Page 70 of Cry of the Firebird

A tall man stepped in front of her, and Katya dodged the blade he swiped at her stomach. She kicked him hard in the knee, bringing her elbow up to crack him in the head. Then she turned and ran like hell.

Sweat soaked her back, and the butt of a handgun rubbed irritably against her hip. Pain shot through her thighs and lungs, but Katya didn't dare slow down to look behind her.

In the back of her mind, her father's voice came through unbidden and unexpectedly.You have let yourself get slow and weak. You are supposed to train harder in Skazki, not waste your time hunting animals and flirting with the beast youshould be killing. She pushed herself harder to prove him wrong and looked for a place to make her stand.

Katya reached out with the spark of magic she had in her, searching for Anya's mind.Anya! They are following me. I am keeping them away from Trajan's, but I don't know how many they are. Hurry!

Anya gripped her head,almost buckling over with the sound of Katya screaming inside of it. "Oh, god, Katya! We need to find her. We need to go now!" she said urgently and ran out into the house. "Izrayl!" She didn't know what room he had taken, but she would need his help.

"What's wrong?" he stumbled sleepily into the hallway, buttoning up his jeans.

"Katya's being attacked. She has left the mansion and is being followed," Anya said and grabbed his hand to drag him toward the stairs.

Izrayl's sleepy expression turned razor sharp, his eyes glowing with the wolf inside of him. "We'll take my car. Where the fuck is she?"

Anya shook her head. "I don't know. Katya said her flat was in Montmartre somewhere."

"I'm coming," Trajan said, pulling on his coat.

"I'm driving." Izrayl ducked back into his room to get his keys and pull on a black shirt.

"I don't want you coming with us. The Darkness wants you, not Katya. You'll be playing right into their hands," Trajan said to Anya.

"I'm the only way to find her! I'll stay out of the way," she argued and grabbed her coat and her boots. This wasn't the wayshe had planned the night to go, but she couldn't leave Katya to be captured either. Anya met them at the elevator just as Izrayl was tucking a gun into the back of his jeans.

"That stupid girl! She should've known better than to go out by herself," he muttered darkly. "If they don't kick her ass, I will."

"Let's just get her home first. She's a hunter and probably thought she didn't need help because she can handle herself," Trajan said.

Izrayl growled. "She's like all hunters. Hot-headed and reckless."

The garage was huge and housed at least twenty cars, and they all looked expensive and fast. Izrayl climbed into the driver's seat of a black muscle car. Trajan took the passenger side, opening the back door for Anya before he climbed in.

"Put your seat belt on. Izrayl likes to drive like a maniac," he warned.

Izrayl started the engine and took off up the curving ramp that led out onto the road. The automatic door was already open as they roared out into the street.

Katya, Anya tried hard to concentrate on connecting with her as the lights flickering past distracted her.Show me where you are.

Anya!She saw Katya with her knives out, and for a moment, Anya could feel her fear as she ran past a brightly lit carousel.

"She's running. There's a carousel and a park," she said, trying to make sense of the images.

Anya didn't know anything about Paris to identify where Katya was, so she reached out and grabbed Izrayl's shoulder. Setting her teeth, Anya forced the image of Katya fighting for her life into his mind.

"Holy shit!" Izrayl swerved but kept the car on the road. "She's running through Square Louise Michel. God damnDarkness is right up her ass." He changed up a gear, and the speed dial jumped.

We're coming, Katya. Hold on.

Izrayl wove through the streets, skidding and sliding with little regard for stoplights or other cars. Ten minutes and many curse words later, he slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the vehicle. Within a blink, he had shifted into his wolf form and was gone.

CHAPTER FORTY

Katya had been cornered near the monumental fountains and was forced to make a stand. The creatures were similar to those from the train, their fingers morphing into long claws and moving so fast, she barely had time to block them.

Katya screamed as one of her attacker's long claws ripped through her side. She fired her gun, and it clicked a hollow sound that signaled she had finally used her last bullet.

Fuck.

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