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With his head turned, he misses a short man suddenly appearing in his path at the other end of the alley. Out of nowhere, silhouetted by the streetlamps overhead, the stranger’s mouth opens in a sneer.
And his sharp fangs catch the light.
“Watch out!” I scream right before drunkard number three skids into the vampire’s grasp.
He doesn’t have a chance to scream before those wicked fangs are embedded in his neck.
What are the chances of running into vampires and werewolves at the same time?
Mother Gaia must be pissed at me for something. Whatever it is, I’ll atone for it later—after I save myself from being someone’s dinner.
While the vampire makes a meal of his kill, I keep going, hoping he’s too preoccupied to notice me slipping by. It’s doubtful, but it’s better than the alternative.
Gaia, protect me.
I call on my magic to protect myself and focus on the street beyond. There’s a good ten feet of distance between the vampire and the wall of the opposite building, and I stay as far to the side as possible.
As I hurry past, my shoulder scrapes against the rough brick, but I don’t slow down. My magic is spreading through me as I gather my strength for the spell, holding it tight to my chest as I keep my eye on the feeding vampire.
He’s so close now that I can see the dead look in the drunkard’s eye as his head falls back, throat ripped open and spewing blood like a cheap horror flick.
On cue, the vampire’s eyes flick open, his blackened gaze locking onto me as I pass. I don’t give him time to think about making me dessert.
Instead, I fling the spell with everything I have.
A powerful gale of wind shoots from my hands as I throw them towards the vampire, still slurping at the man’s neck as if he’s a juice box.
It’s doubtful that my spell is enough to do damage to a vampire, but all I need is a chance to get away.
When the gale pushes him back, I take off running full tilt in any direction not currently occupied by a creature of night.
A shrill scraping of metal against metal draws my attention to the second story of the building. I crane my neck in time to see a piece of the balcony break away from the exterior.
It’s plummeting straight for me.
Jumping out of the way, I take another layer of skin off my already bleeding hands and knees, and just about every part of my body on the road.
The huge chunk of concrete and iron crashes a foot from my head. Talk about a close call.
No time to dwell.
I brace myself on scraped up palms and push to my feet. The building destruction is all around me, blood pooling out from the rubble and around my feet.
Whether it’s the shock or the effort of my last spell, I’m suddenly woozy and weak. Leaning my weight against the wall, I fumble my way around the obstacle of the fallen balcony as everything around me blurs.
If I want to make it out of here in one piece, I have to push. My panicked escape attempt leads me to a dead end. I stare up at an abandoned strip of boarded-up building trapping me on one end and sealing my fate.
A low growl rumbles close behind me.
I close my eyes and send a silent prayer to Mother Gaia.
“Hello, witch.”
My knees barely hold me as I turn. There’s no escape.
The wolf lunges and all I see are twin rows of sharp fangs before I scream, and the world goes black.
* * *
