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When I saw a purple-tinged flash light up the sky of the entire city for a nanosecond, I knew they were in trouble. That would be the hunters throwing lightblasts at them. The crowd stared in wonder,gazing up at the sky, speaking in hushed tones as I took off down the street, searching for my friends.
They were going to be so pissed at me.
But how was I supposed to know the casino would figure out who we were and call Hell’s authority?
That was a fucking first.
I ran up and down the strip, keeping focused on zoning in, like radar, to check each side street. When I felt them, I let the bond we shared bring me closer, rushing blindly through the darkness. They were at the back of an alley fighting the hunters, as I suspected.
I let out a breath of relief.
They’d have been fine without me, but it was safest if I helped out.
Pulling out my dagger, I flicked it straight to the head of one of the hunters. He didn’t even hear me coming. “Hey you! Fucker. Tell them to leave. Us. The fuck. Alone.”
Everyone stopped to watch my outburst and the guy with the knife in his head. The distraction gave Stone time to do the same to the other hunter. They really sent these guys out before training them properly.
Both hunters dissolved into a flashing blue light, which quivered, then disappeared. They’d return to Hell and report what had happened, and the whole thing would be added to our files. They must have had an entire fucking cabinet on us by now if they’d printed it all out.
I smiled at them. “You guys invigorated now or what?”
Lux shook his head, and Stone glared at me, his eyes glowing red as he struggled to maintain control of himself. “Fucking dandy. Can we go?”
I wouldn’t suggest anyone else get in his way, but Stone didn’t intimidate me. He wasn’t trying to either; he was just pissed. Didn’tbother me. I swung my hand and snapped my fingers. “Golly gee, Dad, but it was just getting good.”
He crossed his arms, raising his chin in disbelief that I’d joke about hunters getting so close. “No, you’re being reckless again.” He never did understand my way of coping with stress. He liked to fuck and kill, and I did, too, now that I thought about it.
But first, I’d joke around.
It was better than being a grumpy asshole about everything.
I threw my hand over my heart and looked at him with mock surprise. “Am I?”
He shook his head. “You know you are.”
It was the first time the hunters had worked with non-magicals to find us, which was a concerning development. Not that they had found us, but that they’d been so desperate they revealed themselves to the humans. Who else were they working with?
I frowned ironically, like I’d never before considered my behavior inappropriate at all. Though in truth, I was going to start now. If the hunters were working with others, they were potentially behind any closed door, and our freedom was shakier than ever. “Hmmm. That’s not like me, is it?”
Stone rolled his eyes, but Lux smirked. He could lighten up sometimes, but Stone was more of a stick in the mud than a cool, hard object, as his name suggested.
Without another word, we phased out of there. Stone and Luxmight have gone home—a big, old Victorian we owned together, situated in a secret, remote location. But I went to my apartment in Crimson City to think things over on my own.
Hell had been after us for centuries. Strictly speaking, we weren’t supposed to be residing in the mortal realm full-time, but we’d had enough of both sectors of Hell we were allowed in, out of the three that are there. We considered ourselves refugees.
Hell considered us fugitives.
We had evaded them so far, but if they were going to step up their game, we would have to do the same. Be smart and tactical. Enlist some help, but be clever about it. We couldn’t trust just anyone with the truth about who we were, but if they were revealing themselves to casino owners, we could find more allies, too.
We knew a few mages we could trust, maybe a vampire or two. We’d need some time to think it all through and consider all the options from all angles. Place our trust in the wrong person, and we’d be back in Hell next week.
If there was one thing the three of us were always in agreement about, it was that we’d rather do anything than return to Hell.
Chapter Six: Seeds of Fate
Tess - four years ago
The bell above thedoor chimed softly as I stepped into the dark and shadowy grimoire shop. I was still hopeful that I could find a way to cancel the contract Ivan had with me and had heard someone mention this shop. It was warded against non-magicals; they would see a vacant space, like the growing number of vacant spaces around the city lately. Most people thought it was a bad economy when really it was that magicals had learned to ward their businesses against non-magical attention. Some non-magicals knew about the supernaturals and were concerned they would dominate the world, leaving a post-apocalyptic scene for non-magical humans when nothing had really happened. Most supers thought that was melodramatic nonsense.
