Demon Moon

before the nosferatu begins killing everyone, there’s no need to hide. And if I use them to put the spell around the restroom and hid inside, Michael and Selah wouldn’t be able to teleport into it to save us if they arrived after the nosferatu killed everyone. So unless Michael can carry an airplane, we’d die anyway. The symbols couldn’t protect us from a crash.
    She had to be logical. “Can Michael carry an airplane?” Colin asked aloud. It wouldn’t surprise him if the Doyen could. Michael could heal injuries, transform humans into Guardians, and teleport across realms. All other Guardians possessed only one unique Gift in addition to incredible strength, speed, and the ability to shape-shift and create clothing with a thought—but their leader was an exception to that rule.
    “What? No.” Lilith paused, and the sound of the motorcycle died. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t matter, Colin: lie to her. Hell, give me two minutes to get inside and online and I’ll do it myself.”
    I have venom. I have an idea—just in case.
    He typed his response with inhuman speed. No, Savi. Whatever it is, don’t try it. Lilith’s almost ready to talk to you. Wait for her.
    She’ll lie to me. I’m giving Michael until 9:50. I can’t wait longer than that. There are four hundred people on here, Colin.
    His gaze fell to the clock in the corner of his screen, and his gut twisted. He tried to think of a lie, tried to think of anything that might convince her.
    Tried to think of anything he could say that she would trust.
    I have to close my computer. Give my love to Hugh and Lilith.
    Suicide. No question where she’d learned it. Just like Castleford.
    You’re human, sweet. Wait for the Guardians. And to make her smile, even if he could not: You must wait to see me again, if nothing else.
    They’d better hurry, vampire. Even you aren’t pretty enough to stop a nosferatu. But perhaps I’ll flash a picture of you at him first, just to see.
    A smiley grinned up at him. He stared at it, unable to believe she’d be such an idiot. He had been attacked by one of the nosferatu two centuries before; the result had not been as lovely as his face suggested. Three people—two of them Savitri’s friends—had been mutilated and killed earlier that year. Did she think because Castleford and Lilith had pulled off the impossible that she had gained some kind of imperviousness by association?
    What the bloody fucking hell was wrong with her? Did she have absolutely no sense of self-preservation? Had she learned nothing when she’d been in Caelum? She’d evaded his presence so well since they’d returned he knew she’d not forgot all of it. Why would she be so stupid and careless, taking another risk with her life like this?
    The messenger logged her out.
    “I’m going to kill you, Colin.” Lilith’s voice was low and dangerous.
    He bit his tongue. Blood filled his mouth, and he rang off without a word.

    Savi decided that she wouldn’t need protection from the nosferatu—it would either kill her or it wouldn’t—but she would from the other passengers. Did Britain have anything similar to the U.S.’s Federal Air Marshal program? Would there be armed guards undercover on international flights? Savi had been shot before; she didn’t want to repeat the experience. But it would take too much time to find out—better to just look after herself and Nani as best she could after she’d killed the damned thing.
    The battery pack slid out easily. Not much room to maneuver, but her hands were slender, her fingers long. Her lovers had often complimented them, as if she’d come by their design through accomplishment instead of genetics.
    Her other tools were in her checked luggage; it was impossible to carry on screwdrivers and clippers. They’d have made this easier, but they weren’t necessary.
    She smiled to herself. A screwdriver to the nosferatu’s eye— that would have been interesting, though probably no safer or more effective than a plastic fork.
    She reached into the empty battery slot, and paused. Not smart to let anyone see her do this. Though most of the passengers reclined in their seats and slept, a few were reading or using their computers. The flight attendant might pass by at any moment, and would be justifiably suspicious if she saw Savi tearing out the guts of her laptop.
    No, it’s not a bomb that I’m making, but I do intend to maim—and hopefully kill—a cursed bloodsucking fiend. Do you