Page 33 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
“Straight across from us to the east.”
Shifter vision was better than a human’s, but after a minute, I made out three figures walking up the road. They were heading toward the back of our target building. Would they go there? We’d had a few false alarms since beginning our stakeout.
They didn’t act paranoid like the woman the day before and walked casually as they chatted with one another. I’d nearly deemed them innocent when they detoured toward the rear of the building. None of them carried anything, but they moved quickly once they’d entered the back alley. We lost sight of them at that point.
I kept scanning along the street. “Let’s wait and make sure they don’t come out the other side.”
“Agreed.”
We watched and listened for a full minute, but they didn’t reappear farther down the street. They’d definitely gone inside.
“Alright.” I glanced at Freya. “That’s gotta be the guys.”
“Yes. May I rip them apart with my claws and teeth when we get in there?”
I lifted my brows. “It will be hard to question them if you do that.”
She sighed. “Humans are so fragile.”
“Let’s go,” I said.
Since Freya was obviously a shifter, and most people in town could recognize me, we couldn’t move casually toward the building to avoid alarming the three guys inside. They’d react the moment they spotted us. Instead, once we exited the laundromat, we sprinted across the intersection as fast as possible and kicked down the front door. It hit the floor with a loudthud. They came into view as the dust settled, eyes rounded.
“Stay right there,” I said, pulling my sword.
The three men hovered over the white box the woman had delivered yesterday. Apparently, they’d been too busystudying its contents to notice our approach, but their gazes were filled with alarm.
I moved slowly toward them with Freya by my side. She held a long dagger and an expression that said she meant business. Our prey glanced at each of us, cursed, and took off running for the back door. The last of the men shoved the table with the box to the floor so the contents flew at our feet. A bunch of small cloth-wrapped objects scattered across the tile, and I barely managed to avoid tripping on them.
The men were surprisingly fast, but getting the back door open slowed them down. It was old and the humidity had swelled the frame, so they had to pull hard to open it. As they yanked on the knob, I grabbed the closest guy and threw him at Freya, uncaring if her touch burned him. The other two had gotten the door open enough that one began squeezing through the narrow opening.
I barely caught the wrist of the next man and dragged him to the center of the room. With no time to consider another option, I smacked the flat of my sword on his head, knocking him out cold. As soon as I was sure he was unconscious, I took off after the one who escaped.
His steps smacked loudly as he sprinted down the alley in the opposite direction as his group had come. Before becoming a slayer, my short legs hadn’t allowed me to pick up high speeds. After my transition, I got faster, even more so after years of fighting dragons. I could move at speeds I never dreamed of before, which certainly came in handy on days like this.
I dashed for the man, keeping my eyes on his blue T-shirt. He’d gotten enough of a head start that it would take me a minute to catch him, but I didn’t doubt myself for a moment. As he turned a corner, I put on even more speed.
Boom!
A loud explosion sounded to the north, shaking the ground beneath my feet and making my ears ring. Plumes of smoke rose from that direction, but I couldn’t spot the source. What the hell had happened?
As much as I wanted to find out, I couldn’t afford to get distracted.
My prey had slowed his pace and taken the time to glance between the blast location and me with a wicked grin. That mistake cost him. I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled hard, so he fell on his butt on the cement. Taking my sword, I pointed the tip at his neck.
“Don’t even think of trying anything,” I warned, nicking his skin enough to draw a drop of blood. “You’re going to get up slowly and return to your friends now.”
Annoyance flared in the man’s eyes, but after a moment, he did as I ordered.
We returned to the building and found Freya had the other two men sitting beside each other. The one I hit lay unconscious, and the other gripped his arm where she’d left a mild burn on his skin. No doubt he didn’t want to give her a reason to touch him again.
“What were you guys doing here?” I asked, shoving my newest captive toward his buddies.
He sat beside the one I’d knocked out and stared at the tile with a stubborn expression.
Freya crouched in front of them and glared. “You don’t want me asking the questions.”
Seriously, she was menacing despite being beautiful in her human form. The female shifter could pull off a threatening vibe like no other when it suited her. I was glad to have her as a partner and hoped I never made her angry. It was no wonder Ruari had become a better-behaved man after feeling her wrath enough times.
