I flashed to keep up with the Mage, slippery patches of ice and street corners slowing me down. Christian couldn’t shadow walk since it wasn’t dark enough, so he tried his best to keep up. When we reached a dead end, I thought we had our guy until he scaled a wall and vanished. Not one to give up the chase, I stepped on a wooden crate and scrambled onto the garbage bin. Christian came up from behind and boosted me over the wall.
“He’s heading toward the subway station!” I shouted, remembering the layout of the neighborhood.
The Mage flashed in spurts to conserve energy, so I ran at human speed since I didn’t have as much power to waste. This guy probably didn’t work out as often as I did, so it wouldn’t be long before he ran out of steam. He periodically stopped to catch his breath and then flashed to put distance between us.
He scaled a chain-link fence and crossed a field, the train station just ahead. With renewed vigor, I scrambled up the fence and jumped off, picking up speed as I followed his tracks.
We descended a stairwell that led to the underground station. The pungent smell of illegal Breed drugs hit me first, followed by the sight of vagrants sleeping on the concrete as I weaved through the crowd. I leapt over the turnstiles and realized people lived down here—tents and desks were set up as if they were businesses.
The Mage ducked behind pillars, and I kept losing sight of him. I jogged alongside the platform as he vanished into the mouth of the tunnel.
Christian jogged a few paces ahead and looked both ways before jumping onto the tracks. “Well, are you coming?”
I shook my head, out of breath. “The train.”
“It’s an abandoned station. The train hasn’t stopped here since you were a babe in nappies. But pay attention if the tunnel splits, lest we have to scrape you off the tracks.”
“Perish the thought,” I muttered, taking his hand and leaping off the platform. Even though he assured me the train didn’t come this way anymore, entering that tunnel gave me the shivers.
He stole a quick glance behind us. “There’s nowhere for him to go for at least a mile, and he won’t be flashing on these tracks for long.”
Darkness swallowed us whole, and a blanket of dread came over me. We were on this guy’s turf, and that gave him an advantage. What if he was waiting around the corner with a sickle? It was far too grainy for me to see in total darkness.
“Can you see him?” I asked, slowing to a stop.
“Worry not, lass. You’re in capable hands.”
A draft blew past me, and when I reached out into the void, Christian was gone. I justknewthat fanghole would run ahead and leave me behind!
I flashed but quickly stumbled, unable to see. Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind. With a simple shift in concentration, I channeled my energy to my fingertips. Blue light leaked out like tiny cobwebs caught in a breeze. It provided enough light for me to see a raised platform on the right. The Mage probably took this route to flash, and if so, there was a chance he was long gone by now. I climbed on and created a steady stop-and-go pace. It worked well enough that I finally caught sight of Christian standing at a fork in the tracks where the tunnels split.
“Shhh,” he said, cocking his head and walking to the right-hand tunnel. “I can’t hear the bastard.”
“He knows a Vampire is following him.”
“Even if he stopped, I’d be able to hear him panting like a dog.”
“Maybe he’s holding his breath.” I jumped down, and when my feet hit the tracks, I pointed to the right. “He went that way.”
“You can’t even see which way that way is.”
“No, but I can feel his energy.”
Christian seized my hand and moved so fast that I had to flash to keep up. Vampires could slip through shadows like liquid, and at some point, we’d ended up on the platform to the right.
“Stop! You’re making me dizzy.”
When he let go, I lost my balance and tipped backward. Christian locked his arm around my waist, and I clutched his neck and pulled myself tight against him. He slowly moved me away from the edge, and my cheeks heated from the intimacy of that small act.
“He’s that way,” I said, pointing at a door.
Christian released me. In a split second, he ripped the door off the hinges and it landed on the tracks. Artificial light pierced the veil of darkness, and we ascended a short stairwell.
Out of breath and falling behind, I realized the Mage’s energy was waning as the distance between us grew.
Christian reached another door and flung it open.
Once outside, my legs gave out like jelly trying to hold up a horse. I fell in the snow, my side aching and lungs burning. Tiny flakes of snow swirled overhead, and I blinked up at trees, which led me to believe we were in a park.
