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them all the more dangerous.
    “Come on, Jimmy. Let’s go.” The smaller one tugged on the
arm of the other. The larger one didn’t budge.
    “You should listen to your smart friend.” Her stalker angled
her subtly, edging in front of her, his shape seemingly growing bigger.
    Some sort of shifter then. She suspected it when she first
caught sight of him.
    The one name Jimmy answered by flipping out a switchblade,
the wicked knife flashing in the light. “Give us the woman.”
    Trina didn’t tense but relaxed and shrugged out of her pack.
She shifted to her side, widened her stand and flipped her knife around so the
blade rested against her wrist.
    In answer, the big man moved in a blur. One second he was
standing next to her, the next he had the guy by the neck, pinned to the wall
with one hand. The other hand held the kid’s wrists above his head and squeezed.
The attacker grunted and dropped the knife.
    The second man dug in his pocket, chanting in a guttural
language she recognized from childhood. There wasn’t a weapon to fight, but the
air around her thickened, the temperature dropping with the threat. Not waiting
for him to finish casting, Trina pricked the tip of her finger and thrust out
her hand.
    Blood magic worked more from instinct than any spells or
chants. A percussion reverberated in the air and sent the smaller man stumbling
back. Her magic repelled whatever he threw, blowing it back at him.
    The kid screamed, clawing at his face, rivulets of blood
trickling through his fingers. He lurched into the street then ran full tilt
into a parked car. The impact dropped him motionless to the cracked pavement.
    The silence was worse than the screaming.
    She followed cautiously, stopping near the body but didn’t touch
anything. The flicker of the street light cast him in a yellow glow, his injuries
looking all the worse with dirt and rocks from the road caked into the wounds. When
she crouched, she smelled spices she associated with earth magic.
    “He’s alive.” She stood. Her rescuer still had the other guy
tacked to the wall. The attacker’s eyes were wild, struggling frantically to
get free like a fly on a sticky trap. The front of his pants darkened with
urine.
    Her stalker cum rescuer hefted him higher, muscles bulging.
“What do you want with her?”
    The gravelly threat in his voice sent goose bumps over her
arms, and she nearly tripped over the body at her feet as she stepped closer to
the interrogation. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answers but forced
herself to listen. She couldn’t hide from this if her own kind were now joining
the hunt.
    “Bounty.” The voice squeaked, fingers clawing ineffectually
at the hand at his throat.
    “Why?”
    “Scep-ter.” The guy’s face turned purple, his eyes rolling
white, and she knew they weren’t going to get any more out of him. She snuck a glance
at the shifter, only able to breathe when she spotted no recognition at the
word. She needed more time to rescue her sister and stay out of everyone’s way
while she did so. That wouldn’t happen if they found out the truth about her.
    “Let him go.” When stalker-guy made no move to listen, she
grabbed his arm, half-afraid that he intended to kill the man. At the touch, instant
heat spread, shocking in its intensity. All her mind could see was her legs
wrapped around his waist, taking her pleasure from him.
    She dropped her hand, her fingers curling into fists to
prevent herself from petting him and exploring further. Though she couldn’t see
his face, his complete attention was centered on her. It was the slight tilt to
his head, his awareness of her every move, that gave him away.
    “You hold him any longer, you’ll kill him.” She inched
around to catch his gaze, but he ducked his head. Trina persisted. “His death
will only draw attention to us.”
    “Tell me your name, and I’ll release him.”
    Half-expecting a trap, she hesitated. His hold tightened,
and a gurgle emerged from