Three hours later,I groaned. “Enough, please. I can’t do any more shopping.” Josh had already been back to the car six times, and Ilia appeared to have just hit her stride. “We’ve got all the clothes I need, and a cell phone. Now get me back to the Academy for my appointment with Louis.”
Ilia shook her head like she was disappointed in me. “I guess you’ve got enough. For now. But I still think you should have looked for a formal dress. We have a school dance next month.”
“Dances are not really my thing,” I told her for the fifth time.
“Mandatory attendance,” she told me, “which means you can’t weasel your way out unless you’re legitimately sick. It’s a supe bonding exercise, and it’s usually—”
“Boring,” Josh added.
I hid a laugh, and Ilia shot him a dark look. “Yes, it can be somewhat boring, but it’s also a great opportunity to wear a beautiful dress and eat awesome food and dance with anyone you want.”
“And the after-parties are always awesome,” Josh added, not exactly agreeing with Ilia, but smart enough not to openly disagree with her.
I sighed. “Maybe … maybe it would be fun to let loose for a change. We can get a dress another time though.”
Ilia didn’t argue, but her full lips were pressed thin as we strode from the last boutique. I had loved being in this little town. To see supes in the “real” world owning businesses and interacting with each other made all of it feel a little more real.
I hadn’t seen much active magic about, but definitely noticed a few things that would’ve had humans scratching their heads if they stumbled on it.
“That’ll never happen,” Ilia told me when I asked her about the possibility of humans finding Queensborough. “There are barriers and securities around the town, the same as around the Academy. If you’re human, you’d never be able to enter.”
Another tick in the “I’m not human” checklist. I loved it every single time that happened.
Just as we were about to hop in the car—the back seats were almost full of bags, but there was just enough room for me to squish in—I caught sight of something that made me pause.
“Uh, is there a race of supernaturals who like to cosplay?” I asked, squinting to see them better.
Ilia and Josh both spun to stare down the street, scoping out the newcomers.
“That’s not like any uniform I’ve seen,” Ilia said, and there was an undertone of worry in her voice.
I counted six of them approaching us, but I had a sense that there were more hidden in the background. They were dressed head-to-toe in black leather, with dark green and blue shimmery accents intersecting across their midsections and arms and legs. I only knew that because the shimmer reflected and was almost blinding at times. The strangest part was the headpieces. They wrapped right around to their eyes, looking a lot like scuba masks.
“Maybe we should go,” I said, an uneasy feeling settling into the pit of my stomach. “I … I think we should go.”
Ilia nodded and slid into the driver seat. I was already in, seat belt clicking into place. As she spun out of the parking space and slammed the car into gear, a blast of energy zoomed past, narrowly skimming our car, crashing into a vehicle parked on the street.
“Holy fuck,” Ilia said, her eyes flicking between all of her mirrors. “They’re definitely not happy about us leaving.”
The Mercedes picked up speed, and I didn’t even bother to hold on for dear life. Instead I turned to stare out the back window, gasping at the sight of them running after us. They were almost keeping up with the speed of a car.
“They’re gaining on us,” I said softly, not wanting to startle her. “What the hell are they? Shifters? Vamps?”
No way for me to tell with their faces covered.
Josh’s chest rumbled as he spun in his chair, his eyes darkening. “Vamps could move that fast, but they are definitely not vamps. Some of the demi-fey as well, but they’re not humanoid in shape, which rules them out too.”
Well, great.
“Are you going to shift?” Ilia asked, shooting him a quick look. “If you don’t, I can try and use magic to buy us some time.”
Josh shook his head. “I can’t shift in the car; I’d rip it to pieces. My beast is larger than a normal lion.”
For a second that freaked me out, until I remembered that I had much bigger issues to worry about. Our pursuers had not shot at us again, which was good, but they were also still chasing us. Which was bad. Very fucking bad.
“If we make it back to the school, then we should be safe,” Ilia said, trying to sound calm and cheerful about the whole situation.
“We’re not going to make the school,” Josh said, and despite his previous assertion, he was starting to shift.
