Katie's Hope

"I don't give a shit. She can't be as sweet tasting as you," he said, his gaze darkening.

"I have to warn you, I've learned some things since you saw me. I'm not the defenseless little human you saw in Hell."

"I like my dinner to fight me. Makes the final surrender so much sweeter."

She inched away, her back now to the kitchen door. The maid had set down the tea and retrieved a butcher knife from a drawer.

"Why not make this fair?" Katie asked, her gaze going to the maid. "Why don't you let me fight her? She can keep what she's got, and I'll face her barehanded."

Jared turned to see the woman on the other side of the kitchen, and Katie bolted. Panic churned within her, and she was about to cry out for Rhyn when Jared snagged her arm. She whirled and sprayed him with the perfume, wildly aiming for his face and almost gagging at the scent.

"What the hell … smells like shit!" he snapped and released her to knock the bottle away. She ran with one glance over her shoulder as she reached the bathroom. He stood in the hallway smiling, his predatory look assuring her he had no plans of letting his dinner escape him.

Katie locked herself in the bathroom, cursing Ully for the skunk perfume that clearly didn't work. She looked around for something to brace the door and ended up leaning against it.

There was a moment of silence before the door buckled beneath a blow that sent her sprawling. The door held, and she scrambled back to brace it.

"Rhyn, any time!" she muttered. The door cracked in the middle beneath the second blow, and she went sailing once again. Jared kicked the fractured pieces of door out of the way. Katie pushed herself to her feet, remembering what pain a pissed-off Hell-creature could cause. She recalled the scent of her blood, what hot agony felt like as an otherworldly creature tore her apart.

She'd rather die than go through that again. God help her, she couldn't even try to off herself while trapped in the bathroom!

"Long time, no see, demon." Rhyn's voice made her heart skip a beat, and she craned her neck to see past Jared, who whirled. Jared moved away from the door into the hall to face his opponent.

"Half-breed," he hissed. "You dare challenge a full demon?" "Unless you wanna leave my blood monkey alone."

Jared's form contorted then grew twice his size as he shifted into a creature unlike any she'd ever seen. Wings, short fur, fangs the size of her forearm … she moved farther into the bathroom, lest she draw his attention. Suddenly, a blur of brown streaked past the bathroom, tackling the demon. She heard the sounds of fighting, grunts, growls, and gnashing of teeth.