Vampires? Not good. I’d thought for a moment I could stay out of sight and keep an eye on things until backup arrived, but it looked like I was going to have to go down there.

If I had been really cool like Buffy or that chick from Underworld, I would have flipped over the railing and landed right behind them before I started kicking some demon ass. But knowing my luck, I’d only end up spraining something. So I opted for stealth instead, using the stairs at the far end of the building to get to the first floor.

I’d hoped I could make my way to the loading bay and out of sight by walking behind the stalls, but I soon discovered they were flush against the wall of the building. Damn it. Straightening my jacket, I entered the traffic passing by the stairs while trying to look like I belonged there. It wasn’t easy to blend in when I had to be careful not to make contact with anyone. Apart from not wanting to draw attention, the last thing I wanted to do was accidentally shock some poor mox demon out doing her grocery shopping.

“It’s another one,” said a voice behind me. It sounded like the speaker had a bad lisp. I didn’t turn around in case he wasn’t referring to me.

A second voice answered him. “Velec will be pleased when we bring him this one. He likes females.”

“She is a hunter, so she will go to the vampires. You know that.”

So much for not getting noticed. I turned casually toward a stall that looked like an apothecary then ducked into the space between it and the next stall. By the time the two ranc demons followed me in, I had my knife unsheathed and power coursing through my fingers. It was probably foolish to corner myself this way, but it would also draw a lot less attention.

“Drop the knife, girl, and this will go easier for you,” said the one with the lisp. “You are no match for me and my brother.”

The other one nodded, his catlike eyes fixed on the blade in my hand.

I debated the best way to handle the situation. I didn’t need my knife to take out these two. Compared to some of the other things I’d faced, ranc demons were about as frightening as sewer rats. My real problem was getting the job done without drawing a crowd.

I dropped the knife. It hit the floor with a thud and skidded several feet away. The ranc demons, seeing my action as a sign of surrender, rushed at me.

Lispy reached me first, and I let him get a good grip on my left wrist before I gave him a healthy jolt. His body stiffened and he made a choking sound as he fell to his knees. The other demon, seemingly unaware of his brother’s distress, grabbed for my right arm. He went down soundlessly, grabbing his throat like he couldn’t breathe. Before either of them could recover, I put a hand on each of their shoulders and let them have enough juice to keep them down for a few hours. I probably should have killed them and done the world a favor, but I decided to give them a pass. This time.

I stepped over their prone bodies to retrieve my knife, and when I straightened up, I discovered I had a little audience. Two vrell children, who couldn’t have been more than five or six, were peeking around the corner of the stall, their black eyes wide with fear and excitement. They were as cute as buttons with their chubby faces and tiny horns peeking through their brown curls. I smiled at them and put my finger to my lips. I could hear their giggles as they ran away.

“Later, guys,” I said to the unconscious ranc demons. Then I stepped out from between the stalls. I just hoped no one found them and raised an alarm before I reached Chris and Jordan.

I still hadn’t figured out how I was going to handle all those gulak demons. None of them was as big as the one I’d killed in Minneapolis, but even the smaller ones were tough. It wasn’t like I had a choice. If they called in vampires, God only knew how many blood suckers would descend upon this place.

Childish laughter alerted me to the two little demons on my tail. I stopped walking and groaned silently. Where the heck are their parents? All I needed was for them to get caught up in the fight that was going to happen when I reached my friends.

As if she had heard my thoughts, a vrell female ran over and took both children by the arm. She kept a wary eye on me as she spoke softly to them. One of them whispered in her ear, and she looked behind them at the place where I’d knocked out the ranc demons. Her eyes were fearful when they met mine again, and she grabbed the children’s hands and hurried away with them.

No one else tried to intercept me, although a lot of demons stared at me and whispered. My only concern was getting to Jordan and Chris, and as long as no one got in my way, I didn’t care what they said about me.

When I finally reached the wall of gulak demons I stared at them in consternation. Now that I was here, I had no idea how I was going to take on eight of them at once. Not to mention the drex demon with its poisonous barbs and those weapons the ranc demons held. Something told me they weren’t going to let me fight them one at a time.

Maybe I can create a diversion to lead some of them away and –

“What’s this?” rumbled someone behind me. “You’re too little to be a hunter.”

I spun to face the gulak demon that had sneaked up on me. My heart banged against my ribs and I cursed my stupidity. I’d been so distracted by how I was going to handle the gulaks that I hadn’t noticed one of them was missing.

The gulak grinned as he rushed at me. Instead of running, I let him catch me. As he reached for me, I grabbed one of his arms and twisted my body. Using his larger height and weight to my advantage, I pulled him forward and over my shoulder. The back of his head cracked against the concrete floor, and I wasted no time punching him in the throat. I didn’t have the strength of a warrior, but my strike was no less damaging. He made a strangled sound as I introduced him to my Fae side, and then his head lolled to one side with his mouth slack and his forked tongue hanging out.