It occurred to me by the time I took a second turn, darting into an alley then across a street and down another ally while trying to lose an assailant that wasn't actually there, that Connor and I might have overreacted.
Technically, Don, the umbrella man, hadn't done anything more threatening than try to hire me for an unspecified job.
Maybe he was harmless. Simply coming across more threatening than he intended. That was a problem for a lot of the older, more powerful spooks. They didn't always understand proper social etiquette in these modern times.
I slowed to a walk, putting my hands on my hips as I tried to control my breathing.
I didn’t quite believe it. Don and his umbrella, which masked what was under it, unsettled me on a primitive level. More importantly, Connor had acted as if the man was an extreme threat.
I trusted his instincts. Possibly more than my own.
If he thought the man was dangerous, chances were, he was. But was he dangerous to me?
While I pondered whether I should head back and help Connor, the air shimmered a few feet ahead of me. Magic stirred, a sparkling distortion that I would have associated with a visual migraine had I still been human. It shimmered and shivered, slowly growing until it took up the space of a door.
Magic, the likes of which I'd never encountered, wafted out of it, whispering of welcome and homecoming.
I took a cautious step back.
A Fae had created this, I was willing to bet. One that was extremely powerful. It tasted like one of them, but different.
"Oh dear," a voice said from behind me. "Someone is impatient."
I whirled, crouching as my fangs popped through my gums.
Though I couldn't see his eyes, I got the sense Don was staring beyond me to the door.
"How did you get past Connor?" I asked.
Connor wasn't exactly a weakling, despite his lengthy time as a stag. I couldn't be sure, but I suspected he was as strong as any of Liam's enforcers. Perhaps not as strong as Liam or Thomas, but he wasn't a push over either.
Getting past him wouldn't have been easy.
"Your friend is well, just a tad occupied right now," Don assured me. He held out a gloved hand to me, the other still wrapped around the umbrella's handle. "It would be best if you come with me."
That wasn't going to happen.
I tensed, knowing I was stuck between a decidedly dangerous and powerful supernatural, and a door to parts unknown.
Not exactly the type of situation I was expecting for my first errand of the night.
Seeing the refusal on my face, Don sighed, the sound heavy and long. "This is regrettable."
My mouth dried as the shadows he hid under his umbrella rustled. I had a feeling I knew what came next.
Before I could speak or even attempt to talk my way out of things, a sword of pure shining light appeared in his hand and a hard force wrapped around my ankle.
An inelegant squawk left me as I was jerked off my feet. I hit the ground hard, my face crashing into the cobblestone.
I blinked away the bright spots of pain and the blood now dripping from me split lip, scrabbling at the street as the unseen force dragged me backward.
Inch by inch, I slid closer to the doorway, even the increased strength of my vampire side doing little to help me.
I chanced a quick glance behind me, catching a glimpse of a tentacle as thick as my thigh wrapped around my ankle. Beyond it, through the door, an eye the size of my head peered at me.
With an inarticulate sound of denial, I fought harder, digging my claws into the brick. If they got me through the portal, I was dead. So very dead. Nobody would ever know what had happened to me besides Don—whose real name I was pretty sure wasn't Don.
A yowl that ended as a roar shook the night. Connor raced toward me with a furious expression, his fangs bared.
