For a full minute, he didn’t move. Not until the door was wrested off by an unnatural force that skittered down his spine. The EMT shouted out prayers as Kody pushed herself back to deal with their latest threat.

The winds howled. A black smoke rushed forward into the ambulance like giant talons, freezing everything it touched. The EMT shrieked and crawled away from it. She tried to hide as best she could.

Frost covered the ambulance and turned all surfaces white and brittle. Yet they were hot to the touch. Rising up like some ghastly black misty angel, the smoke spread out to form a body and wings. It wore a cowl that covered its head and hid its features.

“Fringe Guard?” Nick asked Kody, assuming it was one of the fierce creatures that protected the boundary between the human world and the spiritual one.

She shook her head. “He’s demonic. And he’s definitely after you. Probably for the bounty. But not a Guard.”

The zeitjäger made a hissing noise as it shirked away from Nick’s pursuer.

Ah yeah, that ain’t good …

Nick used his powers to daze the EMT so that she wouldn’t understand what was happening or see anything clearly. The last thing any of them needed was for a professional baretos to see what was going on and lose her mind over it. Most people couldn’t handle what they dealt with on a day-to-day basis.

He pulled back slowly from Kody. “Why’s the zeitjäger afraid of my new friend?”

“I don’t think he is.”

She might be right. The zeitjäger seemed to be waiting for Nick to die.

Sorry to disappoint. He wasn’t about to go down today, especially not for this ugly beastie. And not for something as ridiculous as money.

Rising to his feet, he blasted the demon back and slammed his fist into its jaw. Yeah okay, that seriously hurt. He’d cry about it later.…

If he survived.

With a fierce shriek, the thing manifested a sword. It turned and narrowly missed taking Nick’s head.

Nick ducked, but Kody caught the blade with her own sword before it could kill him, and kicked the demon back, out of the ambulance and into the streaming rain. The two of them went at it. He started to help and stopped himself, knowing she could handle it and wouldn’t appreciate his interference any more than he would. Besides, she was much better with a sword than he was, since she had centuries more experience using one, and they’d made a pact to never tread on each other’s expertise in a fight. He respected her abilities and she respected his.

Instead, he went to check on the EMTs to make sure they were okay and stable, and that more help was on the way for them.

As he moved past the zeitjäger, it cocked its head to stare at him.

“What?” Nick asked it in a challenging tone.

It vanished instantly.

So did the mosquitos, and the rain slacked off, too. Yeah, okay, that was just weirder than holding Mardi Gras in June. Finding snow in August. Or Bubba in a tie and business suit. Made no sense whatsoever.