Page 14 of Heat Lightning

Before they could, however, the doorknob shook, like someone tried to enter and found it locked.

Bang! All three of them jumped when the whole door bowed from the weight of something powerful slamming into it. Bang! Bang!

My heart raced. What the fuck was going on? Was it possible for this night to get even worse?

With one last bang, the door burst open, falling off its hinges with a crash. Splintered wood flew everywhere, leaving a gaping hole where the deadbolt used to be.

A demon stood in the open threshold.

Covered head to toe in black with a hoodie pulled over his head, all I could see in the red, pulsing light were piercing blue eyes over snarling canine teeth, stretched in a wide grin.

My ears rang. It’s him—the man from the alley. My stalker.

His chest heaved. I could just make out the large, serrated Bowie knife he held in one hand, already dripping dark blood. A body sprawled at his feet in a pool of red. Behind him, someone half-clothed darted past, fleeing for their life.

“Who the fuck are you?” Joey demanded, squaring his shoulders with the intruder. A bold move, considering the still-expanding blood stain coming somewhere from the unmoving man’s head.

Silence.

“Hey! He said, who—” one of the others began, but he didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence. In fact, he'd never finish another sentence ever again.

Faster than I could blink, the demon slammed him—Dain—to the ground. Red sprayed the wall when he slid his knife across the offending alpha’s throat. He choked, emitting an awful gurgling noise, and stilled.

Chaos erupted.

Joey and the other alpha rushed forward at once, shouting. Ducking the punch Joey threw, the demon pushed the second man back, giving him space to slash at Joey.

More blood. The man who I thought was my friend cried out, cradling his face, and fled through the busted-down door. The demon almost gave chase, but the third alpha pulled a switchblade from his pocket and charged before he could.

It became immediately apparent who was more skilled with a knife.

In one fluid motion, the demon blocked the attack and shoved his serrated knife upwards, deep into the chest cavity of the third alpha. He jerked the knife once, at an angle, before ripping it out in a swift, practiced movement. Blood splattered everywhere, painting a gruesome arc up the wall and onto the ceiling.

The man was dead before he hit the floor, sprawled across the other body.

I shook so hard my teeth clacked. With Joey fled, I was the only one left. I tried in vain to yell for help but couldn’t make my mouth work, and the bass continued, pounding away. Did anyone out in the main hall even know something had happened? Did they know a demon walked among them?

The monster stood, and his scent filled the room, cracking through the sweat and stench like lightning. It was copper and ozone. Blood and burning.

Pure, unadulterated rage.

He stepped toward the door, and for a second I thought he’d chase Joey, after all. Go! Please, just go!

But he didn’t. Instead, almost as if pulled by a force greater than his own will, he turned to face me.

Was it possible to actually die of fright? My heart was near bursting out of my chest. I whined and tried to crawl away from him, but couldn’t make my limbs move.

His eyes snapped to mine at the sound, like a predator honing in on its prey. My body trembled beneath the weight of that stare. Horribly, something happened that I thought was impossible by now.

The night actually got even worse when a sharp pang of arousal in my torso made me whimper, empty and aching.

Aching for him.

Alpha, my omega panted. Alpha’s here.

No. No, no, no! This was wrong. I had to be sick, my instincts twisted by the stimulants—it was the only explanation.

This man stalked me all the way here. He’d just viciously killed two people—three, it’s three, my mind supplied helpfully, remembering the body in the hallway—and probably planned to do the same to me next. There was no way I actually wanted to… to… fuck him.