Midnight's Master (Midnight 3)

Michelle just smiled her cold, perfect smile.

Holly jerked against the restraints. "Get me out of here, and I'll tell you everything you want to know." A lie, but so what?

The smile dimmed a bit.

"I didn't start out as a demon," Holly continued, voice low. "I became one." Ah, but she could bullshit with the best of them. "You can change, too. Let me go and I'll tell you everything. "

Michelle's fingers fluttered in the air. She glanced toward the open door.

Come on. Come on…

Then she looked back at Holly. "I-"

"He's here!" Zack's bellow.

Holly's heart seemed to stop.

Zack ran into the room, face flushed. "Get ready! Grab the g-"

The wall behind him exploded.

When the dust cleared, Niol was there-looking tall and dark and very pissed.

And Zack, bleeding and shaking, was at Holly's side, the scalpel pressed to her throat. "You so much as blink, demon, and I'll cut her from ear to ear."

The blade already was cutting her. Digging into her skin and sending a rivulet of blood sliding over her flesh.

Niol's black eyes were on Zack. So much fury. The air in the room boiled with his rage.

Holly wasn't breathing anymore.

Then Niol laughed and she'd never heard a colder sound. "Dr. Hall, you don't know who the f**k you're dealing with-"

The floor trembled, rolled, and when Zack cried out, Niol raised his hand. The scalpel jerked free of Zack's fingers and flew right to Niol's waiting palm.

The restraints holding Holly broke free. Love demon power. She heaved up, twisted, and shoved both of her feet right into Zack's chest. He stumbled back, arms waving as he tried to catch himself.

The bastard hit the floor, hard, and Holly jumped to her feet.

"My kill. " Niol's voice was guttural.

She hesitated and glanced up into his eyes.

Niol stalked forward. Zack flew up into the air as if jerked by a puppet string. "You took what was mine, ass**le." The puppet master. Niol threw him across the room.

Zack thudded into the far wall, landing close to a slowly rising and bleeding Michelle.

The floor rolled again.

Niol is out of control. She knew it, could feel it in the fierce rush of air all around her.

"Now I'm going to take everything that's yours."

Zack's fingers shot up and he began clawing at his throat, as if fighting against unseen hands.

His face mottled and his eyes bulged.

Niol was killing him, with just a thought.

"Niol-"

The roar of a gun.

No.

Holly jerked at the sound. Michelle was on her feet, a wide grin on her bloody lips, and a gun in her hand.

One that was aimed right at Niol.

One that she'd already shot.

"Again!" A scream from Zack. A Zack who was breathing again.

Holly's gaze flew to Niol. A red circle, ever widening, bloomed in the middle of his chest. The bitch had fired straight at him, right into his heart.

Niol fell to his knees.

"No!" This time, the roar was Holly's.

CHAPTER 18

The bitch had shot him. Niol's legs sagged beneath him and his knees hit the floor with bruising force.

Fuck. Should have made sure she was out.

His chest burned while a cold numbness eased into his finger-tips.

"Again!" Zack screamed.

Niol lifted his head and locked eyes on the woman. He'd take the hit, then take them both down because there was no damn way he'd ever let them hurt Holly.

Shaking, he tried to rise-

Holly stepped in front of him.

The heart that the first bullet had barely missed stopped.

A laugh from the crazy blonde.

"No, Holly, move!" She wasn't like him. She couldn't take a shot and survive.

"Not in a vital organ!" The soon-to-be dead man's scream. "She won't live, he will– not in a vital or-"

Niol grabbed Holly. No damn way.

He shoved her to the floor.

The second bullet tore through his shoulder.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

These humans were pissing him off.

His feet slipped on the tile as he fought to rise. Too much blood, dripping everywhere. Too much-

The psycho bitch had the gun aimed at him again. Time to end this shit.

His eyes narrowed. He blocked the pain-

Her fingers squeezed the trigger-

Focus. He'd get her to turn the gun back on herself-

"You're not hurting him!" A scream of fury.

Then the gun jerked from the blonde's fingers-and flew right through the air and into Holly's hand.

Sonofabitch.

His little demon still had a few surprises for him.

Her face was stunned.

So was the blonde's.

Niol sucked in a sharp breath. His woman was something else.

"No! No, you f**king bitch! It's not going to end like this!" The bastard ex-fiance screamed and lunged forward, kicking a surgical tray out of his way. He reached out, swiped something up with his right hand-

A scalpel already red with blood. Holly's blood. The same scalpel he'd had to her throat. Niol had dropped the scapel when the first bullet hit him.

Zack snarled and lifted the weapon high with his hand and jumped right at Holly.

Time to die. Niol blocked the pain and sent out a burst of raw power.

He saw the sudden terror on the human's face.

I'm stopping your heart, bastard, and it'll never start again.

Understanding in those blue eyes.

See you in hell.

Holly fired her gun, sending the bullet blasting into Zack's chest.

He fell to the floor, body twitching, then-

Still.

One down.

A shriek.

One to go.

Niol glanced over at the woman. Her eyes were on Zack's still body and her mouth was open as she screamed. Again and again.

Wincing, he managed to rise to his feet.

"Niol…" So soft when the screams were so loud.

His gaze went back to the only one who mattered. Her lips trembled as tears leaked from her eyes. "Oh, God, Niol, your chest…"

He forced a smile. For her. "Love, it's not as bad as it looks." Yes, it was, but he'd heal. He lifted the arms that felt leaden.

The blonde let out another wild cry, then streaked behind them, running for the door.

Holly's breath caught and she took a step after her.

"No." Niol snagged her hand. Alive. Safe. He'd been so worried and-

Afraid.

He hadn't been able to manage finesse when he'd arrived at the run-down house. He'd gone in, fury engulfing him, and the rage had blasted right into the wall.

"My men are outside. She won't get away." She'd never hurt another demon again.

Holly turned back toward him. She reached up with her right hand, touching his chest. His blood soaked her fingers. "Don't do something stupid and die on me." The words were tough but her lips still shook.