Finding slivers of space to slither through between panicked people, he kept the red shirt in his sights, watching him go for the back exit. He was so single-minded in his pursuit that he knocked into a person blindly, stumbling into a nearby table of drinks.
The stench of alcohol burned his nose as it splashed into his face and hair, and he cursed, wiping the liquid away and scrubbing it from his face and eyes.
Pushing off the table with a low growl, he raced for the exit door just as a red shirt slipped through it.
Wren hit it with force, sending it flying into the outside wall.
Heaving, panting breaths filled his small chest, the chill air of the night hitting the liquid drying on his bared skin as he searched the darkness of the back alley.
A familiar twitter drew his gaze up, and there was Blu on the closest roof. He had followed him all the way here and he was indicating a direction like he already knew what Wren was looking for.
Wren sprinted into the darkness, trusting Blu implicitly, and there, at the end of the alley, was a flash of red.
Hearing the unusual twitter echo through the alley, the red-shirted man glanced back over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he spotted Wren on the other end.
“Cursebreaker.” Wren heard the whisper on the wind.
Wren stumbled for a moment, wondering how he’d guessed before he remembered the wetness on his face. He looked down to see makeup smudged all over his hands from where he had wiped it.
Damn it.
The red-shirted man fled again, this time with more purpose.
Wren heard a door bang open behind him but ignored it. Picking up speed, he followed like a bloodhound, catching the guy in red just as he reached for the handle of a black van. With no other option, Wren maintained his speed and broke his momentum on the guy’s back.
He grunted as they both ricocheted off the van and landed in a heap on the ground.
Wren’s ears were ringing and he thought he could hear an echo of his name. His spotty vision settled, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar vial rolling on the pavement.
He reached for it at the same time Red did, seeing a tattoo on the back of the guy’s hand just before he snatched it first.
An eye.
Wren looked into the man’s face in shock and saw him grin. He had two gold teeth at the side of his mouth. “Gotta go, sweetheart.”
He jumped up but Wren grasped his leg, making him trip and curse. He booted Wren in the chest to try and free himself, but Wren held firm, opening his mouth and biting into his calf.
“Motherfucker!” he screamed, shaking his leg as his fist clenched, about to come down on Wren’s head.
Something connected with Red’s face first.
The disruption dislodged Wren’s grip and Red slipped away, Wren looking up to see Teddy standing there and shaking his hand out while looking furious.
“Two against one is a little unfair, dontcha think?” Red drawled, looking between them.
“Touch him again and see what happens,” Teddy growled, the sound coming from low in his throat like an animal.
The guy took a step to the side, closer to the van.
“Don’t even think about it,” Wren snapped, coming up on all fours. “You’re coming with us and answering every question I have for you.”
“Think about what, sweetheart? You caught me fair and square.”
They didn’t notice him dipping into his pocket until it was too late. It started as a wisp of smoke between his fingers and quickly turned into an all-out fog.
Teddy stumbled back, pulling Wren with him as the thick gray ash cloud grew larger, making their eyes stream and their lungs constrict. They began to cough uncontrollably.
“I don’t play fair though!” Red shouted over their coughing. “Toodles!”
