Read Online Minion by L. A. Banks - Free Book Online

beyond the group. “That’s why you can’t afford to fall in love, let somebody get under your skin like that—their voice will be in your head until the main vamp is dead. You’ll be in hell, and want to take your own life every night when one of them assumes her voice to fuck with you . . . or tries to climb into your bed to make you forget she’s dead. That’s why I wanted Wizard to kill her—so he’d remember that when the succubus comes for him. His hell is brand-spanking-new. Ask me how I know.”
    â€œLeave him be,” Marlene warned. “One step of awareness at a time.”
    â€œMaybe you haven’t noticed, Mar, but we seem to be running out of time.”
    Marlene and Shabazz held each other’s gaze in a deadlock before Shabazz turned away and looked up at the sky.
    â€œWe need to move out,” Damali said quietly, sensing the environment, and then she looked up at the sky. “But I don’t think it’s safe yet.” She glanced at her group and they nodded their agreement. The team was wired, still breathing hard, and pumped from the battle. “I know we all wanna get out of here, but we need to be strategic, and not just run headlong into another setup.”
    â€œShe’s on-point,” Shabazz said, nodding in agreement. “Our slayer is coming into her own.”
    Marlene glanced at Shabazz and looked away.
    What was
that
about? Damali assessed her team with caution. “We should hold up for a moment, and make sure we’re clear. I can hear sound coming back, but it’s not all the way back, yet. Soon as it does, and traffic can be clearly heard, we move.” Again, her gaze went to the heavens.
    Mike nodded. “She’s on about the sound.”
    â€œWhen we get back to the compound, we need to have a meeting.” Damali glanced around at her battle-weary team. “Anybody notice the death-wounds these things sustained to turn ’em?”
    Damali’s question was met with silence.
    â€œDid anyone get a good look at their throats before they flamed?” she asked, repeating the question more slowly. She let her breath out hard when her team just shook their heads. “Well, it wasn’t the normal two-hole vamp bite that turned these things into whatever they are, that’s for sure.” She wiped her hands off on her backside and picked up a walking stick.
    â€œYeah. Baby girl is coming into her own,” Shabazz muttered as the team collected their ammo.
    Marlene glared a Shabazz. “That’s enough!”
    â€œTalk to me, Marlene,” Damali ordered. “What’s up with the vibe?”
    â€œHow’s everybody’s ammo?” Shabazz’s question was an open diversion, a tension release valve, more so than an actual need to know.
    Damali looked at him and Marlene hard and let it go. Later.
    â€œLow, and fucked up,” Rider retorted, still angered by his jammed magazine. “Well, this has been fun.”
    â€œCrossbows are on E,” J.L. said, his expression worried.
    â€œAlmost out of grenades,” Mike added, throwing Marlene herwalking stick after retrieving it from a pile of smoldering, putrid ash on the ground.
    â€œSound’s back. We’re clear to move out,” Big Mike announced.
    â€œLet’s roll,” Shabazz said, throwing Damali a stake he’d picked up. “Time to call the limo.”
    Marlene and Shabazz glared at each other, but didn’t say another word as they walked. All Marlene did was grab her cell phone out of her satchel and punch in a code and hang up. But it was the way the seer had flung the cell phone into her bag that Damali noted.
    â€œShabazz is right,” Damali chimed in, taking the lead between her sparring mentors. “This alley is hot territory now that we have sound back in it. We’ve kicked up a lot of dust, made a lot of noise, and the cops are sure to be here soon.