Damn. I really should have taken a few extra shifts at the club instead of coming here.
The large knife attached to my belt thrummed, the magic inside it so strong I could feel the outline of the weapon through my pants. For a moment I considered bringing Sucker—the nickname I’d given the bloodthirsty blade that was strong enough to kill an angel or a demon—out to play. Then I focused on Goose. He looked horrible. The thing inside him had distorted his handsome features, and there was more rage in his eyes than I’d ever seen. I couldn’t kill the entity without killing him. That meant I had to get the fucking thing out of him pronto.
“Sorry, Goose.” I stepped toward the friend I was about to beat the shit out of. Whatever I did, I had to do it fast. The sooner Goose lost consciousness, the sooner I could deal with the entity.
The first punch to his jaw sent him staggering. When he righted himself, he came at me. He reared back and brought his fist toward my face. I pivoted, turned, and knocked his hand away. He whipped around and I decked him again, right in the center of his nose. My knuckles cracked with the blow, but he didn’t go down. Blood streamed from his nostrils, staining his shirt. His eyes were wild when they homed on me. I noticed his pupils were dilated, the warm chocolate brown irises almost absent.
Fuck.
I couldn’t do this half-assed. Goose was going to be black and blue for days.
I waited until he charged. I moved to the side and jumped on his back. After I got my arms in the right position around his neck, I started applying steady pressure. He thrashed and spun, trying to knock me loose. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on for dear life. He was so much stronger than I had imagined.
“Kill you,” he rasped and grasped at my hair.
“A total girl fighter,” I grumbled and winced as he got handful and yanked.
He started moving around the room with me on his back, swinging his free arm madly as he continued spinning in a circle. The back of his knees hit the arm of the couch and back we went, a tumbling mass of arms and legs. The cushions padded our fall, but it still hurt when Goose landed on top of me. My grip loosened and he used my weakness to his advantage. His elbow connected with my side, hard enough that I was certain he’d bruised a rib. The moment I let him go, he was off the couch. I rolled from the cushions, landed on the carpet, and crouched. Goose was standing several feet away, chest heaving, hands formed into fists. Bubbles formed around his nose with each breath, dribbling more blood down his lips.
Jesus. This thing, whatever it was, wasn’t going down easy. It was supposed to be a simple entity, a creature imprinted into a building and therefore able to possess those who crossed the threshold unblessed. Somehow I had a feeling Goose had missed something very important during his research.
He jumped at me, and I countered the movement with a step back. He grinned, threw back his head and started to laugh. It wasn’t Goose’s usual laugh, more like a demented cackle. When he lowered his head, he studied me in a way that made my skin crawl. I never wanted to see that kind of look in Goose’s eyes ever again.
He pointed at the knife on my hip. “You’re not willing to kill my host, so I suggest you leave.”
I stood my ground. “I’m not leaving without him.”
“If I let you leave and take him with you, you would return, wouldn’t you?”
Talk about a tough question. Me? I never wanted to step foot inside this shit heap again. Goose? He’d find another way to go at this thing and try to do his job. Not only did he get paid for it, the freaky bastard enjoyed it. No doubt he’d find it a challenge—even if trying to solve the mystery killed his curious ass.
“I take your pause as a yes.”