Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 1)

As I watched, the blurry figures swirled cloaks around their shoulders and pulled up the hoods.

“Okay, that’s some creepy ritual stuff,” Mac said.

“Incoming,” the Devil whispered.

I looked up, spotting two women headed toward us—incredibly gorgeous women like Eve, who had stashed her wings when we’d come to the human world, magically folding them into her body.

“Are they Fae?” I asked.

“They are.” Eve’s voice had a dark timbre. “Vivia and Elona. I never liked them.”

They entered the protected graveyard in the same way the seer and the sorcerer had, using identical gestures. They were nearly invisible on the other side, but I caught sight of them sweep on their cloaks.

“It looks like someone from every guild is here,” the Devil said. “Almost.”

“Is it a council thing?” I asked.

“No. None of them are high ranking,” Quinn said. “I wonder how many more are coming.”

“It’s close to midnight.” I frowned. “Maybe not many more will show.”

“It’s a small church,” the Devil said. “I’m not sure all of us will be able to sneak in unnoticed.”

“You and I will go.” I didn’t mind risking him as much as my new friends…right? The idea made me uncomfortable, but there was no disputing the value of his abilities. And somehow, I knew he wouldn’t let me go in there without him. I looked at Quinn, Eve, and Mac, who were scowling at me. “You guys can be backup if a fight starts.”

“How will we know if a fight starts?” Mac said.

“I’ll call you.” If I had time.

“Bad idea.” Mac shook her head and yanked off the necklace she wore, handing it to me. “Take my comms charm. When it gets dicey in there, tap it and call us. It’s connected to Quinn’s and Eve’s charms, so we’ll hear you.”

“I can call my security force as backup as well,” the Devil said.

“Okay. We’re as prepared as we’ll ever be, then.” I studied the street around us. “Let’s slip into the graveyard and try to ambush the next people to arrive. We can use their cloaks to sneak in.”

The Devil nodded. I gave my friends a goodbye look, then hurried after him toward the graveyard. When we reached the magical barrier, I could feel it prickle against my skin.

“Do you remember the symbol?” the Devil asked.

“I do.” Raising my hand, I mimicked the circular gesture that I’d seen people make. The magic in the air changed slightly, and I held my breath as I stepped through the barrier. At first, it resisted. I had to force my foot through air that felt like jelly, but finally, I was inside the protected space.

The Devil entered with seeming ease and pointed to a massive headstone. “Let’s hide there. We’ll be covered and have a view of the church.”

Together, we knelt behind the gravestone. The Devil had changed into the same simple black tactical wear that his security force wore, and somehow, he was even more handsome in casual clothing. My shoulder pressed against his thin jumper, and it was impossible not to feel the heat of his skin. Every inch of me was impossibly aware of him.

He was so still that I couldn’t help but wonder if he was just as focused on me. I stole a look at him, and tension fizzed in the air between us. It took everything I had to direct my attention toward the path.

A third pair of people approached, though it was hard to make out their forms through the magical barrier. Fortunately, the barrier worked in both directions, blurring the figures within and without.

A moment later, they’d crossed through the barrier, and I got a good look at them. They were a man and a woman, each with average features but of similar height to the Devil and me, respectively.

They stopped and withdrew two red cloaks from their bags. I was bracing myself to lunge from our hiding space when the Devil moved. He was beside them in a blur and smashed their heads together.

They dropped to the ground, unconscious, and he dragged them by their feet to our hiding space.

I gaped at him. “Holy crap, you’re fast.”

His gaze flicked up to me, and something darkened in his eyes. “Being a monster has its benefits.”