"You can kill, or you can watch Karma get killed, because we won't make it out of here otherwise. Karma is weak right now, too."
Deidre looked up, startled, and met the deity's grim gaze.
"You have to be a demon now," Karma said firmly. "You are the mate of the Dark One, the most powerful creature in the universe. The power is in the men who want to hurt you. Use it."
I'm tired of being the victim. Deidre studied her hands once more and then nodded. She clung to the idea she already had the power within her to defend herself and Karma this time. After a fatal brain tumor, the list of deities and Immortals trying to use her for their means, the loss of her life, her mortality, her human boyfriend …
This ends now. No more Immortals fucking up her life and body, no more deities trying to control her. Anger trickled into her, and the black fingernails grew longer.
Karma moved away from her and faced the first death dealer hacking his way through the door.
Swallowing hard, Deidre watched Karma duck the blow of a sword and grab the dealer's arm. He froze, his mouth opening in silent horror. Karma's hair lengthened and whirled around the both of them with the tangibility of smoke and the eerie writhing of a snake, her eyes flashing white then black and settling on red, while her features grew stony.
She, too, appeared frozen, absorbing the man's vitality. He grew pale, gaunt, and mummified so quickly, Deidre would've missed it, had she blinked. His hair and skin were the last to fade away, revealing a skeleton. Karma's hair returned to normal, and she released him.
The bones and clothing fell at Karma's feet, and she readied herself to face the next man. Red hair remained straight, the tendrils stretching out towards the next dealer through the door.
The rest of the door exploded, knocking both of them back. The dealers kicked aside the bones and charged into the room.
Karma moved to the side opposite Deidre, forcing the dealers to split up. Their effectiveness was further whittled down by the narrowness of the path around the round baths.
"Hello, little demon." The death dealer approaching Deidre had eyes that glowed with lust. His dagger was raised. "Ready to scream for me again?"
Deidre retreated, struggling to focus on Karma's words to keep from losing her angry edge.
… you can draw power from the same thing the Dark One does.
Deidre glanced at her fingernails. She doubted they'd do much against a sword, but she already knew from fucking Darkyn that they could slice through skin easily. He loved pain, and she began to realize that he'd been quietly teaching her how to be the demon she really was, using his body as her scratching post.