On the Hunt (Sentinel Wars #3.5)(65)
Author: Gena Showalter

"I’m sorry," she said softly. "If I hadn’t . . ." She trailed off, shaking her head. "No. This was what had to happen. I just wish they didn’t need to be involved. I wish . . ." She glanced over at him, her eyes going wary. "I wish we had real backup, real knowledge, and a plan for the next couple of years."

He understood what she was asking. A week ago, even a day ago, he would have pretended he didn’t, doing his best to avoid the fight. Defense, not offense.

Now he turned to face her squarely, meeting her eyes when he said, "The old training compound was located in New Mexico, in a box canyon near the Chacoan ruins. They had— we had a saying:

‘What has happened before will happen again . ‘ If any of the Nightkeepers and winikin survived, they will have rebuilt on the old site."

She went very still. "Are you sure you’re ready to go back?"

He leaned in, touched his lips to hers. "I’m not going back. I’m finally moving forward." He didn’t know what the future held, knew only that they would face it together . . . and that he couldn’t hide anymore.

Her lips curved beneath his; the kiss deepened. And as the sunlight splashed through the opening far overhead, warmth hummed through him, and golden light sparked at the edges of his vision.

"Magic," she whispered.

"Not magic," he corrected. "Love." But maybe in the end they were two sides of the same power. And maybe—hopefully—that power would be enough to see them through the next two years . . . and beyond.

RED ANGEL

DEIDRE KNIGHT

Chapter One

It was a special kind of tacky that greeted you on the postholiday shelves of the Sandfly, Georgia, Piggly Wiggly. Not exactly primo wrapping paper selection, particularly not for a hostess gift for one of the richest and oldest families in Savannah. Somehow, Sunny figured, their swanky bottle of Dom Perignon wouldn’t look quite right presented in a tinfoil poinsettia sack.

She cast a wary glance at her best friend, Kate Rabineau. "You should’ve bought a gift bag downtown, Katydid. The selection would’ve been much better than here at the Pig."

"Let’s just grab something that the bottle will fit in." Kate glanced impatiently at her watch. "We’re late as it is."

"Oh, and whose fault would that be?" Sunny reached for a bag covered in lime green elves and frowned.

"Sunny Renfroe, don’t you get started on me," Kate said. "You know I had to look just right today."

They were having brunch with the Angel family—Mason, Jamie, and Shay were fifth-generation demon hunters, and although lately two of those siblings had become friends to both Sunny and Kate, Jamie Angel was a bit of a holdout. He didn’t much respect Kate’s kind; something to do with her being a vampire and his being a hunter and all that. In other words: Jamie was among the uninformed, the kind who naturally sought Kate’s blood and life. It had taken a good deal of persuasion by his siblings for him to call off the hunt on the Rabineau family.

But in the end, the fact that Kate was now engaged to Mason Angel’s best buddy, Dillon Fox, had won that battle. Since then, Dillon had permanently joined Jamie’s paramilitary group of demon hunters, and Jamie had respected the vampiric cease-fire. But it didn’t mean Jamie liked Kate any better, and for some reason, his sister, Shay, was determined to change that fact.

Hence, they’d arrived here, at the Piggly Wiggly down the street from the Angels’ plantation, surveying nearly week-old wrapping paper and cards.

Sunny planted her hands on both hips. "All that’s left are marked-down Christmas leftovers." She retrieved a poinsettia-adorned bag, the kind made specifically for champagne and wine gifts.

"This thing’s tackier than my mama’s light-up lawn reindeer."

Kate snorted impatiently. "I’m not the one who wants to impress Jamie Angel."

"Which is why you took an extra thirty minutes fixin’ your hair?"

"This is your cockeyed plan, not mine," Kate disagreed.

"And Shay’s. Don’t forget, this get-together was her idea, too."

Kate retrieved the bag covered in neon lime elves. "Let’s make her laugh . . . and snub Jamie at the same time. We can tell him this was closest thing we could find to the Grinch."

Sunny wasn’t so sure; maybe it was her Southern manners, but she wanted something pretty.

"Give me another second," she told her friend. "I’m gonna look down in the wine section."

Kate glanced at her watch again. "Dillon’s waiting for us out in the car. I don’t like leaving him so long."

Sunny smiled at her friend. "Honey, Dillon’s fine! He hunts demons and you never fret for a minute. Why should you worry if he’s sitting out in the parking lot?"

Kate glanced away, saying nothing, but Sunny understood. Dillon had been blinded by a mortar round while serving with his unit in Iraq, and although his guide dog, Lulu, was with him nearly everywhere, and he was fully independent and part of the Shades, Kate’s love for him ran deep.

So every now and then she became a bit too protective—usually when Dillon wasn’t around to catch her doing so.

Kate released a tight breath. "Okay, sure, and I’ll keep looking in this aisle."

Sunny strolled toward the shelves filled with wine and beer. Bingo—at the very end of the row, she saw an absolutely lovely bag with sequins and tassels. She was about to grab it when a horrific stench reached her nostrils. The hair on her nape prickled, her body tensed, and her otherworldly senses kicked into high gear.

With one sideways glance, she saw the demon over near the checkout lines. His blazing red eyes were laser-locked on Kate, who stood obliviously looking at gift cards. Even if Kate had turned, she never would’ve seen the rapacious creature. She wasn’t a hunter, didn’t have the sight—and she wasn’t what Sunny was, either.

Kate Rabineau was, however, a magnet for creatures of darkness who craved her blood because of the supernatural strength it would give them. Demons like this one regularly stalked Kate—and Sunny, because of her unique destiny, routinely destroyed them. Day in, day out, Sunny safeguarded her dear friend, all without Kate’s knowledge that Sunny wasn’t human, not even close.

Summoning her power, Sunny created a shield illusion. Everyone in the store would see an image of Sunny, just another African-American woman shopping in the aisle of the Piggly Wiggly, when in fact she was already moving faster than any human eye could track. She had surging handfuls of power in both palms, and threw that destructive energy toward the vicious demon.

He glanced up, red eyes growing wide in surprise.

"Eat this!" she cried in a voice that only the demon or other angels might hear.