And suddenly the balance of power seemed to change.
The Omega was no longer throwing the shit out. The woman— female—whatever the fuck she was—was sucking him in. Butch knew this because the Omega took a step back, and another—and then it seemed unable to go any further.
The woman moved forward. And got even closer.
A wind began to swirl around them, currents made of air that were strong as steel, and the woman yelled out a curse—
The Omega’s white robe rotted away, the folds staining brown and gray and then going threadbare, revealing the dense, black hole of malevolence that they covered. A face emerged from within the stain, a tortured face, a face that was screaming—
Right before it blew apart.
The evil exploded, waves of energy released, breaking windows and blowing holes in the brick walls of buildings. But then came the sucking in, the ownership, the claiming of the power.
In the aftermath, there was only the woman left in the alley. The woman . . . and the bodies of Butch’s brothers and his fellow fighters. And his sister, Jo Early.
The woman looked at him over her shoulder. Then she turned around.
“Who are you?” Butch said hoarsely. “Really.”
“I did a good job with your sister’s friend, didn’t I?” She smiled in an almost shy way. “I got into your mind and looked around. I figured it was my best shot.”
“Tell me.”
“I have been known by many names, but I have always been female so it would be rude of you to ask my age. I am the Omega’s little sister. I am Devina.”
Butch weaved on his feet as he tried to understand what she was saying. But then things came back. “That night of Throe’s party. When the shadows attacked the guests . . . something left the house from the upstairs window . . .”
“And walked through the snow, leaving glowing tracks.” Devina smiled. “That was me. Poor Throe. He was no match for me. I needed a soul to switch places with and he made himself available.”
“Why did you save me?” Butch asked.
Devina smoothed her perfectly beautiful brunette hair. “I was lost until I saw you sucking back one of those lessers. I was just walking around this city, miserable and dejected, night after night. And then you talked to me about the nature of love and the female you fell for. You made me feel like that could happen to anyone. Including a demon like me. So I owe you.”
She glanced around. “So these are your people, huh? Don’t worry, they’re not dead. Just stunned. They’ll come to, and you should probably clear out. There’s a hush over this city, but it won’t last. It never does.”
The relief was so tremendous, Butch nearly fell over. “Thank you.”
Devina shook her head in a regretful way. “We’re even now. So after tonight? We’re on different sides. You need to know this.”
“So the war is going to restart with you?”
“In a manner of speaking. But I don’t discriminate like my brother did. I’m an equal opportunity killer, humans, vampires, wolven. I don’t give a shit as long as it’s fun.”
“Fair enough.”
The demon stared at him for a long time. “That shellan of yours is a lucky female for sure.”
With that, she turned away. And that was when Butch was able to properly focus on the cropped jacket she had paired with her micro-mini and her sheer black hose and her Louboutins with the red soles.
On the back of the black fabric, chunky crystals had been mounted and sewed in a pattern . . . that formed a perfect Georgian cross.
“Holy shit . . . Lacroix,” Butch stammered.
She paused and twisted around. “My jacket?”
“That’s Christian Lacroix, isn’t it. Vintage. From the nineties.”
The demon smiled so widely she became resplendent. “You know your fashion. And yes, I bought it new thirty years ago. Isn’t it just stunning?”
“Absolutely beautiful. A real showstopper.”
“You say the sweetest things.”
“And Vishous is never wrong.”
Devina seemed confused at that. But then she shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll be seeing you around—oh, and there’s one left. You better go take care of it. And somebody is coming, one of yours. Goodbye, Brian O’Neal.”
“Goodbye . . . Devina.”
The demon nodded once and then lingered a moment longer.
After that, she was gone.
But certainly not forgotten.
Mr. F watched the entity dematerialize from the shadows he’d been hiding in since he’d sent those three lessers down to their immortal deaths. And for a split second, he toyed with the idea of