Behind the hellseher, the warlock was recovering from Dallas’s disarming spell. His arms were bloodied up, and he looked more than a little pissed off as he leapt off the crumpled hood and followed the Darkslayer toward them.
“Quit playing!” the warlock snarled at the Darkslayer. “We need heralive.”
Loren’s arms shook as she pushed herself to her feet. “Dallas—”
“RUN, damnit!”Dallas shouted. “We’ll hold them off. They’re not after us, Lor. They’re afteryou!”
At the same time as Sabrine, Dallas bellowed,“Exarmaueris!”
Magic erupted in unison from their staves, and a smattering of lilac sparks floated into the sky. Dust blasted down the street as the spells cleaved the air. The force of the magic shook the trees and buckled the glass of shop windows, the sound like bones breaking.
Loren cried out, covering her face as shards of glass zipped through the air. The magpies huddled within the trees cawed and fled into the night with an explosion of feathers.
Dallas reached out and shoved Loren. “GO!” Her voice cracked. “We’ll catch up with you—Ipromise.”The sheer terror in Dallas’s gaze was the only thing that spurred Loren into action.
She broke into a limping sprint. Her breath tore apart her lungs, the muscles in her calves shrieking in pain as she fled. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back—to help her friends, despite that a human could literally donothingagainst a warlock and a Darkslayer.
She was helpless.Pathetic.
Risking a glance over her shoulder, she saw Dallas and Sabrine sprinting after her, Ghost bounding at their heels. But the hellseher and the warlock were gaining on them. If it weren’t for the fact that the Darkslayer was a half-breed—half-warlock, half-hellseher, by the looks of the silvery cast to his irises whenever he wasn’t actively using his Sight—he would’ve already caught up to them.
She wasn’t sure what would’ve happened next if sirens hadn’t sounded. They wailed through the night, bouncing over buildings and down alleys.
“Help!” Loren’s voice was a crackle.“HELP!Please—we’re over here!” Dallas and Sabrine joined her in shouting, their heels clacking on the road. But two sets of boots were getting louder, gaining on them by the second.
Red and blue lights reflected in the dark windows of buildings up ahead. The sight of them had Loren sobbing in relief—
A familiar scream tore through the panic barking in her head. Loren staggered to a stop, Dallas doing the same just behind her.
Time seemed to still for one terrifying second. Loren drew in a ragged breath through her teeth, blood roaring in her head, as she took in the scene two blocks behind her.
The Darkslayer had Sabrine in his grip, the muzzle of a pistol pressed against her temple as he towed her toward the car. Toward the backdoor the warlock was throwing open.
Pavement stretched between Loren and Sabrine, endless as an ocean.
Loren stumbled forward. “Let her go.” Although her voice was a whispered sob, she knew every pair of immortal ears on this street could hear her.“Please.What do you want?”
“I want you to get in the car.” The Darkslayer’s words were aimed at Loren. Not the pure-blooded witch at her side, whose life was worth so much more than hers—than ahuman’s.
Dallas was right: theywereafter her.
Loren gaped at the hellseher, her heart pounding so hard she thought she might throw up.
Why did they want her?Why?
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Dallas said, her voice hoarse and trembling. Her stave fluttered weakly, a mirror of her exhaustion. Even Ghost was spent; Dallas was only a student of magic, so her power reserves were shallow.“Noneof us are.”
The hellseher gave a cold smile. Made to say something—
Two squad cars spun around the corner, sirens wailing. The warlock swore at the sight of the peace officers behind the wheels.
Loren saw it coming.
She made to move—to stop the slayer and the warlock from wrestling Sabrine into the backseat as the squad cars came to a screeching halt, lightbars on the roofs flashing.
But they were already in the sedan. They spun around, smashing into the bumper of a squad car before peeling off, tires burning up a reeking black cloud behind them.
Loren took off after the sedan, her heart in her throat, her reflection flitting like a spirit through shop windows. She screamed herself hoarse as shebeggedthem to stop—to let her friend go. She knew it was no use, that her words would make no difference.
