Page 24 of The Blood Widow

“You’re up early.” Her tone was too chipper for me.

“Fuck off and spill.” My tone sound like death personified.

“Okay, grouchy, I have good news. I found a way to help you and stop anyone from finding out about you. And yes, I’m talking about the head of the Moonlight family as well. Really, Novem, the Alpha? My seer couldn’t see into him personally because he has some kind of block, but she said it didn’t seem malicious. So that’s good, but we’ll still get it handled.”

So, her little rant told me two things. One, she didn’t know about Ezra’s identity. Two, my gut was right, he wasn’t planning on killing me. Both things were good news. If he had a secretidentity, he had more to lose than I did. First, his daughter’s secret and now his.

“Okay, so there is a boy that can change the past. It’s only for about two weeks in the past, but that’s perfect for you.” The hope that flared inside of me matched her perky tone.

“Send me the information. I’ll go right now,” I demanded as energy coursed through me.

I shot up from the couch and ran into the room to grab my Widow suit. Beaut was still dead to the world, so I’d leave her a note.

“Good, because my seer lost sight of him. Whatever is going to happen, someone is blocking him.”

I groaned. That meant there was going to be trouble. I hated it when things couldn’t be easy. I tuned back in when she continued talking. “I know you’re going to smack me the next time you see me for this, but Cole and his friends need the boy as well.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Novem, don’t be a brat. They could be useful. You have no idea what you’re walking into,” she said with a pleading moan to her voice, but I didn’t care.

“I’ll do this alone, but I agree they need him,” I grunted out. The kid could save Rose from being attacked.

“Whatever, go back to the same cabin.” Her annoyed voice didn’t deter me.

“Send me the information,” I said and hung up. I was done with that conversation. I had enough of those three men in my life as it was, and I was fighting for it to stay that way.

A zing of magic and a satisfying pop sounded on the small table beside me. I snagged the gray paper like it would disappear and I’d lose my chance to end all this madness in my life. Well, it would, but not until my fingers felt the smooth sheet. Then, I’d have two minutes to memorize the note. Thankfully, it was easyenough. The boy’s name was Brian and he lived outside of the city. Once I had all my gear on, I grumbled about how everything was too big for me now and called on my portal magic. I eagerly stepped through. No matter what had the boy, I wouldn’t come back to this apartment without securing him somewhere.

The wind blew through my hair as the chilled morning air bit my face, reddening it instantly. The birds sang and chirped with a sense of freedom I'd never achieve. Their songs calmed my nerves about the whole situation. The rough rug turned into soft dirt under my boots. Like any magic, it slowly drained me, so I would need to recharge before going to the kid. I hoped I had time before whatever was after him came.

"Let me go! Mommy!" A boy's scared shriek sounded behind me.

So much for that thought.

"Your mommy’s dead, you little shit. Stop kicking, or I'll gut you. Seeing how I'm getting a hefty price to deliver you, I'll sew you back up, but keep fighting me. I might misplace a few of your inners." The demon’s voice was more profound than a typical male voice, like he had spent a massive amount of time in Hell.

It took another scream from the boy to knock me out of my head. I got to my feet and moved from behind the fence that shielded me. Every muscle was flexed tightly as I pulled out my knives from my many pockets.

I would get one surprise hit, and then the rest would be a battle of survival. I'd call on his blood, but demons who went to Hell often could have poison running through their veins. His back was to me, so I threw my blade to the bottom of his skull. It wouldn’t kill a demon, but it'd slow him down.

Before he could even register that something was wrong, I ran and leaped onto his back. His yelp of surprise filled me with adrenaline as what I liked to call my darkness appeared,snapping into the driver’s seat. She loved the sound of pain and the black blood getting on my breast from his wound.

My emotions disappeared. All I knew was my bloodlust. I wished I could just kill him. Pulling out the knife and slamming it back into his flesh was highly satisfying. His cries as I stabbed him over and over were like a drug.

He tossed me off his back. I didn't feel the pain of being slammed into the ground, but I knew I was bleeding. He spoke but the darkness in me didn’t hear anything he said. The fists flying at my face and body were doing damage, though. The sucker was strong. A perk for the demons that lived in Hell.

I registered Brian running back to the house, crying out when he found his dead mother, and the agony that Novem would feel later for it, but it was all background noise for me. My fists, knees, elbows, and legs were in a tightly honed survival dance.

I wanted to use my other powers, but they were trackable, and I learned from my mistakes. Besides, I wasn’t going to win this fight. The demon had to be using a power-strengthening potion because he flung fireballs at me as if he'd never run out. Not even the blood soaking his shirt seemed to slow him down. Fucking demons.

A blade went into my gut as easily as warm butter. A flash of red-hot agony blinded me for a second. It was time to end this.

My magic was charged and ready to use, but I couldn’t risk him following me. My eyes roamed to find a way to get the upper hand.

Just in time, Brian darted out of the house, distracting the demon.

I rolled, and the blade that was in my boot slashed at his Achilles heel. His eyes were still on the boy as he fell to the ground. I used my blade on any spot that would slow him down. My focus was on the back of the knees, the wrists, spine, and the neck.

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