Page 24 of Death Trap

My eyes narrowed on him. “You want to run away?” That didn’t seem like someone who was supposed to be this fierce protector.

“I have to protect you. If that means we need to make a quick getaway, so be it.”

“But what if Sean comes home to two unwanted, deadly guests?” I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if he ever got hurt. Especially if I could have done something to stop it.

His head tilted to the side, studying me. “You’re worried about the human boy?”

At the risk of sounding too much like a disgruntled teenager—um, duh.

I likely conveyed that feeling in the look I gave him.

“And I’m guessing I can’t talk you out of it? For your own safety?” he asked.

“I thought you said you knew me,” I retorted, walking over to the door. “If that’s so, you already know the answer to that one.”

He sighed. “Thought so.”

We phased through the trailer’s storm door and stepped onto the porch.

The moment the two ugly creatures saw us, their lips pulled back, exposing mouthfuls of tiny, sharp teeth. One’s forked purple tongue even slithered out.

Gross.

I reached into my jeans and pulled out my gun. As the Halflings ran for us, I planted my boots and aimed, while Eli leapt over the porch railing and tumbled with one of the creatures into the dirt.

That surprised me. He seemed too prim and proper, even had turned his nose up at the state of the trailer, yet here he was, wrestling with a Halfling with his bare hands.

It was pretty hot to witness; I wasn’t going to lie.

But I didn’t have time to think that way right now. The second Halfling leapt into the air, its mind probably set on sinking its claws into me, so I tracked him as he moved and pulled the trigger of my gun.

The shot rang out, echoing in the stillness of the woods surrounding the property. The Halfling jerked in midair as the bullet hit, but its momentum still had it landing on top of me. Its massive weight dropped us both to the ground.

Quickly, I scrambled out from underneath it and jumped to my feet. Disoriented, the Halfling’s head swiveled up to find me, and I gasped. Half its face was blown off, black goo oozing from where its eye, nose, and mouth used to be. The rest of the skin on its face sizzled and peeled away from the Holy Water.

It hissed and got onto all fours. I lifted my hands only to find my gun was gone. Glancing around, I found it at the far corner of the porch, knocked out of my grasp during the fall.

I put up my fists instead, and told my light power to stay put for now, like I always did whenever I faced off with one of these things. I’d only use it if the situation became an emergency.

As the Halfling stalked closer to me, an ear-splitting screech sounded to my right, snagging my attention. Eli had his Halfling in some kind of chokehold from behind, and it obviously did not like it.

A hand hooked the back of my ankle and dragged me back to the ground. I cried out in shock, but the moment my ass hit, the Halfling was on top of me again, its teeth snapping too close to my face. I locked my elbows to keep it at a safer distance, but it was too strong, getting closer every time it pushed against me.

I managed to land a punch to the wounded side of its face, and it squealed in pain, temporarily off-kilter. I took the opportunity to slam my boot under its belly and kick up, throwing the beast off me.

Suddenly, Eli was there, grabbing the creature by the back of the neck and throwing it against the side of the house like it weighed no more than a sack of flour. The moment the thing touched one of the spray-painted symbols on the siding, its entire body began convulsing violently. I jumped back to my feet and watched in horror as the Halfling shook and foamed at what was left of its mouth. It looked like it was being electrocuted or something. Even the air smelled like burned flesh and singed hair, and my stomach turned.

Finally, it stopped moving altogether and slumped to the ground.

Hesitant to get any closer, I glanced at Eli. His chest shimmered, as if perspiration clung to his skin, but there was no wetness that I could see. Seeing him with his dark hair mussed and his thick muscles still bunched and tight from the fight made my legs quiver for a very different reason entirely. He was even more breathtakingly handsome when in kill mode. I didn’t know that was even possible.

I forced myself to look away from him and back to the Halfling, which still sat in a heap on the porch. “I had it under control, you know,” I croaked out, trying my damnedest to sound unaffected.

“I know you did, but I figured I’d come over and help anyway.”

“Well…thanks for the help, I guess.” I rubbed my arms. “Is it…dead?”

Could they even die? Was that possible?

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