Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
The sensation has nothing to do with the eclectic group of beings already out and about currently. The population of Kanghri is more diverse than anywhere else on Threshold. It’s not just people who are local to the realm on the other side of the island’s portal who reside here. They’re tall and gaunt to the point of being eerie, their skin various shades of gray that match the rocks that create most of the island of First Sister. Their fingers have several more digits than humans and their joints bend both ways, the better to climb with.
Intermixed with them are people who look human enough that they could have come from half a dozen different realms. There are also small populations of minotaurs, satyrs, and Aadi’s people. The name for the latter is a series of clicks and whistles that is incredibly difficult to replicate without a beak.
No, what makes my instincts spring to alert is the feeling of being watched that plagues me from the moment I pass into the town limits. I’ve never actually seen someone watching me—and I certainly don’t today—but the sensation is there, pressing uncomfortably against my skin. “Just stay near me and don’t steal anything.”
“Okay, look, I know I stole from you the moment we met, and yes, I did lift a few things off Hedd when we were on his ship, but …”
I take several steps, only to realize that she’s not at my side. I curse. “Evelyn—”
“Oh fuck.”
I spin around, responding to the fear in her voice. She’s not looking at me. She’s not even looking in the direction we are headed. She’s half turned to where we can see the docks. This late in the day, the space is filled with people coming back from work in Mairi. The crowds are quiet and orderly, no one pushing or shoving. There’s nothing there that should put that tone in her voice. Except … On my second look, I realize what caused her fear. Or, rather, who.
Lizzie.
As if she can hear my very thoughts, the dark-haired vampire pivots in our direction. She’s wearing different clothing than the last time we saw her—her fitted pants and shirt obviously sourced from somewhere on Threshold—but she still has that damned rifle over her shoulder. I can’t see her eyes clearly at this distance, but there’s no mistaking the way the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. She’s seen us. Fuck. “If we go into town—”
“It won’t work. We can’t be sure she won’t cause a scene. And if she does, other people will get hurt.” Evelyn takes several steps back, heading toward the cliffs we just came from. “We have to eliminate the possibility of collateral damage. Which means we have to run. Now.”
There’s no time to argue. Not when Lizzie is heading in our direction, her long legs eating up the distance. Even the crowd isn’t enough to slow her down. People scatter in front of her, minnows before a shark.
I’m right on Evelyn’s heels as we race out of town. This feels like a mistake, but she’s right. We can’t afford a massacre. Both for the loss of life, and for the attention it would attract from both local authorities and the Cŵn Annwn. The problem is that I am nowhere near full strength; not magically, and sure as fuck not physically.
Lizzie almost killed me last time. As much as I would like to blame that fight on a similar level of exhaustion, the truth is that the more I think about it, the more I am certain that she could take me even at full strength. Her concentration is too good, and her powers are too fearsome.
If she can take me, then she will certainly kill Evelyn.
We careen around the corner, breaking the line of sight. I hook Evelyn around the waist and steer her toward a narrow canyon that’s almost invisible from this angle. “Go in there. Hide. Create a shield. I’ll lead her off and handle this.”
Her breath comes just as harshly as mine. We haven’t even run that long, but after the fight yesterday and the long trek to town today, our stamina is at an all-time low. That doesn’t stop Evelyn from glaring at me fiercely enough that I actually take a step back. She points a finger in my direction. “You did not give me all those honorable speeches last night and this morning only to kill yourself by way of my ex-girlfriend.”
“I thought you said she wasn’t your girlfriend.”
Her jaw drops. “Of all the silly, useless things to focus on right now. I swear to the gods, Bowen—”
She never gets a chance to finish that sentence. A wave of agony hits me so hard that I stagger. It doesn’t stop. Instead my body lifts and flies several feet to slam against the cliff wall. I grunt in pain as I crumple to the ground.