Page 22 of Demon's Prey
The van eventually came to a slow stall, and Kurse was able to sit back down. He breathed in deeply, attempting to catch his breath and speed up the healing process.
Faith drove onward without saying much else. Kurse assumed she was running on excitement. They were getting close to her apartment when Kurse told her to stop.
“We can’t go back there, Faith. They probably know where you live.”
Faith sighed. Kurse pushed his way close to the passenger’s side seat. He jammed his head between the seats to look at her.
Faith caught his eye and burst out laughing.
Kurse pursued his lips. “What?”
“Be careful you don’t get your head stuck in there.” She continued to giggle as she drove.
“Oh, I think you enjoy these antics way too much!”
Just as Kurse was moving his head back, something heavy slammed into their side. It sent him plowing into the opposing side of the vehicle and further scraping his damaged scales. Kurse watched as if in slow motion as Faith’s head bashed against the glass of her window.
As they began to fall, Kurse realized there was no ground below them. He peered out the window just in time to see a beckoning cliff, with nothing but air between them and the forest floor.
Kurse tried to reach for her, to brace her for the impact that was going to befall them both. He could shield her with his body again if he had to. But he was only able to grasp the nape of her blouse, pulling her back slightly toward him as the van plummeted toward the earth below.
Kurse hoped that this wasn’t going to be his final moments with the woman that was his fated mate. He wanted so much more with her, so much more to love and appreciate.
They sailed toward the ground, and Kurse did his best to reach for her continuously.
12
FAITH
Faith could feel the van beneath her leaving the ground and slowly beginning to float. She felt an urge to scream, but her fear had focused on her survival. She gripped the steering wheel as they descended, thinking in that frightful moment that it wasn’t going to do any good.
But there was no time for too much assessment.
She felt Kurse’s fingernail catch the back of her blouse and pull her backward. She was thankful that she hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt. The interior of the van soared away from her as Kurse brought her into his warm arms, using his body once again to shield her from the elements.
They bumped onto the road, and all she could see was black. Kurse had pushed her head deep into his chest with his massive claws.
She could feel him breathing heavily. When they stopped rolling, Kurse let her go.
“Are you all right?” He bellowed.
Faith nodded. She was in shock, so that was the only reaction her body allowed. Kurse approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“We almost ate shit over that gorge there. Thank goodness you weigh as light as a feather.”
Faith smiled. If he had been anyone else, she would have felt slightly irritated by his use of levity. But it seemed to help within that moment. That kind of thing was probably nothing for a demon from hell.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Kurse offered as Faith started walking.
She peered up at him, “I think I’m okay right now, thank you. Everything feels kind of surreal right now.”
Kurse nodded, “I understand. We should go to the police about those men before more come after us.”
Logically, Faith knew it made sense. She simply didn’t want to be around anyone right now, but she gave in, having no other plan in mind.
They both walked side by side to report to the cops. It was the evening, so cars passing by slowed down to check on Faith but recoiled backward when they spotted Kurse. He seemed to pay no mind to it, though. Faith envied this trait.
Faith came back to reality, remembering how the nitrogen grenade had mangled his body.
