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need a dog competing for food. He might have been an animal lover once, but after what he’d seen inside the arena he preferred to keep his distance. Some creatures were more than met the eye and he didn’t need any more trouble. Even if a Recast—one that had come out of nowhere—saved his life, he preferred to stay away from animals at the moment.  
    He had to shake this dog and get as far away from the Clash Arena as he could.
    Moving past the canine, Knox was relieved to find himself in the thick of a market. Amongst the crowd, he could blend in and go unnoticed.  
    Unfortunately, the endless chaos of beating drums wasn’t easy to ignore.
    He’d never ventured into these streets, but finding so many market stalls still crowded at this time of night would help him mingle. If none of these people were bothered by the putrid smell wafting from the arena, they wouldn’t care about some random guy. Everyone had something to do and someplace to be.
    Their disinterest confirmed what the man in the stables had told him—he must have been out for days. Otherwise, why else would the population appear unmoved and getting on with their lives? Chaos and uncertainty should have reigned.
    Shoving past several stalls while keeping his eyes downcast, he decided to take a left turn, followed by a right. Until he realized he was following the damn dog. What the hell am I doing?
    When the canine suddenly paused and peered over its shoulder, Knox found they were standing in the middle of a deserted length of stalls.
    “Where did you lead me to, huh?” Though the real question was—why had he followed the dog?
    The canine strutted ahead at a leisurely pace, then stopped at one of the unattended stalls. Knox strolled past, glancing at the colorful fabrics and beaded curtains. Maybe now he could shake the damn mutt.
    “I can read your palm,” someone called from the stall behind him.
    Knox jumped, positive there’d been no one there a moment ago. Yet, when he turned, a crooked, old lady sat behind a small, round table. The mutt lounged near her feet as she patted its back absently with a wrinkly hand.
    “Is that your dog?”
    The old woman shrugged and the scruffy wig on top of her head shifted. “Sensor is no one’s dog. He’s free to go where he wants. Don’t you think that’s a luxury we sometimes take for granted?”
    The way she narrowed her beady eyes at Knox made him uneasy. Almost as if she knew exactly who he was, and where he’d stumbled from. She made him feel strange. A shiver crawled down his spine as if someone had stepped over his grave, which reminded him about the vampire’s bite.  
    He’d been unconscious for days so the vampiric toxin had to have taken hold of him, which explained why he could so easily pick out the scent of blood everywhere. And the drumbeats…were heartbeats.
    His head spun at the thought, but Knox had to accept his fate.
    “I can read your palm,” the woman said.
    “No thanks.”
    “What about your eye or foot—”
    “I don’t think so.” He shook his head and was about to turn away when the coot spoke again.
    “How about your heart, then? I can read your heart.” The old woman’s smile revealed a row of tiny, pointy teeth. “It looks like you need some guidance, and I can hear your sluggish heart from here. I can help you. I know what you’re becoming.”
    Her creepy tone, coupled with the suffocating isolation in this part of the market, made him wonder if this woman’s trade was of the preternatural kind. He wasn’t the type who believed in hocus-pocus but he’d seen some weird shit in the dungeons. Not to mention he’d been infected by a vampire.
    “I can help you.”
    “I doubt that very much.”
    “I know I can help you,” she insisted.  
    “What I really need is something to eat.” It was worth a shot because his stomach felt hollow. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten.
    Her dark gaze went to his throat and he pressed his fingers against