“There.” She waved to the older, short brick building smooshed between two taller ones.
“Go.Now!” Aerén sprinted off, disappearing around the bend into the nearby alley.
“C’mon!” She tugged Kel’s hand and ran toward their four-story building, racing up the steps to the front security door. She got out her access card and opened the door, then hesitated as Kel shot past her. She glanced at the alley Aerén had disappeared into.
“Leya, you coming?” Kel paused in the foyer.
“Not yet—”
“You’re going after him?”
“What? No.” Dammit, she didn’t want to lie, nor did she want Kel following her.
Aerén was a visitor here. While his moral compass might be straight as an arrow, she doubted he was aware of the real dangers of her city. No, she couldn’t fight off an army of thugs, but she knew how to keep her ass safe. And leaving someone in danger wasn’t her style.
Anyways, she had her trusted pepper spray. Her father’s motto wasBetter safe than sorry.
“I have to go to the store. I need milk.”
“I’ll come—”
“Kel, go home before Nancy calls your mother and tells her you’re missing,” she reminded him, trying to hide her edginess.
“Maaannnn.” His little shoulders sagged. “Fine.” He trudged off to the stairwell, then glanced back. “You’ll tell me if there’s blood, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “No.”
He grinned and raced up the stairwell, soda gripped safely in his hand.
Gah, boys, and gore!
Mace found and fisted, Leya ran down the steps and sprinted toward the alley. She cut through the dark path, bypassing the dumpsters and piled crates. The sounds of grunting and growls—like wild animals—reached her.
What the heck?
The stench whacked her in the face.
Christ! Did someone throw their darn rotten eggs into the dumpsters?
She scrunched her nose, keeping her breathing shallow. As she neared the commotion, she flattened herself against the wall, then peered around a stack of crates to the alley’s dead end.
And froze.
Figures moved like the wind, too fast for her to track, leaping against walls—
Jesus, that damn stink!
She pressed her nose to her biceps.
Among the several lanky figures, she picked up Aerén’s sky-blue hair beneath the faint moonlight. He spun around with a flying kick. Hell, he literally flew in the air, taking down three at once, then he dropped to his knees and grabbed the fallen man. A flash of silver, and he sliced the man clean across his carotid. Blood exploded like a geyser as the man collapsed to the asphalt, shuddering in death.
Oh shit—oh shit!Leya inched back, tripped, and collided with the stack of crates. She lost her balance and fell along with the containers, crashing to the asphalt, the sound echoing in the alley.
Aerén glanced back and swore.
Adrenaline pumping, she scrambled up and ran, or tried to. Hands grabbed her hair, hauling her back. Everything blurred at the pain in her scalp. Eerie laughter echoed, icing her veins. The thug spun her around. His face came into view, and eyes like red moons gleamed. God! His stench had bile tracking up her throat. Did he not bathe?
“Finally, one delicious human all for myself.”
