Free The Demon Hunter by Lori Brighton

state, he might not come out the victor. It wasn’t a chance he could take.
    He might not be able to use force, but there were other ways to get what he wanted. Devon reached into the waistband of his odd trousers and pulled out the small pistol he’d found under the floorboards. A pistol he’d placed there for protection so many decades ago, and forgotten. A pistol that probably no longer worked. “You will get into the automobile now.”
    She lowered her gaze to his hand. Although a pulse flared to life, jumping frantically in the side of her neck, she gave no other indication of fear. Brave girl. But he could see it there, in her eyes. Hell, would she scream? No, more likely try to fight him. He hoped not. The ancient pistol could go off with the slightest of pressures.
    “I won’t hurt you, I merely need you to drive me to a small town near…” Where? He could vaguely remember cobbled streets and white-washed cottages. A town that could be anywhere in England. “South.”
    “South?” She shrugged, doing her best to appear arrogant with disinterest. “I don’t have the keys.”
    Nice try indeed. “They’re in the car.” He nodded toward the open window. He might not know much about this modern world, but he knew enough to know the keys dangling from a spot near the steering wheel would start the monster.
    “Right, so they are,” she muttered. “I could always scream.”
    “I could always shoot you.”
    She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him.
    He didn’t have any more time for chitchat. “Get in.”
    She refused, folding her arms across her chest. “Does that thing even work? It looks ancient.”
    Damn it all, did she have to be so stubborn? And did she have to stand there looking so bloody beautiful? The way her skin glowed like porcelain under the moonlight…the way her eyes turned to velvet pools. He should have been attempting to uncover the truth, at the least, planning his next move, instead he was drooling like a simpering fool.
    “Want me to test it?” he growled, more annoyed with himself, than her.
    Her eyes narrowed into mere slits. “Go ahead.”
    She was pushing him, but he could see the unease lingering in her eyes. She didn’t believe he’d go through with it, but worried he would. Unfortunately, humanity remained in the deep pit of his core. Besides, at the moment, she was no threat.
    “As one of my kind, tis your duty to assist me.”
    Her brown brows drew together. “One of your kind? You mean, like, human?”
    “I mean a warrior .”
    She laughed. “A warrior? I’m not a warrior.”
    Devon waited for the jest. After a few moments he realized she was quite serious. She was a warrior, wasn’t she? Her powers indicated as much and he sensed nothing else inside her being. Yet, he’d never known a female to be one of his kind. Perhaps things had changed since he’d died. Equality and all that modern way of thinking.
    “Just get in,” he demanded, raising the pistol. “Drive me south and I swear you can leave as soon as I’ve reached my destination.” Where ever that destination might be.
    She hesitated, glancing down at the gun. Lord, what did he have to do to convince this woman? His arm wavered, his muscles protesting. Soon enough she’d realize how weak he truly was.
    The crunch of footsteps on gravel had them both turning in surprise. A woman with dark hair, wearing the same sort of large dress Ellie wore, froze when she spotted them.
    “Hey, there you are,” she said.
    “Oh God,” Ellie whispered. “Miranda.”
    In that moment, Devon knew he would win. In that moment, he ignored the tiny bit of humanity he had left. He tried not to smirk as he shifted the pistol ever so slightly, refocusing it upon Miranda. “Drive, or I’ll shoot your friend.”
    “Shit,” Ellie snapped. Without hesitation, she tore open the door and dove into the driver’s seat. “Get in.”
    He almost cried with relief. Instead, he sank into the passenger’s seat as Ellie turned the