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surrounding them like a force field. Blessed Mother Goddess, this was no rank-and-file demon, she realized. This was no minion.
    This demon had the blue skin and black hair as all tukhulkha demons did, but it also had small black horns erupting from its temples and curving back along its head. And she was sure, if it turned, she’d see the demon’s black wings tucked behind it.
    It was one of the few generals in Charun’s army. A demon didn’t earn horns or wings until it’d proven itself to Charun’s exacting standards of pain and torment.
    This situation became stranger every second.
    Why would Charun risk sending one of his high-ranking demons to track her? She couldn’t have fended off an attack from a regular demon, much less one with so much power. And how had Rom known she’d needed help?
    “So cocky for a lowly dog.” The demon’s voice dripped with disdain, ripping across Amity’s empathy like claws, making her breath catch at the pain. “But you’ll bleed just like the rest.”
    Rom laughed and she detected absolutely no amusement in the sound. Or fear, for that matter. “I may bleed a little but you’re the one who’s going down. When I rip your throat out, you’ll cry just like all those you’ve killed before.”
    The demon’s head cocked to the side, its expression visible now that Amity’s eyesight had adjusted. It looked contemplative and when a demon got that look on its face, you really should run the other way. Because it was either thinking about eating you or tearing you into little bits in preparation to do so.
    “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” The demon put its hands on its hips in a strangely feminine pose, making the hair on Amity’s neck rise. “Have I eaten your loved ones? Possibly maimed a friend? How awful for you.”
    “All of the above, actually. And now you’re going to pay.”
    The demon’s eyes rounded in mocking wonder. “Is your name Inigo by any stretch of the imagination? You know that would just make my day.”
    “My name’s Romulus Cangelosi.”
    The demon rolled its eyes as if the name meant nothing. “Pity. I’m a huge fan of The Princess Bride . So”—the demon crossed its arms over its chest—“what’ll it be, Romulus? A fight to the death—yours, of course—then I’ll take the lovely little goddess anyway. Or should we make it more interesting and I could kill the goddess while you watch and then kill you? Which would you prefer?”
    “Actually I prefer the version where I take your head off.”
    “You don’t actually think that’s going to happen, do you?”
    “There’s always a first time.”
    The demon smiled, a mouth full of sharp teeth that made Amity grow faint at the sight. Blessed Goddess, she did not want to be on the receiving end of those.
    But neither did she want to see Rom ripped to shreds before her.
    She laid her hand on his shoulder, feeling the bunch of warm, hard muscle. “Please don’t get yourself killed on my account.”
    He didn’t take his eyes off the demon. “I don’t intend to, Lady Amity.”
    The demon actually laughed, sounding so human it was eerie. “Such a brave boy.”
    “I’m no longer a boy and I’ve been a little focused on you.”
    “Much as I appreciate your focus, I think we’ve delayed this long enough.”
    The demon leaped, causing Amity to scream and fall backward even as Rom held his ground.
    It all happened so fast, she wasn’t sure what came next. From her vantage point on her ass behind Rom, all she saw was the demon suddenly fly to the side as if a gust of wind had taken it off its feet and thrown it away.
    Then she realized a huge dark shadow crouched over the demon, growling like a wild beast.
    Or a lucani wolf.
    Remy.
    With a high-pitched screech, the demon tossed the wolf aside, scrambled to its feet, and shot straight for Amity.
    She barely had time to gather breath to scream again before Rom drew a sword from the sheath on his back and slashed at the oncoming