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“Do not ignore me! I said hands up!” Hardin sounded flustered.
Something happened. Rick moved, then a shadow fell over Hardin, and her crossbow disappeared. He broke the weapon over his knee and tossed the pieces aside like they were nothing.
“Hey!” she said.
“Both of you stay out of this,” Rick said roughly. “You have no idea what’s happening here.”
“Explain this to me, Kitty,” Hardin said.
“Rick wants to be the new Master of Denver. Mercedes wants to stop him.”
“I’m here to arrest that guy.” She nodded at Arturo. “That’s all I want.”
Rick never took his eyes off the other vampires. “If anyone but me removes Arturo, my authority here will be suspect. Your answer, Mercedes.”
“Why are you even asking her?” I said. “Just kick her butt!”
Rick said, cutting, “I can’t do anything to her if I want the city.”
“Diplomatic immunity,” Mercedes said.
“But she isn’t exactly being neutral here—”
“Kitty, be quiet, please,” Rick said, ice cold. “Mercedes?”
“No,” Mercedes said. “I will carry word that Denver is torn between two Masters and ripe for the taking.” When she reached for him, Rick stepped back. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said he looked afraid.
Enough. I shot her. Sprayed her. Whatever.
My hand was shaking, and she twisted out of the way. Somehow, she’d seen it coming, anticipated me in the protracted way vampires saw time. The arc of water only caught her arm.
She didn’t make a sound, not so much as a hiss of pain or anger. Splotches of water marred the sleeve of her jacket. The water probably hadn’t even soaked through.
Something hit me. The water bottle went flying in one direction, smacking against the wall behind me, and I couldn’t breathe. A weight slammed into me, and I crashed to my knees. Mercedes grabbed my throat and squeezed, holding me still. I clutched her wrist, scratched at her arm, trying to free myself. I gasped for air. She could kill me with one hand.
She said, “And you have both let the wolves here become unruly. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.”
“Right,” Hardin said. “That’s it. I’ve heard enough. You’re all under arrest!” She’d retrieved the spray bottle and held it trained firmly on Mercedes. Not that that had done me any good.
With her other hand, Mercedes batted the spray bottle out of Hardin’s grip. The cop stumbled back.
“Mercedes, let her go,” Rick said.
She didn’t. My vision started to go splotchy, and a growl forced its way out of my throat. Inside, Wolf was thrashing. We could claw her, we could run—
Somehow I knew that I could turn Wolf, and Mercedes would keep her grip on my throat and still be able to strangle me.
“Mercedes!” Rick lunged at her.
“No!” Arturo grabbed his arm and stopped him. He took Rick’s wrists, then placed Rick’s hands back on his own collar. “Do it. You planned it this way all along, so get it over with.” Then he became calm. Almost pulled himself into Rick’s embrace. For a moment, he was still the Master.
“Arturo—”
“I am not their pawn. I’ve not lived for three hundred years to be their pawn. You’ll stand against them.”
“I didn’t want this.”
“Oh, yes you did. Ricardo, do not waste my blood.”
