Assassin: Fall of the Golden Valefar (A Paranormal Romance—Book #6 in the Demon Kissed Series) by H.M. Ward

“We’ve got company.” The other man—the
one of top of Natalia—stopped and turned, looking back at Eric.
    “Get rid of him,” was all he said. His hands pressed down
on Natalia’s forearms when the other man rose. It didn’t occur to him why it
took two men to hold her.
    The first Valefar approached him saying, “This is our kill.
She pissed off my boss. I have strict orders.”
    “To rape her and bring her in?” Eric sneered at him. His
arms folded over his chest, his eyes burning like golden flames.
    The guy shrugged, “One of the perks of the job. She said
alive, not untouched. And we fully intend to touch her, so fuck off, before
something happens that you won’t like.” The Valefar’s eyes pooled crimson as he
spoke. It was something that should have terrified a mortal, but Eric was no
mortal.
    As he reached for the Valefar, Celestial Silver blade in
hand, Eric heard a scream from the place where Natalia lay. Moving quickly he
rounded on the Valefar, slashing at him. The Valefar’s eyes went wide when he
saw Eric holding a blade that should have killed him. His left hand held a
blackened knife, brimstone no doubt. Slowly, his other hand reached into his
pocket. When he pulled his fist out, the Valefar   open it and blew the black powder into
Eric’s face. Brimstone. When Eric didn’t scream, the
Valefar turned on his heel and ran. Out of the corner of his eye, Eric saw
Natalia on her feet, bare legs flying, kicking the crap out of the other
Valefar. He didn’t want to leave the girl, but…
    Eric chased the other Valefar, down the street, grabbing
him by the neck. Tossing his body against a stone building, he could hear bone
snap. The man groaned, but staggered to his feet, asking, “What the hell are
you?” Eric had been mistaken for a Martis. How amusing. It must have been the
silver.
    Eric didn’t answer him. Instead he threw his silver knife
at the man’s heart. It spun through the air like a star and sank into the
Valefar’s heart. The man fell to his knees, black blood oozing from his lips. The
blood in his eyes turned inky, as he fell forward. The ground bubbled like dark
tar, filling the air with the scent of sulfur as the dead Valefar was reclaimed
by the ground.
    Eric picked up the silver blade and turned back to see
Natalia. He walked slowly toward her watching her fight. She threw her body,
using her weight, her size, and her agility the way Eric taught her. Maybe she
wasn’t immortal. He doubted himself. Maybe she just held her own because he
trained her so well. Eric’s boots crushed the rubble beneath his feet. Natalia’s
leg came up and collided with the Valefar’s head, sending him flying to the
ground. When her icy blue eyes flashed toward Eric, he could see the fear in
her eyes. She didn’t know why the man wouldn’t stay down. The bottoms of her
bare feet were bright red, covered in blood. Crap. She was mortal. The terror
in her eyes slammed into him.
    Eric moved quickly toward her. “Go home. I’ll finish this. You
were never here, understand ?”
    Natalia was breathing hard, the red corset crushing her
ribs and making it impossible to breath, never mind fight. But she had. She
held the man off and could do well if there was only one. But there had been
two. If Eric didn’t come, oh God… trembling began to shake her body.
    Eric repeated himself, his voice firm, “Go home. Now.” Natalia knew Eric could handle this. He’d saved her
from demons and he was saving her again. She nodded at him and turned to walk
away.
    The Valefar chose that moment to launch himself at her, but she was already out of reach. Natalia winced as she walked away,
refusing to look back. She closed her eyes as she heard the inevitable scream
that she knew would erupt behind her. Eric would kill the man. That ruthless
part of him, the part that she didn’t want to think about, would overcome him
and he’d destroy the man who tried to hurt her. The voice rang out in a
pain-filled scream