Santa's Executive (18 page)

After a few moments, Mr. Tall Dark and Scary tossed the lifeless body away like last week’s trash and turned toward her. She swallowed hard.

His attention snapped to the left. Khloe followed his gaze to another demon running toward her. Her stalker flashed to stand in front of the other demon, and she fled in the opposite direction.

She was so not hanging around to see what he did to that one. Cutting to her right, she ran into the woods, away from her stalker and would-be captors.

Several feet inside the undeveloped property, another demon materialized in front of her. She dug her heels into the ground to keep from plowing into him. White-blond hair framed his too-thin demonic face. Most demons looked human, allowing them to blend into the natural world. This one didn’t blend very well. At least not to her. For one, his crimson-colored eyes were anything but human. Secondly, his dark magic rolled off him in powerful, choking waves.

Heart hammering in her ears, she darted to the side, but he was too fast for her. His large, rough hands wrapped around her upper arm and his sharp claws dug into her skin, making her cry out. As quick as he’d grabbed her, an iron bracelet snapped around her wrist. The cuff he slapped on her right arm instantly muted her magic. She felt the flow of energy slow and back away from the iron. She tried to force is out, create a spark, but it didn’t work. Even her elemental magic reseeded. Damn. She was powerless against him.

Panic gripped her, and she struggled against the large demon. Survival instincts kicked in, and she brought her foot up and thrust it out, right into his groin. With a painful groan, he crumbled to the ground.

It was a good thing male demons had the same weakness as human men. Take out the jewels and women could rule the world.

Without hesitation, she ran deeper into the woods.

***

Jagger tossed the
Amiddian
to the side, stepped away from the overturned van, and froze. Khloe stood on the shoulder of the road about fifteen feet ahead, and watched him. Her pink-streaked blond hair framed her oval face, making her look like a pissed off angel. He took a step forward and felt the presence of another demon. He turned to the new energy to see a horned, blue-skinned demon advancing toward Khloe.

Fuck.
Where were they coming from?

Letting out a low growl, Jagger materialized in front of the demon and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Holding the hell-spawn off the ground, Jagger let his fangs drop. “What do you want with her?”

The demon narrowed his eyes and smirked, but said nothing.

Tightening his grip, Jagger gave the demon one more chance. “You can tell me, or I’ll drain the memories from your useless soul.”

The idiot laughed and vanished.

Fuck
! No one should have been able to flash from his hold. He surrounded them with a spell for just that reason. There was only one possibility. Khan had a power source just like Jagger suspected.

Fisting his hands to his side, he whirled around to find Khloe gone. Great. Another complication. Scenting the air, he picked up on her chocolate-rose fragrance and rushed into the forest. Several feet into the trees and brush, he found her.

She wasn’t alone. A
Regal
—the imperial guards of Khan and the most powerful demons in the Underworld—stood over her, with his hand gripping her arm.

Rage ran in Jagger’s veins, fueling his need to protect her and kill for her.

He soon discovered his Khloe was a fireball. She kicked the
Regal
in the balls, taking the demon to the ground. Turning on her heels, she took off again, but not before he caught the scent of blood.

A deep growl ripped from his throat, and he thrust his hand toward the male struggling to stand, hitting him with a ball of fire. The demon puffed into a black pile of dust.

No one harms what belonged to him and lived.

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Santa’s Executive