Marked For Death: A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel by Becca Blake (english novels to improve english .txt) 📕

running around the country accomplishing absolutely nothing.” Ayla slammed her fist on the counter. “Come on, Riley. I’m tired of this.”

The steady stream of music cut off abruptly, and we both froze.

“Last call came early?” I asked.

Loud shrieking filled the silence left by the lack of music. We hurried out of the bathroom to find the dance floor swarming with panicking people. On stage, a fallen light had crashed into the DJ and his setup. Blood poured from a gash on his head and dripped down his ruined laptop. A few dancers who’d been at the front of the pack also lay motionless on the ground, surrounded by more of the lighting equipment that had collapsed from above. The rest of the crowd poured out of the nightclub through the tiny hallway, desperate to get away from the freak accident.

“There’s something up there,” Ayla said, nudging my arm.

I squinted up at the rafters above the stage. A dark figure, hunched behind a row of lights, stared back at me with red eyes.

Not a mundane, freak accident after all.

“You got our attention,” I yelled up at the creature, once I was sure all of the civilians were gone. “Are you ready to stop running?”

His mouth quirked up in a grin. “As much as I love being chased all over the country by a pretty pair of Arbiters, I’m ready to end this game of cat and mouse. The cat can only allow the mouse to believe itself the hunter for so long before the game becomes… tiresome.”

The demon jumped down, splintering the wood on the stage as he landed near the DJ’s body. The illusion of humanity rippled away to show his true form. His skin was yellowed and sickly, pulled tight around gaunt cheekbones and crimson eyes. It was cracked, almost decaying, yet it shimmered under the flashing lights above us. His grin revealed two rows of pointed teeth that were just as sharp as the tips of his ears.

“Tell you what, ladies,” the demon drawled in his raspy voice, “if you two walk away right now, I won’t pursue. Go back to the Arbiters. Tell them you killed me, if it gets you whatever glory you’re craving. I’m not interested. I have too much work to do.”

“What kind of work?” I asked, inching toward him.

The demon chuckled. “Nothing that concerns you. You’ll either leave me alone and never find out, or you won’t, and you’ll be dead. I don’t care which.”

We didn’t have time for this. The police would respond to the call soon, and we needed to be gone, with the demon dead before that happened. Headquarters hated to clean up civilian police involvement, and I didn’t feel like dealing with the paperwork.

I dropped my bag and drew my sword. Beside me, Ayla did the same with her twin daggers.

The demon grinned, as though our choice to fight was the one he’d been hoping for. He whistled, and a dog-like creature jumped down from the rafters. It prowled toward us, eyeing us with ravenous hunger.

“A hellhound,” Ayla said with a slight gasp. “Where in the infernal hells did you get one of those as a pet?”

The muscular beast was every bit as terrifying as I had been told they were. It stood taller than a Rottweiler, with a broad chest and thick legs. Its eyes glowed red, and embers dripped from its mouth. Chunks of uneven, matted black fur were spattered across its skin, and flames glowed deep within its chest through the outline of its ribs. Though it trembled with the desire to attack us, it stood obediently beside its master, waiting for the command.

“I’m moving up in the ranks,” the demon said, waving his arms with an extravagant flourish. “I did a favor for the big guy and got myself a suitable reward.”

“Big guy?” I asked. “What big guy?”

The demon held up a hand to form a fireball in his palm, then flung it at the hallway that led to the club’s entrance. “I really do need to be going now.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” I said.

The demon waved as he started toward a door next to the stage. The hellhound jumped in front of him, blocking us from pursuing as he escaped.

“Go after him!” Ayla yelled. “I’ll take care of this.”

“You can’t take on a hellhound alone!” I’d never seen one, but I’d heard plenty about what nasty beasts they were. Hellhounds were a two hunter job.

“I’ll be fine—we can’t let him get away again. Go!” Ayla charged the hellhound.

Embers flew everywhere as it rushed toward her, mouth open in a fiery snarl.

With only a quick glance behind me, I rushed outside after the demon.

The exit led into an alley behind the club, so dark I could hardly see my hand in front of my face. I summoned a small light. Just as it appeared in my palm, the heavy door slammed into me and knocked me over. I rolled into the momentum and jumped to my feet just in time to see the demon standing over me. He bared a smile full of sharp teeth.

I lunged up with my sword, not giving him a chance to speak. He side-stepped the attack and slammed his elbow into my chest, sending me flying back into the wall.

The demon kicked me back down. My sword flew out of my hand and landed at the demon’s feet. He bent to pick it up, then stepped on my chest.

“I don’t care enough about you to bother killing you,” he said. “Seems more fun to let you live, knowing you hunted me for months, only to lose.”

The demon pushed my leather jacket aside with the tip of my sword, then cut a deep gash into my shoulder. My cry rose as he dipped a clawed finger into the wound, coating his finger in my blood.

I pulled his ankle in an effort to drag him down with me, but he didn’t budge. I struggled until he pressed his foot harder on my