Night Terrors by Tim Waggoner Read Free Book Online Page B

it.
    I shot Jinx a quick glance to see if he’d picked up on Quietus readying himself for action, but my partner only had eyes for Shocktooth at the moment. If we hadn’t been escorting a deadly assassin to the Rookery, I might’ve simply stepped aside and let Jinx have his fun. But we were, so I couldn’t.
    A quick look around showed me that, just as I’d feared, we’d begun to draw a crowd. A crowd of Incubi always means trouble of one sort or another. But a crowd of Incubi watching one of their own confronting a pair of Shadow Watch officers – who happen to have yet another Incubus in custody – is reason to go to DEFCON 1.
    Raising my voice slightly, I said, “Antwerp.” And when Jinx didn’t respond, I repeated it louder. “Antwerp!”
    Jinx’s inhumanly wide grin faltered, and his right eye twitched.
    Some couples use safe words to prevent one or both partners from getting injured when their sexual encounters become, shall we say, overenthusiastic. I established a safe word with Jinx to help rein him in for similar reasons. Not because I’m afraid of him hurting me when he goes full-on demonic clown on some bad guy – well, not too afraid – but because sometimes I need him to focus, and this was definitely one of those times.
    I gave Shocktooth my best “Don’t fuck with me” look.
    “You’re lucky we’ve got more important things to do,” I said, “or I’d let Jinx turn you into a handbag with a matching pair of shoes. Now beat it.”
    Shocktooth didn’t appear intimidated in the least, and I wondered if I was losing my touch. The croc’s grin widened and the electric current coursing between her teeth became bright and started throwing off sparks.
    “Thanks for the advice,” she said in a low growl. “Not gonna take it, though.”
    I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and I risked breaking eye contact with Shocktooth to check it out. Two figures were walking toward us from the middle of the street. One human, one more or less canine. The human was male, late twenties or early thirties, and wore a white poet’s shirt with poofy sleeves. His pants and boots were black, and he wore a sword in a scabbard at his belt. And if all that hadn’t been enough to peg the guy as having a serious pirate fetish, then the purple hooded mask and matching cape cinched the deal.
    The canine – and I use the term loosely – padded along at the pirate’s side. The creature was the size of a small horse, with coarse black fur and a spiked collar around its neck. The spikes were long and ended in needle-sharp points. The beast’s mouth was open, displaying twin rows of wicked-looking teeth and a black forked tongue. The creature’s hindquarters were scaled instead of furred, and its long, writhing tail resembled a lizard’s more than a dog’s. A line of serrated bony ridges ran down the tail’s length, ending in a spiked protuberance that resembled a morningstar. Its feet were lizardlike too, with scaled toes terminating in sharply curved talons which clicked softly on the street as it walked. Its eyes were disturbingly intelligent, almost human-seeming, and I knew this Incubus was much more than the nightmarish beast it appeared to be.
    They weren’t Shadow Watch officers. No way I could ever forget that pair, especially the pirate. Pirates are hot. Besides, there was something almost familiar about him, although I couldn’t put my finger on it right then.
    I could tell they were bonded, though. Like the saying goes, it takes one to know one. I could feel the bond between them, and I knew Jinx could too. I had no reason to think the pirate and his monster-dog were heading for us, other than a tightening in my gut that told me they were. But over the years, I’ve learned to trust my instincts on this job, and they were telling me that trouble was heading our way.
    But before I could even start to think what to do about it, Shocktooth released a bellowing roar and charged.
    I jammed my