I glanced back, spotting her in front of a mirror with three scarves around her neck. “She can finish shopping for me. I gave her most of my money.”
As we headed toward the front, the brunette with the cropped hair gave Niko a regretful glance before she continued shopping for tube tops on clearance.
Niko kept his gaze downcast. Unless you were speaking directly to him, it wasn’t easy to tell that he was blind. He got around quite well, didn’t use a cane or guide dog, and had a confident air about him.
Before we stepped outside, he pulled his black hood over his head so that it obscured his eyes.
No one paid any attention. For one, it was gloomy weather. Aside from that, we were on the Breed side of town. People dressed all kinds of ways in this area, especially with so many immortals who held fast to their historical attire. That might explain why Cognito has always been known as an eccentric city and, because of its reputation, wound up attracting humans who were artists and free spirits. I’d heard many immortals in the bars talking about the good old days when Cognito was inhabited only by Breed, and human settlers lived on the outskirts of town or in isolated pockets. Immortals had been claiming and purchasing real estate over the past few centuries, and that made it easier to sell businesses and houses exclusively to supernaturals. In time, the human population grew and so did their form of law and government, and Breed had to relinquish some of the property so they wouldn’t get noticed. Sometimes humans wandered into our shops and cafes, but most of the clubs and restaurants embraced the reservation system to keep them out.
Viktor had given me cash in addition to the credit card, so I paid the street vendor a few bills and handed Niko a vanilla cone with a hard chocolate shell.
He licked it and then jerked his head back. “What kind of ice cream is this?”
I laughed and walked toward the corner of the building near the alley. “Bite into it and you’ll see.”
When he did, a giant piece of the shell clung to his cheek and then fell onto the sidewalk. His lips were covered with vanilla. “You’re an amusing woman.”
When I noticed the sarcasm in his voice, I took a moment to pick off all the chocolate from his cone.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
He wiped his mouth. “It isn’t the end of the world. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
Niko closed his lips over the ice cream and looked content again, leaving a small dollop on the tip of his nose.
I studied him for a moment, curious about something. “Why did you want to come shopping with the girls? Men usually flee in the opposite direction.”
A strong gust of wind blew his hood back, and his hair tangled around him. He swept it to one side, drawing attention to his carved cheekbones.
“Did you ride along to babysit me? Was Viktor afraid I’d start a world war on my shopping spree?”
“On the contrary. I enjoy your company, Raven. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Gem, and Claude is at work. She’s impulsive and sometimes gets into trouble. She might spend all your money.” He leaned in close with a playful look on his face, his voice falling to a whisper. “Gem likes to sho—”
A shadow crashed into Niko, and then he was gone. I watched his cone fall to the ground as if it were all happening in slow motion. One minute I was talking to him, and the next I was staring at thin air.
Two seconds later, someone slammed into me from the right—knocking the wind out of my lungs.
Chapter 12
The entranceto the alley disappeared into a thin veil of fog. My body jerked to the right as someone carried me around a corner—probably a Mage based on how fast he was running. I prayed it was a Mage and not a Chitah, who could run just as fast, if not faster. The force of speed kept me from reaching behind my back for my push dagger.
We abruptly stopped, and my head spun like a Ferris wheel out of control.
Before I could reach around, someone grabbed my wrists in a tight hold. The familiar sound of duct tape ripping came seconds before the sticky adhesive was wrapped around my mouth and head, covering up my two best weapons inside my mouth.
Still dizzy, I writhed despite being stretched between two men who were subduing me with an iron grip on each arm. I couldn’t reach for my weapons, I couldn’t fight them, and I couldn’t escape.
I erupted with anger, kicking at their legs and trying to pull out of their grasp. Someone punched me in the back, and I crumpled to the ground long enough for them to tape up my ankles. They lifted me back to my feet, still gripping my arms. I sensed their Mage energy, and that meant I couldn’t even use my energy to blast them.
“Let her go. She has nothing to do with us,” I heard Niko say.
When I shook some of my hair away from my eyes, I got the full scope of our situation. Niko was in a position of genuflection, but I had my doubts that he was worshipping these men.
I hoped.
Two flanked him, joined by a third man, who tossed a giant roll of duct tape to the ground. The others looked to him, waiting for his command.
“Nikodemos… did you think I wouldn’t find you? I almost didn’t recognize you with the long hair.”
