Unearthed Read Online Free PDF

spot where Lamere had been standing.
    “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to work together on this?”
    “Did you actually speak to me?” When he finally made eye contact, it was with a glare, his dark eyes practically glowing with intensity. Or maybe that was the way they always looked—Keira didn’t know enough about demons to know for sure. And she’d never seen one that looked like him, like something out of a fantasy movie—a male-model-slash-evil-incarnate hybrid.
    “If we…” You’re not going to wuss out now. Not after getting that close to Lamere, that close to vengeance. “If we worked together, teamed up, we could—”
    “Do you know what I am?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then you may have heard that we don’t share well, don’t ‘team up,’ and don’t like it when idiots talk to us.”
    “Nor do you know where Lamere is going.”
    He laughed. “And you’re saying you do?”
    “I’m not saying anything. Because evidently I’m an idiot, and I would hate to hurt your sensibilities by talking to you.”
    “You’re an idiot because you got in my way. If you hadn’t, I would’ve had him.”
    “Ditto, demon.”
    He stepped into her space. Waaay into her space, the heat of his body forcing her backwards until she hit the wall again. It was better than third-degree burns. Damn human weakness.
    “Even if there was a chance of that being true,” he purred, “I don’t give a fuck about your problems. So I’ll keep focusing on mine. And my biggest problem right now is you.” He rubbed his chin. “What could I do about that?”
    “Back off and let me take Lamere down alone.”
    “Demons don’t back off. Especially when a far, far, far lesser life form forgets her place and demands it. So let’s talk options here. I could hurt you so badly that you run back to Mommy. Or I end you right now. Or… Nah, that’s it. I can’t think of more than the two.”
    “Doesn’t matter. Neither is going to happen.”
    He smiled. “No Mommy? That’s tragic. I’ll be sure to cry about it later.”
    “I’m not going away, and you’re not going to kill me.”
    “As incredibly misplaced as your confidence is, puppet, it amuses me. Not enough to want you to follow me around, though. So…option B it is. Option B was the one where I kill you, right? Or was it A?” He shrugged. “Whichever one ends with you dead.”
    “It wouldn’t be a sanctioned kill! You’d be executed.”
    “They’d probably cheer me in the streets if I killed a member of the Rising. But even if they didn’t, you might want to brush up on your demon facts when you get to the Great Beyond—which is going to be really soon, in case you were wondering. When demons are ‘executed,’ we’re sent back to hell. Sure, the heat and humidity take some getting used to, but I’m alumni so there are perks.”
    When he raised his hand and held it a few inches from her chest, she clenched her eyes shut, happy for once that she didn’t have anyone to say goodbye to. Weren’t you supposed to feel horrific pain when a demon killed you? Burning or blood boiling or something?
    “Is something wrong?” She opened her eyes.
    His brow was tight with disappointment. “Hell yeah, something’s wrong. You’re not begging. Marks always beg—always—and give me a stupid reason not to kill them. Then I pretend like I’m listening for a while and nod my head a few times. Sometimes I tilt my head like this.” He showed her, as if he were giving a class. “It’s a great technique to use with humans, by the way. They completely buy it, which makes the look on their faces ten times funnier when I finally take them out.” He pantomimed what one of his victims might do. “‘Eek, a demon is going to kill me. I know I sold my soul, but I’m so shocked that the Devil would send someone to collect. He seemed like such a nice guy.’”
    “I can tell you like your job.”
    “Love it. But if you’re not going to make the face, how about we go with