Free The Demon Within by Stacey Brutger

left was the living room. Small and unused, the place appeared abandoned.
    Furniture rested under mauve covers, leaving the room haunted by eras gone by. He wouldn’t be surprised if past generations walked through the door, alive and well, and made themselves at home.
    The longer he searched the house, the stronger the feeling grew that she wasn’t normal. Women cluttered things up. This one cut everything out of her life.
    She was hiding something.
    A silver frame above the fireplace caught the light, luring him closer. It was the only picture in the whole house. In it was a younger version of Caly with a pale lab at her side and the stern old man he recognized from the temple. Instead of the joy he expected to see, Caly looked hunted. He lifted the frame off the mantle, angling it closer.
    A garrote slipped around his throat before he sensed anyone behind him. Heat scorched wherever the metal touched. Dropping the frame, he clawed for the wire imbedded in his throat. Air rattled in his chest as he struggled for breath. The only thing that prevented the metal from dissolving his flesh was his ancestry.
    The pain was new for him, physical sensations were usually diluted to allow him to focus on his task without concern for himself. That barrier had disappeared, ripped away when he needed it most. With his freedom so close within reach, it could only be another test. He couldn’t spend another decade in this eternal hell. Arching his back, he hissed in a much needed breath of air but couldn’t get a grip on that blasted wire.
    His attacker took advantage of his distraction, jumping on his back for better leverage. Stumbling under the added weight, Ruman lurched across the room. His shin bashed into an end table, but the person clung to him like a leech. No matter which way he twisted, the damn creature retained its hold.
    Each second weakened him.
    Ringing sounded in his ears, his vision darkened around the edges. This newfound frailty not only surprised him, but pissed him off. He twisted, trying to throw his attacker over his head and ended up ramming into the couch. The hard wood gouged deep into his thigh.
    Damnation anyway.
    He couldn’t die and leave Caly vulnerable until he recovered. In a last-ditch effort, he turned and slammed his back into the wall, fast and hard.
    For a fraction of a second, the hold loosened.
    Blessed air wheezed through his throat.
    It was enough.
    Anger sizzled in his veins at being caught unaware. He cracked his elbow back into the body behind him. The sheer power, if somewhat dubious strength of a demon, should’ve been enough to cave in the chest of a human. The blow only glanced off his assailant.
    A grunt of pain escaped his attacker, and a grim smile curled his lips. The garrote dislodged. He reached up and ripped away the offensive wire, tossing it aside like it was a live thing ready to spring at his throat again. The thought of Caly having to face the intruder, all alone, enraged him. The possibility of her escaping was slim at best.
    How dare they try to steal his salvation from him.
    She was his.
    Ruman crouched low and turned to face his attacker.
    Only to come face to face with the woman he’d been stalking. Shock of recognition nearly dumped him on his ass. How could he not have known?
    The pain had to be terrible, yet she managed to remain upright. Not only did she not give up, two wicked looking blades in her hands gleamed in the weak moonlight.
    He shifted slightly, then narrowed his eyes when she countered his move. The inky blackness didn’t restrict his vision, but it should have left a human virtually blind.
    Another mystery to add to the growing stack that made her all the more of a delicious riddle to solve.
    Sensing his distraction, she attacked. He lurched backwards, stumbled over a footstool and barely managed to dodge out of the way as her blades sliced through the air. The restricted way she moved her left arm told him her ribs hurt more than she wanted to let