Demon's Bane

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

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“So the mysterious Jana joins us at last.” 

            Jana blinked to find the boy from the night before waiting patiently at the bottom of the porch steps—most likely for her. 

            “I’m Sam by the way,” he added with a bold grin, nodding to the knife clenched in her first.  “Just in case that little beauty is for me.”

            “Um…no.”  Awkwardly, Jana shoved the knife into the pocket of her jeans.  She couldn’t help but feel her cheeks burn at the memory of the butter knife fiasco from last night. 

            It’s not my fault, she thought defensively.  I’d like to see him try surviving on his own with creeps on his tail and not overreact a little to everything that went ‘bump.’

            Sam, with those neat blond curls and flashing smile certainly didn’t seem like the type who could hold his own again a bloodthirsty back of vampires.  Hell, judging from his lanky shoulders and slight build Jana doubted he could hold his own against a hoard of butterflies. 

            He’s like the complete opposite of Stark, she thought amusedly.  Where one of them was a hulking shadow of muscle, Same was all lanky limbs and boyish charm. 

            It was funny the way mother nature worked sometime. 

            “Did you hear me?”

            Jana blinked, and realized that Sam had been talking to her the whole time.  “Um—sorry.  What did you say?”

            Instead of looking annoyed, Sam’s grin only got wider.  “I said are you ready to get your ass kicked?—figuratively speaking of course.”

            Jana raised an eyebrow.  “It depends on who’s doing the kicking.”

            Sam laughed.  “You’ve got spunk kid.”  He winked.  “I like that.  Come with me.”

            He headed down a narrow gravel path that wound in between the thick trees lining Mabel’s property. 

            The whole place reminded Jana of a hunting lodge.  Small, enclosed—the perfect hiding spot if you wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. 

            It was also the perfect place if you wanted to lay low.         

            Jana blinked in the rising sunlight and tilted her head back to stare at the looming trees overhead as she followed Sam deeper and deeper into the woods.  Out here the air was crisp and clear—clean. 

            Even the wind blowing through the trees felt colder and cleaner than anything you’d ever feel in the city. 

            Despite herself, Jana could feel her body relax, ears straining to hear the chitter and chatter of the woodland creatures. 

            It’d had been so long since she’d been out in the country—Burke James was strictly a city guy and he hadn’t strayed from urban environments no matter where he went for as long as she’d been tracking him.

            Hell, now that she thought of it, the last time she’d been in a forest like this had been with Data…

            “Think fast,” someone shouted, and for the second time that morning Jana had only her reflexes to thank for saving her from a nasty bloody nose.