Death and the Succubus by Venter Jason

Author:Venter, Jason
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

XV.

U nless you’ve been shot and killed a time or two, like I have, you probably can’t quite imagine what it feels like to look up and find you’re staring down the barrel of a gun. In that split-second when my brain registered what my eyes were seeing, the response from the magic within me proved instantaneous. It rose to the surface, unbidden but entirely welcome.

As the first crack sounded, thunderous in the afternoon air, I thought only of survival. The air in front of me glistened, even as a slug shattered the driver’s side window. By rights, it should have hit me right in the face, maybe even between the eyes.

I saw and registered the shattering glass, the explosion of shards as a second and third crack sounded. Additional bullets hammered against my barrier. The contact shook me. I stiffened in my seat, waiting for the familiar pain to strike me and for the edges of my vision to fall away into blackness.

None of that happened, though. As I sat still, too stunned to move, I heard tires squeal. The vehicle to my left fishtailed before surging forward while coughing exhaust in its wake.

Shakily, I reached a hand to my face, then felt along my chest and arm for holes. There were none. Miraculously, I had emerged from the shooting completely unscathed, even though my car had not.

“Molly!” Fuzzy shouted, panic clear in his voice. “Are you shot?”

“I should be.” I checked myself over again, but with the same result. Not a single bullet had struck its intended target.

Looking at Fuzzy, I laughed softly. One or more bullets had found the bag of Cheetos and burst it open, apparently producing a cheesy cloud. Fine orange dust covered Fuzzy’s face, clung to his whiskers.

“I’m glad this amuses you so much,” he said sullenly. “Did you get the license plate number?”

I looked down the street, where I could still see the SUV in the distance. My opportunity to note its plates had clearly passed, however.

“I didn’t quite manage it.” I smiled. “It’s the first time someone has ever shot at me and missed. Minor miracles, right?”

“We can talk about that later,” Fuzzy said. “And trust me, we will. But right now, we need to decide what to do next.”

“That’s easy,” I said. “We’ll call Liam.”

“You think he can fix this?”

“I think the police will want to know that someone just shot up my car. And they might be able to help get video footage. Maybe the camera caught the shooting on film.”

Fuzzy looked thoughtful. “I wouldn’t count on cooperation from The Bare Lady, if they’re involved somehow.”

“Somehow? Somehow involved? I think we can definitively say they were. Don’t you? Those goons didn’t shoot up my car by accident. Anyway, shut up for a second. I’m calling Liam.”

I made good on that threat while Fuzzy watched me, his face unreadable. He clearly had something on his mind and just as clearly didn’t feel like discussing it at the moment, which suited me fine.

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