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the back of my neck stood straight up as completely irrational fear made me tear at the bindings holding me. I needed to get free right now!
    I struggled at my bonds even though all it did was tear the flesh from my bones, and strangely, that didn’t bother me even one iota.
    “Who do we have in there?” I felt a tongue scrape along my cheek. “Oh, your demon isn’t home right now. Well, let’s see if we can change that.” A flaming icepick of pain stabbed my brain, and a scream that ravaged my throat exploded from my lips.
    There was a flurry of movement in the back of my mind as the demon who had given me my powers did the equivalent of an irritated cat awakening from a dead sleep. I got the vague impression of annoyance and disdain from the being, and as her condescension flowed through me, the agony enveloping me receded enough for me to think. It took one more look around, decided my situation didn’t warrant further attention and settled back down for a nap. Well, that was really helpful.
    A growl filled my ears, only this one came from my own throat as I called upon my power. My tattoos lit up like the Times Square Jumbo Tron, pushed the darkness back just enough for me to make out what looked like a tiny middle-eastern girl with hair blacker than my damned arm and eyes that glowed with pale lavender fire.
    Her blood-red lips curled into a smug smile of satisfaction as she took me in. “I expected more from the one who took down Van,” she added, holding up one purple-nailed hand and pointing her index finger at me. “But if this is the extent of your power, you’ll barely be a snack.”
    She pushed up the sleeve on my trench coat and shirt, revealing my blazing forearm. She shot me a saccharine smile before dragging her left fingernail along my right arm, splitting my flesh open and revealing both my ulna and radius to the light of day. Thankfully, no blood or pain flowed from the wound because if it had, I’d have been in real trouble.
    Her lips curled into a pout. “No blood,” she said, her tongue flicking from between her yellowed, coffee-stained teeth as she spoke. “Pity.”
    “Sorry to disappoint,” I said, trying with all my might to do more than stand there immobile. I failed to move even a millimeter.
    “You haven’t yet begun to disappoint me, lover,” she cooed, voice husky as she leaned close to my ear, brushing her obviously fake breasts against my arm. “But we have plenty of time for that.” Her hot breath tickled my flesh as she lowered her mouth to my wound and ran her tongue along the visible bone beneath my torn flesh.
     

Chapter 6
    “Mmm,” she purred, voice thick and husky as she pulled her mouth away from my wounded right arm and stared at me through half-lidded eyes. “You’ve got the good stuff.” She licked her lips as a slow grin spread across her face. “Unique too, never tasted anything like it.”
    She reached out and brushed my mop of dirty blond hair out of my face and little sparks of purple light jumped across her skin. “You’ll fetch a high price.” She trailed her ice-cold fingers down my cheek.
    “What?” I asked, confusion chasing back my fear and revulsion.
    “Your arm will fetch a high price.” She shook her head like she was trying to focus, but it didn’t seem to work. Instead, her eyes were drawn back to my black as pitch flesh. The look on her face made me think she was literally trying to decide whether or not to take a bite out of me. It was also when I noticed the roll of butcher’s paper on the ground next to a cheap Rubbermaid cooler by her feet.
    “Are you seriously saying what I think you’re saying?” I said, fear tingeing my voice even though I didn’t mean for it to do so. “You’re not really going to cut my arm off and sell it to the highest bidder are you?”
    “That’s what I’d planned to do.” She bent down close to my arm and ran her fingers over my skin, and as she did so, the tattoos blazing crimson on my