Fifteen

“THAT’S THE SLAYER!” Jonathan said, pointing toward the stage. He looked back at Tucker’s vampire friends imploringly. “See how much more confident she is than me? You only get quips like that from the Chosen One.”

The Mayor pushed himself back from the podium, his mouth continuing to smile even as his visage began to transform. Dark veins crept over his face and hands. His hair and eyes turned jet black and he began to levitate, casting a gigantic shadow onto the stage below.

“You shouldn’t have come here, Slayer,” he said, the microphone beneath him still amplifying his genial attitude.

“Because I’m interrupting your magic show?” the slayer asked, gazing up at him.

“Because I’m going to have to kill you in front of all these nice folks.” The Mayor chuckled. “And then they won’t hear a word I have to say about tax reform.”

Thrusting his hands forward, the Mayor sent a hadouken of energy at the slayer. The invisible blast caught the girl in the gut, lifting her off her feet and sending her flying. Her head cracked against the campaign poster.

“Well”—the Mayor laughed, floating back down to his podium—“that was an exciting diversion, wasn’t it?”

The crowd of demons cheered even louder than before. From the side of the stage, Jeff even got some of them chanting, “Wilkins for Governor! Wilkins for Governor!”

Until the slayer hoisted herself back to her feet and threw the hair out of her face. When she knocked the dowsing rod against the stage twice, another portal opened. She jumped in. A second later, swirling purple light emerged on the second floor.

“Someone get the gosh darn stone away from her!” the Mayor roared, pointing at the new portal.

“And give it to me!” Anya shouted, buried somewhere in the middle of the floor. “That gem is the property of Vengeance LLC!”

The slayer flipped over the railing of the balcony and jumped down. Landing with a thud on the bar top, she picked up a stray flyer and clucked her tongue.

“A drink promotion?” she scoffed. “In my day, demons wanted to fight me to prove something about the nature of good and evil. This makes the whole thing feel so cheap.” A demon tried to grab her ankle, and she smashed down on its hand with the end of the dowsing rod. The demon fell back screeching, and the slayer looked around the room. “Okay, now can someone punch the jukebox or something? Because otherwise, the only thing anyone is going to hear is screams and dust until I find your off switch.”

All hell broke loose.