Page 34 of Knight’s Dominion

There could be only one reason for that. And every time she saw Chaos, it got worse.

The demon ahead veered off the pavement and crossed the street. He carried on for a few meters, then ducked into Big Fred's Pizza. Huh. She guessed he had to eat something since he didn’t get a turn to nibble on the human, but pizza?

The restaurant was bustling, and she stood at the door for several seconds, trying to spot her target. There. He'd just hit the hall that led to the bathrooms and glanced back, gaze bouncing around the busy room until it landed on her. He knew he was being tailed.

Shit.

Dodging several people, she ran through the restaurant and down the hall. There was a fire exit at the end, the door still ajar. “Dammit."

Shoving it open, she ran out after him, pulling her phone from her back pocket as she went. She hit Chaos’s number.

“Yeah.”

“Need backup. Behind Fred’s Pizza on Claymont.”

She disconnected, shoved her phone in her back pocket, and sprinted across the small, staff-only parking lot. The sound of the demon’s heavy footfalls echoed as he ran, and she dug deep, pushing harder, determined to catch him.

There was an alley ahead, leading back to the street. She’d lose him in the crowd if he got that far. She leaped as she kicked off with her right foot, propelling herself into the air, and tackled him to the ground.

They struggled, and holy shit was he strong. Grunting and growling, he muscled her onto her back and leaned over her, his lizard-like tongue snaking out, tasting the air around her face. "Hmm, you smell good enough to eat."

Rearing up, she smashed her head into his nose. The guy roared and reared back. She throat punched him, knocking him to the ground, and jumped to her feet. He rolled and she brought her boot down hard on his back, then aimed two swift kicks where she hoped his kidneys or some other vital organ should be. His howl of pain told her she'd hit something important.

Pulling her knife from the sheath in her boot, she moved in. Feet either side of his shoulders, she crouched down, fisted his hair, and wrenched his head back, before pressing her blade to his throat. “What do you know about the Hell beast, asshole,” she said, yanking his head back harder.

He hissed and struggled against her hold.

“Talk or I’ll start slicing,” she demanded.

“Fuck you,” the demon cried as one of his arms flailed at his side.

“Either you talk to me, or I’ll hand you over to the knights. I hear Lazarus gets off on making demons scream…”

Pain tore across her thigh.

She hissed, sucking in a startled breath. He’d scratched her with his claws. The stinging sensation instantly intensified, like acid burning deeper into her flesh.

"Can you feel my venom spreading, bitch?"

"What will it do?" She pressed the knife harder into his throat until black blood bubbled to the surface of his skin. She didn’t know what he was, didn’t think she’d ever encountered one of his species before.

"It's so you won’t feel my teeth sinking into your flesh. So you won't be able to scream while you watch me eat you alive. In a few minutes your whole body will be paralyzed. You'll be at my mercy."

He could be valuable, but she could feel the venom working. She didn’t have long. "My arms still work, shit for brains."

“It’s too late.” He laughed.

She slit its throat wide open but in her weakened state struggled to remove his head. It took more time than she had right then, the exertion probably spreading the venom quicker. But she couldn't leave him alive, where a human or another demon might find him and take him somewhere safe to recover.

The deed done, she fell back, curling on her side, crying out as the pain in her leg intensified. Dropping the bloody knife in her hand, she groped for her phone. She needed help. Now.

The fucker had wanted her to kill him, there was no other reason she could think that he’d tell her what was about to happen to her. Whoever ordered him to guard the beast was more terrifying than death if the knights got him to talk.

The sound of boots hitting asphalt echoed behind her.

She twisted around. Lazarus stood a few feet away, wings extended.

“You’re injured.” He crouched beside her.