Move, move, move, I chanted in my head as I battled my way through the streets. People milled about, not paying any attention to the commotion around them. They grumbled as I pushed past, keeping my eyes on the alleyway where she disappeared.
I skidded to a halt, breathing hard as I scanned the area quickly. It was completely dark, only the faint flickering glow of light from the street illuminating the entrance. “Arabella?” I called, reaching for the dagger at my belt before stepping forward. Silence greeted me. Not even a rustle to be heard. “Please,” I said, my cracked voice echoing down the empty alley. “If you’re still there, please let me know.”
“How pathetic.”
I whirled around, taking in the sight of the dirty men from before. They stood in a line, looking as ordinary as anyone I might have passed on the city streets. Why they’d caught my attention earlier amongst the crowd, I didn’t know. But then, the longer I took them in, the more I noticed. They had dark circles under their eyes, their skin gray and tight around too thin bodies. And then there were their eyes, the black irises simmering with centuries of hatred and greed.
How many dark practitioners did Lachlan have in his employ? And how many of his followers were under his influence instead of being there of their own accord? The toll on their bodies seemed great, as if the magic was sucking the very life out of them. Gods, it made me sick to think about.
“Still pining after a ghost who no longer exists,” one hissed, his black eyes gleaming. “The woman you knew is gone, you fool.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Ah, just the people I was looking for. At least you saved me the trouble of hunting you down.”
“You have not caught us. Instead, we have caughtyou,” the middle one said, curling his lip to show a row of rotting teeth. “And you will make a fine addition to our ranks. Our master will be pleased with our hard work.”
He lunged for me without delay, the movement so sudden I hardly had time to step aside. The man tripped, turning back to face me with icy rage on his face. The other two hung back, watching and waiting for the time to strike.
The man who attacked pulled a dagger free from his belt, the light catching a faint glimmer of steel along the rusty blade. “But if you prefer to put up a fight, I’m sure he will understand if you do not make it back to him in one piece.”
I barked a laugh. “You can try, but I promise you will fail.” I pointed my dagger in his direction. “The only blood shed tonight will be yours.”
I attacked, turning around as he moved for me and plunging the dagger into his neck. His movement had been too sluggish after the initial attack. It was as if all of his energy had been consumed in one move.
Thick, black liquid sprayed as I jerked the knife free, a pungent odor filling the alley. I watched with little satisfaction as he fell to his knees, gripping his throat as if to keep his blood inside his body. For a moment, his eyes cleared, and I saw the faint shimmer of once-green irises. There was pain and rage in that gaze, of all the damage he’d been forced to do over his time in Lachlan’s employ. But they bled back to black as he cast a glance at his two companions, attempting to convey some message to them that no one could understand over the choking gurgle of his own blood.
He fell to the ground with a soft thud, his eyes blankly staring off into the distance. His companions paused, neither of them making a move toward me or toward their friend. I could see their minds whirling, wondering whether to attack or flee, but then the tall one on the left looked up. His nostrils flared, giving him away before he had a chance to move.
The man surged forward, grabbing the knife that had clattered to the ground as his companion died. Without hesitation, he threw the blade in my direction. I fell back, not moving quickly enough as it sliced into my arm. The scent of copper permeated the air, and I looked down at rivulets of blood streaming down my arm.
“That wasn’t very nice,” I gritted out as the man lunged again, this time taking his own dagger from its sheath and making his way toward me.
He said nothing as his arm shot out, and I ducked down. The blade narrowly missed me, and I stumbled on the rocky ground. The man took advantage, his foot sticking out and knocking me on my ass. My dagger fell out of my hand, and he kicked it away before pinning me to the ground and attempting to drive the blade down into my chest.
My arms reached up, and I grabbed his wrists to stop him. For a person so gangly, he certainly had a fair amount of strength behind him. He pressed down, his black eyes sparkling as he watched the dagger grow closer to my chest.
“You know,” I drawled, “if you kill me, I’m sure Lachlan won’t be too happy.” I glanced down at the blade only inches from my chest. “And then if he isn’t happy, I’m sure he’ll kill you.” The man paused, only for a second, but it was all the time I needed. I pushed up, knocking the knife back, and threw my fist into his face.
He fell back, clutching his nose. I glanced over his shoulder, the last man simply stood there staring at us. I’d never seen anything like it. If they had all rushed me, they would’ve had a better chance of taking me down, but it was as if something was holding them back.
Before he could lunge at me again, I dropped my shoulder and ran into him, picking him up and slamming him into the ground. His head fell back, breath rushing out of his lungs on impact. He recovered quickly, throwing a jab into my ribs that had me cursing. His dagger lay within reach, and he grabbed it, slamming it into my thigh.
I howled in pain, grabbing the knife and pulling it out. It was a mistake, one I knew would cost me if I didn’t bind the wound quickly. I wouldn’t die, not from blood loss, but if I lost consciousness, then I was as good as dead. Without thinking, I drove the blade into the man’s heart.
Just as it had with his companion, the darkness receded to show a shadow of the man he’d been before and the regret of his actions. He leaned toward me, his words barely coming across as a rasp. “Thank you,” he said.
My brows furrowed in confusion. “For what?”
“You set me free.” His body became lax as he stared up at the sky.
His chest did not rise again.
The last companion stared at the scene, just as unmoving as he’d been all evening. I quickly ripped off a piece of my shirt, tying it around my leg and my arm to staunch the flow of blood and buy my body some time to heal. It wouldn’t take long. If only I could—
Footsteps echoed from behind me, and a sense of dread washed over me. As if snapping out of a trance, the third man blinked and shook his head. His gaze shifted, staring at someone over my shoulder.
“You’re a bit rusty,” a feminine voice said from behind me. I already knew what I would find, but I steeled myself anyway.
Arabella came out of the shadows, darkness clinging to her body like a second skin. The curves I used to worship had grown thin, just as the men had, though not to the same extreme. Her dark hair was still just as wild and unruly as I remembered it, and she’d pulled it back into a messy braid that fell over her shoulder. But her eyes, they unnerved me.
