Song for the Dead (Ada Palomino 2)

But it’s even better than I imagined.

He works me fast, I hold on tight. His skilled fingers bring me to a boil while he pistons his hips into me, swift stabbing movements that makes me see stars. He’s in complete control for most of it until his breathing gives away to husky feral cries and then we’re both coming at the same time.

His pumping slows, his groans fading, my world spinning. I don’t feel like I’ll ever come back down from this, but I literally do when he pulls out and lowers me back to the ground.

Fucking hell that was awesome.

If we weren’t in a dingy bathroom in the House of Blues, I’d be tempted to have another round.

But we are.

And the best thing for us is probably to go back to the hotel room to continue.

“You know, I think I’ve seen enough of Gwar,” I joke to him, pulling down my dress. I lean over and grab a few sheets of toilet paper for the insides of my thighs (I know it’s NOLA and everything goes, but I refuse to walk around with dried cum on my legs).

But when I clean myself up, stealing a glance at him, I notice he’s gone totally stiff.

“Max?”

He turns to face me.

Eyes on fire.

At the same time, that white lightning sparks inside me, almost painfully hot, stealing my breath away.

“Oh shit,” I manage to say.

He stares at me, swallowing thickly, looking pained. “This isn’t good.”

I eye the door. “There’s a demon outside that door isn’t there?”

“I…” he trails off, shaking his head. “Consider ourselves lucky if there’s only one. I’ve never felt this before.”

I know what he means. Even at the bar when Michelle walked on stage, that was powerful, but it felt more centralized. Like she was just affecting Max, more so than me. Here, now…it’s chaotic and all over the place.

I have to admit. I’m a little scared.

“What do you wanna do?” I ask, trying to sound brave.

He gives me a sympathetic look and puts his hand behind my neck, giving it a firm squeeze that’s supposed to steady me. I guess it does a bit.

“We get the hell out of here.”

“No fighting?”

“No fighting. We just run. Okay? Back to the hotel. At least there’s a sword there.”

“Might just be some loser demons?” I suggest hopefully, but I know that’s not true. The last so-called loser demon I came across put me in the hospital.

“We need to go,” he says to me. “But we can do this. Are you ready?”

I find strength somewhere inside and raise my chin. “Let’s kick some ass!”

“No, Ada, we’re running away.”

“Let’s run away!”

He goes over to the door.

Turns the lock.

Opens it.

We step out into another world.

Oh, it’s the same House of Blues.

And Gwar is on stage.

But they’re frozen in place.

And so are half the people in the crowd.

Totally still, not moving. Like insects posed in amber.

Then there’s the other half.

All of them demons.

Shit.

They’re all looking at us.

Hundreds of them.

“Max,” I whimper. “What’s plan B?”

He gives me a grim look. “We fight.”

As soon as he says that, the two closest demons run for us, fingers turning to claws, jaws unhinging to reveal rows of teeth, coming fast.

Oh my god.

I push off from my feet in the nick of time, summersaulting over their heads. I land in front of a big dude with white eyes and I drop low to the ground, kicking out until I connect with his shins and he falls down, making the floor shake. I reach out and grab his head before he can get up, twisting it off into a pile of dust.

“Ada!” Max yells.

I turn to see him punching someone in the head so hard that their head swivels violently, snapping right off.

Okay, is he showing off for me, or—?

“Behind you!”

I whip behind me to see three women dressed up in Playboy bunny ears for a bachelorette party, all of them lunging for me.

I scream and jump up over their heads.

One of them grabs my leg while I’m soaring over them, claws digging into my calf.

I scream and she rips me from the air until I’m landing on my back, hard. She jumps on me, trying to take out my face, but I manage to headbutt her in the nick of time, disorienting her enough to grab her head and rip it off, the demon dust coating me.

I spit it out of my mouth, rolling over to get to my feet, but then there’s a foot on my back holding me in place before claws reach down and grab my shoulders, hauling me back as if to snap me in two.

Then Max appears, taking off the head before grabbing me under my arms and hauling me to my feet.

“You okay?” he asks.

I nod only because the adrenaline is keeping me from feeling any pain.