Demon Marked

stared at him for another second. Finally, she nodded. They both disappeared. Teleported.
    Not wasting a second, Nicholas slung the crossbow over his shoulder and bent to pick up Ash. Her eyes were still open. He couldn’t see any pain in them, just frustration and confusion. She blinked as he looked at her. He couldn’t even try for a smile.
    He trudged to the SUV, Michael’s voice echoing in his head. She’s ours.
    Bullshit. Ash wasn’t theirs to slay. She wasn’t theirs for any reason.
    She was his.

CHAPTER 10

    A broken neck wasn’t quite what Ash had in mind when she’d told Nicholas that she’d rather not feel anything.
    Nicholas had laid her on the backseat, but she couldn’t even feel the pressure of the cushion against her body. Terror began to set in then, but she couldn’t make a sound. Trapped in her mind, she’d waited for him to stop at a hospital, to tell her that he knew how to help her. He didn’t.
    Then her toes began tingling, and Ash realized this was another of those times when he must have assumed she knew something that she didn’t. In this instance, the something was that her body could heal a broken neck.
    So she waited in silence for it to happen, her panic fading . . . just like it should. Her grief and dread had receded, too, though she could still feel them pressing against the corner of her heart, heavy and sodden.
    And she had more to think about now. Not the memory of those obsidian eyes boring into hers, the powerful mind that had seemed to squeeze her brain in its grip, wringing out every one of her thoughts, or that terrifying voice echoing in her ears. She’s ours. She’d skip that memory for now. It reminded her too much of that other dark figure—it reminded her too much of Lucifer.
    But she liked to remember Nicholas fighting for her, even though he’d been outclassed. Far outclassed. Ash had been, too. She hadn’t realized how fast, how powerful demons and Guardians were. Nicholas had warned her, so many times. She still hadn’t understood, not really.
    Was she that powerful? Maybe not. The demon had called her a halfling. It wasn’t a stretch to think that meant she had half of whatever powers they did.
    Still, even half as strong should have put up a better showing that the pathetic kicks she’d gotten in before he’d snapped her neck.
    She had to do better. She had to be better. Stronger. Smarter.
    Starting now.
    Carefully, Ash tested the movement of her fingers. All good. She drew a breath. That worked, too. She sat up. A two-lane highway lined with snow-covered pines stretched out in front of them. How long had they been driving?
    Not long. The dashboard computer showed that they were only about thirty miles west of Duluth.
    As if he heard her movement, Nicholas glanced back at her. “You’re up already?”
    “Seems so.”
    He returned his gaze to the road. “We’ve got to ditch this rig. They’ve seen what we’re driving, so they can track us through that GPS.”
    Ash climbed into the front seat, found the owner’s manual in the glove box. She located the necessary page, studied the wiring diagram. There was no easy access to the GPS connection. Well, that’s why she was a demon.
    “You’ve got insurance against damages on this thing?”
    “Yes.” He sounded amused. “Not that it matters.”
    “I guess it doesn’t.” She ran her hand down the front of the dash, curled her fingers under, and found the edge of the molded plastic console. She pulled.
    A thick chunk of the facing snapped off in her hand. Perfect. Ash bent her head to look at the exposed wires, almost resting her cheek on Nicholas’s thigh. Her hair spilled into his lap.
    Since no Guardians came for her, she assumed her hair wasn’t breaking the Rules.
    He cleared his throat. “Do you need a light?”
    “No.” She could see perfectly. “I’m a demon.”
    His short laugh drew out her own smile. She consulted the wiring diagram again, reached into the dash, and yanked.
    “Is the GPS offline?”
    “It is. And you managed not to kill the rest of the computer system.”
    “Good.” She sat up.
    Nicholas glanced over at her again. Making certain she was all right? If so, he didn’t ask whether she was, so she must have looked fine.
    “Where are we headed?”
    “West. I know a place that will suit our needs.”
    “Any more specific than that?”
    “Not until I’m certain that no one’s following or listening.”
    Ah. His paranoia at work again. Fine by her.