn’t be your entire being. Find a hobby or something. I hear online book clubs are all the rage right now.”

The Gryndor flew at Rose, her long, venom-dripping talons extended as if she’d love to rip her in half. And judging by the gleam in the she-demon’s red eyes, that’s exactly what she planned. Been there, done that, not risking bat wing growth again.

This one wouldn’t be as easy to sway as Virginia.

Julius finally stepped alongside her, looking prepped to dive back into safety at a moment’s notice. “And I thought you were the more stable option between you and my brother. I take it back. I take it all back.”

Rose flashed him a wink. “Have you never watched an episode of Buffy? There needs to be banter before a showdown. Otherwise, it’s boring.”

“If by boring you mean it ends quickly and without casualties, then I’m all for boring and skipping the Buffy banter.”

“Says the Supernatural playboy of the year three years running.”

“Four, and it would’ve been five if it weren’t for the ridiculously roguish Adrian Collins, that damn Second-in-Command. Bastard has more charisma than Charisma Carpenter.”

Rose cocked an eyebrow. “Never watched Buffy, huh?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Never a fan … now Angel, on the other hand.”

The Gryndor’s massive leathery wings flapped, so huge they created a burst of wind that blew Rose’s hair from her face. The demon nearly took out a young couple escaping toward Eighth Avenue, but Rose blasted another arc of Magic, veering the Gryndor off-course and to the right.

Julius cursed. “Is pissing her off more a good idea?”

“Making her angry means she’ll get here faster.” Rose stepped closer to the approaching demon.

The Council rep gave her a baffled look. “And that’s a good thing?”

“I’m not a magical sniper. My long-distance Magic blasts aren’t as accurate as closer targets, and I can’t run the risk of something, or someone, getting caught in the crossfire.” Rose lifted both palms in the air as she mentally tallied the distance. “That’s right, a little closer.”

The she-demon swiped at a cowering group of teens, and Rose sent out another deterring blast. “Keep your eyes on the prize, hon! I’m right here!”

The Gryndor roared, showing off her massive teeth, and picked up the pace. Finally.

“Incoming!” Julius pulled an older woman out of the way as she stepped into the line of fire.

The Gryndor extended a hooked talon toward Rose, and she ducked, firing off the first shot of up-close Magic. The she-demon whirled its wings around her massive body, using her thick scales to protect herself from the brunt of the force. She barely flinched, her cloven hooves gripping the asphalt of Seventh Avenue, tearing it apart as she dropped to the ground with a ground-shaking thud.

The red-eyed demon glared at Rose as she took one step forward, and a second … and then flickered before blinking out of existence.

“What the hell…?” Rose spun around, looking for her, making herself a little dizzy. “They can teleport? Julius!”

“Camouflage! Behind you!” he shouted in warning, but not before something hard slammed her between her shoulder blades.

Rose pitched forward, airborne until crashing headfirst into a cement traffic barrier. She dropped to the ground with a groan, blinding pain stealing her vision for a panic-filled few seconds.

Calling her Magic back to the surface, Rose pushed herself to her feet. It winked in and out, confused by the slight fuzziness in her head. “Damn it, come on.”

She shook her hands, and with another sharp tug, her Magic burst to life with pink-tinged flames. “Now we’re talking …

“And speaking of talking…” She turned back to the still grounded—and fuming mad—demon. “Let’s have a conversation about this like two rational women, okay?”

“I. Want. My. Mates!” The demon lunged.

Rose groaned. “Seriously? Have you not listened to my suggestion about the book club?”