But then, why would she?
She had always known the Marquis DeRosa desired her in his bed, but it had never occurred to her that he would involve himself in her mad quest. He had not survived for so long by being reckless.
Now the thought that he might be hurt or even…
No, she could not even bear to imagine such a cruel fate.
“Damn you.”
“I was damned several centuries ago,” he assured her smoothly. “Let us hope it is enough to convince the Jinn to seek easier prey.”
Juliet sucked in a startled breath, instantly distracted by his words.
“Jinn? Are you certain?”
“Regrettably.”
“I thought they were a myth.”
He shrugged, still turned to face the oncoming danger.
“The Commission has sought to keep them from mingling among the humans,” he said, referring to the ruling council among the demon world. “But they occasionally flout the restrictions placed upon them and create chaos among the masses. Which explains why the wood sprites have gone into hiding.”
Juliet unconsciously clutched her mother’s amulet, a sensation of dread creeping down her spine.
“Lovely. How do we defeat it?”
“We don’t,” he managed to mutter before a dark shape abruptly lunged from the shadows.
Even though she was prepared, a scream was wrenched from Juliet’s throat as the creature launched itself forward. Although it had taken the form of a human there was nothing reassuring about the beast. In fact, there was something highly unnerving about the delicately carved features and thick mane of golden blond hair that gave the Jinn its luminous beauty, when combined with the malignant lust for pain glowing in the large, lavender eyes.
Venomous beauty.
Clutching her mother’s amulet in her hand, Juliet futilely wracked her brain for a spell. Not that she possessed the power to actually harm the Jinn, but she might be able to distract him long enough—
There was an unholy roar and Victor launched forward, his fangs fully extended and his frigid power blasting through the air.
Juliet instinctively stumbled backward, wise enough to give the two ferocious predators plenty of space. It was a common tragedy for harmless humans or lesser demons to be crushed when caught between more powerful species. Besides, she needed room to draw her circle if she was struck by sudden inspiration.
A possibility that was increasingly unlikely as Victor and the Jinn collided with terrifying force.
In fascinated horror, she watched the massive battle, realizing that there was no means of casting a spell without risking Victor.
Her stomach clenched as the two warriors savagely fought, Victor’s fangs ripping deep gouges in the Jinn’s perfect skin as he shoved it against the wall. In return the Jinn filled the air with staccato jolts of energy that brought down showers of jagged stones smashing onto Victor’s head.
Juliet bit her lip as she caught the exotic scent of Victor’s blood. As a vampire he could not bleed to death, but the loss of blood would quickly drain his strength.
Victor again slammed the beast against the wall, his fangs striking over and over with sickening force. The Jinn, however, appeared indifferent to his vicious injuries. No, it was more than indifference.
The violet eyes sparkled with an unmistakable pleasure, as if the nasty creature relished the pain. Or perhaps he simply enjoyed the battle.
In either case, Juliet sensed that the Jinn was merely toying with Victor, and that when he wearied of the game, something very bad was going to occur.
For both of them.
On the edge of panic, Juliet absurdly found herself searching her pockets, as if she might discover a hidden weapon. It was hardly shocking that she found nothing more than a bit of lint and the small crystal from her father. She had come to the docks to rescue Levet, not to wage war against a mythical demon.
Juliet cursed in frustration, gripping the crystal tightly in her palm.