I crouched. This time I was ready for her as she sped toward me.
I shifted, her fist burying itself in my car.
I sank a hard elbow into her pretty nose. Her head snapped back, blood spilling from the broken nose. She yanked her fist free, swinging at me, but I was already gone, standing on my hood and snapping a kick at her face.
She stumbled back, curling into herself.
I tsked. Liam would have made me pay for leaving an opening that wide. It was only right that I do the same for her.
I grabbed a handful of hair and slammed her face into the car, rejoicing at the sound of cartilage breaking.
I took her arm, lifting her and throwing her at the car I knew was hers. Glass shattered as she hit; the car moving several feet from the force.
How did she like it when someone broke her toys?
Anton whistled. "Not bad."
I smiled at him, not caring how I looked. Blood slid from a cut on my head, and I knew my expression was slightly crazy. A few in the audience flinched.
Good. Maybe this would get it through their heads that I wasn't weak. Hunt me at your peril.
It took two tries for Kat to get to her feet.
As she did, she gathered her power close to her.
Exactly as I predicted. She couldn't beat me in a physical confrontation. That left her with one tool in her arsenal.
An enraged sound ripped from her throat.
I stopped, sticking a finger in my ear and jiggling it. "Yes, yes. You're upset. Let's get on with it, shall we?"
It was dangerous to taunt a wounded animal, but I was banking on the fact she wasn't as in control of her other self as she should be. I needed her enraged. I needed her to leave caution to the wind and act without reason or thought.
She was already half way there. She only needed a little push.
I was happy to provide it for her.
Anton had taught me this tactic. The man knew how to get under an opponent's skin. I'd seen its effectiveness more than once. Experienced it myself.
Her power lashed out, an orange tinted miasma that was nowhere near as directed or strong as I'd anticipated.
It flooded toward me. Inescapable.
Thousands of pinpricks of stabbing pain pounded against my mental barrier, seeking a way in.
It wouldn't find one. At least, not in time.
As it delved for a chink in my armor, I examined it, finding nothing overly interesting. Connor's enchantment had been much more difficult to grasp. Granted, I had the luxury of unraveling that over hours, not seconds, but I'd been practicing since then.
All magic contained a signature. If I could read it, I could break it.
Not always, but seven times out of ten.
There. A glimmer that showed the way to unlocking it.
I pulled at the string. It unraveled like a ball of yarn in front of a kitten.
Kat barely had time to register that something was wrong before I was on her, slamming her into the car.
