Page 28 of Wicked Little Tricks

“I don’t know,” I panted, my lungs already burning.

I nearly crashed into a woman coming out of a doorway.She screamed, then stumbled back inside. We caught a few odd looks as we ran, but no one tried to help us. The number one rule of the Dark District is to never interfere. Anyone who walked these streets did so at their own risk.

I didn’t have time to shout out a warning as a vampire dove for Braxton, knocking him from his feet. He rolled, flinging the woman off him to smack into one of the street lanterns. She crumpled to the ground, then scraped her hands across the sidewalk, pushing herself up.

Her fangs glinted in the yellow lantern light. “My quarrel is not with you, wolf. Give me the girl and walk away.”

Braxton blocked me with his body. “You need to run, Eva. I’ll hold them off.”

I shook my head, though he couldn’t see it. “No way.”

He turned his head just enough for me to see his face as it started to go furry. Shit, he was shifting to protect me. “I’ll be fine.” His voice had gone all deep and gravely.

I staggered back as another dark shape darted between us, then my eyes caught up to my brain and I realized it was Lilith. “Go,” she ordered. “They want you. I will help your friend. Go across a boundary where they cannot find you.”

Crap. Braxton’s arms were elongating, going fullwolfman.

Lilith flashed her fangs at me. “Go,” she hissed, and this time there was a hint of compulsion to her words. “I will protect your friend.”

Shit, I could not hang in a fight between vampires and werewolves. Another dark shape appeared. It was the shorter man who had originally ordered me apprehended. Realizing that they would try to chase me rather than wasting time on Braxton and Lilith, I turned and ran.

Now that I wasn’t keeping up with Braxton, I shifted slightly. It wouldn’t help if someone got a firm hold on me, but it would make me more difficult to grab. I wouldn’t be exactly where they thought I was. I couldn’t help a glance back at the sound of fighting. It seemed Lilith had brought some friends. I watched long enough to see a female vampire breaking free and heading my way.

I ran harder, my muscles screaming at me. The Dark District was on the eastern edge of town. Most of the boundaries were pretty far away from each other. It wasn’t like the angelics were going to set up shop next to the goblins. There would only be one boundary anywhere close.

And that was the Bogs. Great.

“Duck!” my messenger bag shouted.

Ringo. I had completely forgotten about him. Tucking the bag close to my body, I rolled just as a vampire sailed over my head.

My shoulder hit the ground too hard, sending ashock through my chest. I shifted slightly again, staggered my feet, and kept running just as the vampire righted herself and came after me.

I veered around a building just as she grabbed for me again. I shifted again, feeling her fingers scrape across my arm.

Several people were coming out of a back entrance of an establishment. I ran right into them, pushing my way through. They shouted after me, then there were more shouts as the vampire reached them.

Not willing to risk another glance back, I kept running. The path leading to the Bogs was in view. I put my head down and sprinted despite my body’s protests.

No one chased me down the long path. Maybe I would get lucky and they wouldn’t leave the dark district. My heart leapt as I neared the gates, then my elation plummeted. In front of the gates stood three vampires.

I slowed to a jog, then stopped, barely able to stand straight as I tried to catch my breath. My shirt was soaked with sweat. They must have heard what Lilith told me and came ahead. Two men, one woman, all dressed in black.

The woman spread her arms and tilted her chin down, framing her face with her long blonde hair. “You will come with us now.”

I looked at the gates behind them. If they were open, I might make it through. Once I crossed the boundary, they wouldn’t be able to follow me.

But they were closed tight. There wasn’t time for me to mess with them.

“We have to try,” Ringo squeaked, his little head poking out of my messenger bag.

He was right. If I tried to run anywhere else, they would capture me. Maybe they didn’t want to kill me, but whatever they wanted I was sure it wasn’t good. Not with how Lilith had tried to get me out of there. I didn’t have time to think about why she was helping me. I just desperately needed to get into the Bogs. It was a thought I never imagined I’d have.

I shifted my feet. None of them were moving from in front of the gates. They didn’t want to risk me getting through. I’d just have to charge in and hope my shifting was enough to keep them from grabbing me.

I ran. They spread their arms, ready to catch me. At the last minute I threw some leftover costume jewelry from my bag into the woman’s face. It only distracted her for a split second. I reached the gate, but it was already opening. Not questioning my luck, I shifted to run through, but one of the men grabbed my arm. Faster than I could follow, Ringo scurried out of my bag and up my chest. His teeth sank into the man’s hand. The man ripped his hand away, nearly flinging Ringo from me. I caught him with both hands, shifted, then rolled across the boundary.

Mud coated me, and stray cobblestones bruised my body. I ended up in a heap, curled around Ringo, panting as I looked back across the boundary.

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