Page 6 of The Incubus and the Bodyguard

Vlad’s mouth went dry. “Yes.”

The sinister magic dancing across his skin reminded him of the corruption that had emanated from the Sorcerer King during their final battle. But it felt worse, somehow.

Giovanni glanced between Vlad and Cortes, decades of survival instinct clearly warning him something was amiss. “Something the matter?”

“I’m not sure.” Vlad forced a smile and pushed away from the table. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Wei Chen’s shrewd gaze narrowed. She opened her mouth to say something.

The lights went out with a suddenness that made her draw a sharp breath.

CHAPTERTHREE

Chairs scrapedas everyone shot to their feet. The sound of multiple safeties clicking off sounded eerily loud in the darkness.

Panicked murmurs rose from the staff.

“Nobody move!” Vlad barked.

“What the hell is going on?!” James snarled to his left.

Crimson flared around Vlad as he drew on his incubus powers, the familiar heat of his demon magic settling in his veins and across his bond with Tarang. The darkness retreated slightly, allowing him to make out shapes around the table.

Giovanni and Wei Chen stared nervously at the red light dancing off his body. James and Marco blanched.

They’d heard the rumors about him.

“Is that—?” Wei Chen started.

Cortes’s shout had them flinching. “Shield!”

The sorcerer was on his feet, his sword and whip in hand. Golden light bloomed around him, his Arcane Magic casting their shadows across the walls and ceiling. Popo’s eyes and wings glowed as the familiar manifested his presence and his powers.

The restaurant staff scrambled backward wildly, their faces white with terror where they’d dropped to the floor. Vlad’s men watched the room tensely, weapons in hand.

Marco whipped his gun from his shoulder holster. The muzzle swung wildly between Vlad and Cortes, fear making the whites of his eyes gleam in the gloom.

“Put that down!” Giovanni barked.

Wei Chen was frowning at Cortes.

A flicker of movement caught Vlad’s eyes. His heart stuttered.

Dark shapes were dropping into view outside the windows, their forms barely visible against the night sky and the city backdrop. They crashed through the glass in a shower of sparkling shards, the screams of pedestrians drifting up from Madison Avenue drowning out some of the noise as deadly fragments rained down on them.

The masked figures unclipped the ropes they’d rappelled down from their harnesses and raised the automatic firearms hanging from their chests.

“Get down!” Vlad roared.

He tackled Wei Chen as bullets started flying. They hit the ground hard.

The crime boss grunted but had the sense to stay still.

Vlad rolled and came up in a crouch in front of her, the diamond studs in his ears shifting to deadly swords as they dropped into his hands. The blades hummed with the same crimson energy that made his eyes and flesh glow, an extension of his demonic heritage.

Crockery crashed as the Triad bodyguards and Giovanni’s men flipped the table and dragged their charges behind it. Bullets scored the wood, filling the air with wood chips.

Vlad’s heart slammed wildly against his ribs as he glanced over his shoulder.

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