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Her grumbles filled the back of my mind, but the flames crawled from his flesh and dropped harmlessly to the ground.
I swung her lightly back and forth in warning. The stranger’s features followed the movement, even though he had no eyes.
Do not attempt to do to me what you did to Dorothy, stranger. Amaya still burned with hunger and the need to attack, but her flames failed to lift the shadows around us. Whoever this stranger was, he seemingly had the ability to control how I saw the plane.
He didn’t say anything for several seconds, simply continued to study me as he shook fingers that looked red and blistered. It was a clear indication that you could be harmed on the astral plane, and made me wonder what the hell he’d actually been trying to do.
But waiting for him to speak made my nerves crawl, so I said, What is this challenge you’re offering?
It is a race, of sorts.
Define “of sorts.”
I had an odd impression that he was smiling, but I didn’t think it was a nice sort of smile. Tomorrow I will send the Directorate a clue to help you find my next victim. You—and you alone—will conduct the search.
And what will you be doing while I’m trying to save the next victim?
The sense of cat and prey suddenly sharpened. I shivered, and the buildings around me darkened even more. I swallowed heavily and thrust away the fear, but it didn’t do a whole lot to ease the tense atmosphere.
What will I be doing? he repeated softly. Well, my dear huntress, what I will be doing is hunting you.
With that, he disappeared.
And all I could think was, what the hell was he going to do when he found me?
Chapter 6
I cursed mentally and swung around. Any idea where he went?
He has left the astral plane. Markel studied me for a moment, then said, It is impressive that your sword works on this plane. Usually, such a weapon would not.
Amaya is no ordinary weapon.
To which she practically preened. My sword was gaining a personality. Fabulous. Not.
Were you able to read his mind?
He shook his head. Unless there is some form of physical contact between astral bodies, you can’t.
I frowned. Is that what he was doing when we came across him the first time? Reading Dorothy’s mind?
I suspect he was doing much more than that, because mind reading usually does not leave a burned imprint.
I shivered, and the shadows around me trembled in time with the movement. So basically, you got no more from him than I did?
He half smiled. Cazador or not, on this plane I am just another traveler.
Somehow, I’m not believing that.
It was wryly said, and he acknowledged it with an almost regal nod. Perhaps I do oversimplify.
Perhaps? I seriously doubted there was any “perhaps” about it. I hesitated, then asked, Just how closely do you follow me?
Again that half smile appeared. It gave his almost stern features a softer edge, but didn’t ease the impression of . . . not menace—not exactly. Perhaps it was more an underlying sense that the urban exterior was little more than a veil concealing a darker, more deadly soul.
I cannot enter your home, if that is your concern.
Surprise rippled through me. So the vampire threshold rule applies on the astral plane?
