Page 36 of Knight’s Salvation

“If someone’s controlling these demons, what was the point of that? Seeing if we’d lose our lunch?”

Zenon shrugged. He had no damn clue what the hell was going on.

“They’re toying with us.” Kryos scanned the surrounding area. “Drawing us out.”

That’s when the rest of the visitors made their presence known. Demons of varying breeds stepped out from the shadowy edge of the graveyard.

Zenon hadn’t felt their presence, still didn’t, which was seriously fucked up. “Can you feel them?”

“Nope.” Kryos palmed his Glock with one hand and drew his sword with the other.

Zenon reached back, pulling his Li Kweis free. The weight of both ax handles gripped in his fingers felt good, a natural extension of his hands.

As the demons closed in, he didn’t miss the glazed look in their eyes or the fact that these guys were focused on one thing: him and Kryos.

Demons lucky enough to slip by them during the solstice or equinox tended to lie low unless they’d been granted sanctuary, because doing stupid shit, drawing attention to themselves, resulted in them getting dead real quick.

None of these guys were acting in a way that could be described as typical. They were here to fight. No guns that he could see, thank fuck, but knives glinted in each of their hands.

This was an organized attack. Someone had gotten them together, armed them, and pointed them in Kryos and Zenon’s direction.

He just hoped they got this over with quick, because he had somewhere else he needed to be.

* * *

Mia glancedover at the table in the corner.

Rocco and Lazarus had been sitting across the room, watching her for the last hour, checking if anything had changed, if her powers had miraculously unlocked. Obviously sensing that hadn’t happened, Lazarus had left, and Rocco had moved his focus from her to Kyler, one of the other waitresses.

It was rude, not going over to say hello, but if she did that, she’d ask about Zenon, and she didn’t want to ask about Zenon. He’d made a fool of her, and she’d let him. The place had been packed all night, though, and the big males would have noticed that and seen how run off her feet she was.

God, why was she worrying about this? Pushing all thoughts of the knights from her mind, she got on with her job and collected another drink order from the bar. In an hour her shift would be over and she could go home for a long soak in the tub and a nice hot cup of tea.

The next hour flew by, and when her replacement arrived, she grabbed her coat and bag from the back and made her way through the crowd toward the door. An arm slipped around her waist from behind, and she was pulled in close to someone. “Hey, baby. You wanna dance?” The guy ground his erection against her ass.

Gross.Mia plastered on a fake smile and turned to face him. “Sorry, I’m just leaving.”

His grip tightened. “Oh, come on, stay. Let’s dance,” he yelled in that way drunk people tended to do, showering her in spittle.

She resisted the urge to wipe her face in front of him. Pissing him off would just make the situation worse. “Sorry. I really have to go.” She slipped from his grip and pushed through the wall of people that had closed in. The drunk guy grabbed at her jacket, but thankfully the crowd made it impossible for him to hang on.

The street was busy when she stepped outside, so she stood against the building while she did up her coat. Rocco walked out a moment later, Kyler tucked under his arm, her face flushed and laughing at something he’d just said. Without even a glance in her direction, they headed off down the street.

Mia didn’t know the other woman very well, but couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. There was no way she could know what she was getting into. Rocco didn’t come across as the kind of guy to stick around, and if Kyler woke up in the morning with any romantic notions about the male, she was in for major disappointment.

Tucking her bag under her arm, she lifted the collar on her coat and started toward her temporary home. The streets stayed busy for the first two blocks but thinned closer to her apartment. The breeze picked up and she shivered, but when the gust died down the goose bumps that covered her skin remained. The feeling of being watched slithered down her neck and she picked up her pace.

She was only two blocks away from her apartment. Glancing around, she realized she was all alone. Like that chill wind had taken everyone with it.

Darting glances into the shadowy corners, she walked quickly and quietly. This was ridiculous. She’d walked home the last two nights without any problems.

Pull it together, Mia. You’re being paranoid.

A crash rang out a short distance behind her, she guessed from one of the alleys, shattering the silence. She jumped. “Oh God.”

At that point, because she wasn’t an idiot, she broke into a jog. Her heart pounded in her ears and she couldn’t hear a thing over her rapid exhales. Holding her breath, she turned her head and listened. The sound of heavy booted feet hitting the ground behind her ricocheted off the pavement. Her jog became an all-out run.

No. No. No. This wasn’t happening.