Two of the trash cans hit me. I’d braced myself, except they were heavy with garbage, and they slammed into me with the force of a bulldozer throwing me to the ground.
The truck ran over one of the trashcans, braking just in time to avoid crunching the truck’s front bumper into a brick apartment building.
Bested… by a trashcan! If my brothers find out, they’ll never let me live this down.
I scraped myself off the ground and ran further up the street, making a sharp right turn into the first alleyway I found.
Behind me, I heard truck doors open—the mercenaries were getting out.
I pressed myself against the side of the alleyway and peered around the edge of the building.
All four mercenaries—all wearing soft body armor—were prowling towards the alleyway my teammates had disappeared into. None of them were heading in my direction.
The mercenaries perked up when they heard an ominous, metallic thud that echoed loudly enough I could hear it, and they jogged into the alleyway.
Our enemy’s location confirmed, I sprinted up my alleyway dodging around a parked car and more garbage cans. My breathing hitched in worry, and I nearly skid out when I popped out of my alleyway and hit sidewalk again.
I looked up and down the street, but my teammates were nowhere to be seen.
Our alleyways both ran north, so they must end up on this street. I’m faster, but I had to run farther and I checked on the mercenaries. They should be out by now. Was that slam them hiding?
I could still sense Tetiana’s vampiric presence, but my abilities weren’t honed enough to pinpoint it.
So where are they?
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
Considine
When Jade and her team sprinted up the road, I followed. I had to go a round-about way to stay downwind of the mutty wolves.
I shouldn’t have moved at all—it was an unnecessary risk. But the scent of Jade’s blood—which was so well masqueraded by her abilities that it was almost bland—had me on edge. Whether it be morbid curiosity or something walking the uncomfortable tightrope between entertainment and… caring—how foolish—I was spurred on to follow.
I settled into place in the long shadow of an industrial building just in time to see Jade disappear up an alleyway, while the thuggish mercenaries lumbered into the alleyway her team had taken.
I sensed Gisila’s presence before she emerged—dragon blood has an unusual sulfur scent that’s hard to miss.
She didn’t notice me. She strolled up the sidewalk, stopping in front of me so her back faced me—something she’d never risk knowingly.
Her hands were pressed into the pockets of her jacket, and she stayed in the shadows as she watched her mercenaries.
If I revealed myself… I could stop this.
My presence alone—or rather, the presence of Considine Maledictus—would be enough to make the dragon shifter back down. I had far more connections than the paltry task force; the dragon shifter couldn’t risk stirring things up with me.
Jade likely wouldn’t be able to pin the attack on her—Gisila would play dumb and probably had an employee serve as a go-between so it couldn’t be proved that she’d hired the mercenaries.
But there was an unpleasant feeling in the pit of my gut that said Jade—for all her skills, weapons, and superior battle strength—was reaching her limit.
I didn’t like that unpleasant feeling—I didn’t like feelings at all. Perhaps it wouldn’t be that big a deal to reveal to Gisila that I skulked around town at night.
Yes, there would be plenty of annoyances to it as I’d pondered earlier, but for the sake of preserving my entertainment…
I’m grappling for an excuse, I thought—disgusted with myself.
Unfortunately, that disgust couldn’t overwhelm my annoying sense of urgency, and I stepped forward taking care to make my footsteps on the pavement audible.
Gisila swung around, her nostrils flaring as she licked her lips.
A moment passed, then two. “Considine Maledictus,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
That confirms her senses are good enough to pick me out. But it’s just as well, as that will make this stop that much faster.
“Curiosity,” I said. “Your little team there has raised quite the racket—and made a mess.”
Gisila blinked with falsified innocence. “My team? Not hardly. I don’t retain any werewolf Packs on my payroll.”
“I’m so sure,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my words. “Just like that little fae minion of yours was going around unleashing fae horrors on Magiford without your leave.”