Page 39 of Kiss of Light

“What kind of magic is this?” she gasped, shocked by the loss of her ability to shimmer. She could feel the weight of her own body holding her in place.

“You’re not the only one who knows about Mama Xiaoling,” sneered the fae. “She magicked the blades. She even had some demon blood handy to perform the enchantment.”

Well, that was just fucking great.

“I don’t need to shimmer to beat you, Gingernut.”

“Oh, make no mistake, shaitun. The spell doesn’t just stop you from disappearing. It also allows my knife to stop your heart.” She raised her blades. “So get ready to die.”

Fifteen

The trap had him pinned just above the ankle. The pain was excruciating and as Lemar examined the metal contraption he saw his leg was badly macerated. The teeth had cut through to the bone, shredding the flesh and muscle of his calf. But the bone itself seemed intact.

He gritted his teeth as he felt around gently. His shinbone was in one piece. It was going to hurt like hell getting this thing off, but at least he’d still be able to walk. And his healing abilities would take care of the wound soon enough.

He grasped the metal on either side of his shin. It wasn’t slippery. One of the perks of being a vamp was that wounds didn’t gush blood. He exerted pressure, grimacing as the jaws slowly pulled out of his flesh.

“Nope.”

A sword prodded him in the chest. Startled, Lemar looked up. The trap sprang shut and he bit down a groan of agony as it chewed into his mangled leg again. He focused on the figure in front of him.

“Who are you?”

The man carelessly leaned on his sword, his reddish hair picking up glints of orange and pink from the motel sign in the distance.

“You mean you don’t know? I’m hurt. I’m Kaeron.” He grinned and Lemar was reminded of a fox. All red hair and sharp-eyed cunning.

“Pardon me if I don’t get up,” Lemar drawled. “I take it this is your work?”

“Good, isn’t it? I like traps. Normally I practice them on animals. Dogs, mostly. Humans are so attached to their dogs, aren’t they? I do so enjoy watching their faces when they find poor little Fido all mangled up.”

“That sounds like a normal, well-adjusted hobby.”

“Sadly for me, Vetali are a lot tougher than dogs. But I only needed to slow you down. You should be honoured. You’re the first vampire I’ve ever caught.”

Lemar eyed the distance between them. If he could get hold of the fae, he could crush his skull with one hand. But Kaeron remained annoyingly out of reach.

He wondered if Tala was okay. His gaze drifted back towards the motel. As if reading his mind, Kaeron shook his head.

“Forget about the demon. She’ll be dead soon, if she isn’t already. My sister’s taking care of her.”

Lemar lunged towards him and taken by surprise, Kaeron nearly tripped over his own feet. Lemar chuckled nastily.

“Scared of me, are you? Even though I’m stuck in your trap? You should be. Because when I get out of here, I’m going to fuck you up.”

Kaeron pointed his sword at Lemar’s chest.

“Brave words. But I’m going to take your head, Vetali, and with it, secure the future of the Fae King in Nush’aldaam.”

“My head won’t get you anywhere, fuckwit. Because my father doesn’t give a shit if I’m alive or dead.”

“We’ll see, won’t we? Now hold still, there’s a good boy.”

Kaeron moved round behind Lemar. He lifted the sword steadily, keeping his eyes trained on the vampire’s neck.

“Any last words, bloodsucker?”

There was a sudden shriek from across the parking lot. A high-pitched screech of pain and rage.

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