Devil to Pay (Night Huntress #0)

Blake's first thought on waking up and seeing duct tape around his hands instead of fresh blood was, Thank God. A year ago, the same sight would have shocked and terrified him. Now it was a better start than most days.

Then it occurred to him to wonder where he was. Or who the blond woman watching him with an unreadable expression was.

Blake glanced around, noting with relief that the room was empty of blood or bodies. It was also empty of windows, and it was shaking with a powerful vibration.

Was he still in the District? How long had the most recent episode lasted?

"You need to get away from me," were Blake's first words. He eyed his bound hands and feet. He would feel threatened as soon as this registered. Blake tensed, expecting that buzzing in his head to start up, but so far, there was silence. Still time for the woman to get away.

"Why did you try to jump in front of the train?" she asked.

Blake closed his eyes. That's right, the last thing he remembered was the train.

"Did you stop me?" he asked incredulously. "Damn it, why?" She raised a brow. "You could say thank you."

Blake wanted to slap her. So close to being free, and she ruined it. "You don't know what you've done, but you'll be making a bigger mistake if you don't leave right now." She gave a pointed look at his wrists and ankles. "You think you can hurt me?" The memory of being shoved in a police car, handcuffed, flashed through Blake's mind. He'd been fighting the encroaching noise in his head and hoping desperately that the cuffs and the reinforced backseat would hold.

The next memory followed without pity. The crashed police car, kicked-in barrier between the front and back-seats, and the mangled remains of the two officers.

"I'll kill you." Blake's voice was hoarse with self-loathing. "Leave now, before it's too late!"

"You can't kill me," she said, a sort of detached amusement in her tone. "I'm already dead." As Blake watched, her eyes changed. They became impossibly green and began to glow, bright as traffic lights. Her smile widened to show more of her teeth, where her front two incisors extended down to form sharp, pointed tips.

Blake found himself smiling. A vampire had kidnapped him. Today might be a good day after all.

Elise watched the man's reaction with interest as she revealed her inhuman nature. Surprisingly, he didn't look afraid. In fact, the strangest expression of relief crossed his face.

He tilted his head back. "All right, then. Kill me."

She wrinkled her nose. "You think I'm going to bite you? Not with how you smell." He made an impatient noise. "So plug your nose while you drink my blood. But hurry. I don't know how long it'll be before he takes me."

Elise considered him. She'd met suicidal people before but none who gave off the kind of vibes this man did. Considering what she'd seen after she grabbed him back from the oncoming train, Elise had a good idea about what was driving him to kill himself. She'd never personally come across someone in his condition before, but in her long life, she knew people who had.

"You're possessed, aren't you?"

Elise asked it matter-of-factly. His eyes widened as if he'd been struck.

"Yes," he whispered. A spasm crossed his face, too raw to be labeled pain. "For about six months now." He didn't look to be the type to play with a Ouija board. Maybe he was one of those foolish humans who trifled with spirits, seeking to tap into the dark power of the other side. "How did it happen?"

"A car accident." Her brows went up, but he just sighed. "I was driving home from work when this woman jumped in front of my car. I called 911, tried to help her, but she died in my arms. Witnesses cleared me of being at fault, and I thought it was just a terrible accident. About three weeks later, the blackouts started. I'd hear this buzzing in my head, then wake up in places I didn't remember going to, with no idea what I'd done. I thought I was crazy. Then - " He stopped and swallowed hard, looking like he was about to throw up.

"The demon started taunting me. Leaving notes in handwriting I didn't recognize, making videos of me doing things I couldn't even imagine, let alone remember...I can't live like this," he summarized, voice hardening. "That demon's made me a murderer, a fucking monster! I tried seeing a priest, getting an exorcism - nothing's worked. It won't even let me kill myself. If you understand what's wrong with me, kill me now. You'll save lives if you do, believe me." Blue eyes stared intently at Elise from under black, scraggly hair. It was hard to tell what he really looked like under the dirt and grime that said he'd been living on the streets for a while. He looked to be in his midthirties, but what might have been an athletic, attractive physique was now hunched with guilt, fear, and despair.

Killing him would be an act of mercy, Elise reflected. It wouldn't be hard to do. Humans were so fragile; one flick of her wrist would snap his neck before he'd even realized she moved. After all, she'd killed before, and for less noble reasons than this.

She'd almost decided to do it when Mencheres's face flashed in her mind. Was she becoming one of those vampires who forgot what it was like to be human? How precious those years were because they were so short?

"What's your name?" she asked, rising.

The hope on his face as she approached was heart-wrenching. "Blake Turner. Will you...will you leave my body where it can be found? I still have family who might want to know what happened to me..."

"Blake Turner," Elise said slowly. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to help you."