Human bodies.
What did I do?
I crawled over to Rafe. His eyes were closed and I observed his chest rise and fall.
He was alive.
I pulled out my phone and called Kami. “I need everyone on the rooftop of this address. Make sure you bring Briar. They need a healer.”
“Who?”
“No time to explain.” I gave her the address.
“Will you meet us there?”
“No, I have to go.” I hung up the phone and ran to the spiral staircase.
Romeo Rice was going to regret his decision to throw me to the wolves.
Romeo thought I was dead, which meant he wouldn’t feel the need to hide. If he did have any lingering doubts about my survival, he’d go to pack headquarters where he’d be protected.
Except he also had the stone. Would he risk bringing the stone into a building full of werewolves? The results would be catastrophic.
I needed to get that stone.
Unfortunately, I’d already sent the knights to deal with the berserkers on the rooftop. A tactical error.
I sprinted down the block with the phone to my ear trying to get ahold of Mack.
No signal.
Because of course there wasn’t. Thanks, unreliable satellites.
Barnaby appeared in the sky ahead of me. Looked like my hunch was right.
The raven noticed me and cawed.
Lead the way, friend.
I streaked across the city on foot. With each step my mind replayed what happened on the rooftop. I’d never exploded before. After releasing so much magic, I felt energized. I knew it wasn’t normal. My witch friends became drained when they used too much. With me it was like an invitation to a magic rave, which was one of the reasons I fought for control over it. I didn’t want to lose myself to magic. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.
Well, almost anyone.
Romeo would have no reason to rush. Depending on how he traveled to Sloane Street, there was a chance I could beat him there.
I took every shortcut I could think of. There were benefits to growing up on the streets. You learned to get around the city in a way that most residents were oblivious to.
Barnaby hovered ahead. In the glare of the streetlights, I caught sight of Romeo’s tall frame.
Gotcha.
He turned the corner toward pack headquarters. I had to hurry.
I turned invisible and cut through the crowd. I didn’t want to risk him glancing over his shoulder to see me.
I rounded the corner and was relieved to see he’d stopped at a food stall. Smart business decision, parking across from pack headquarters. Lots of hungry werewolves.
Barnaby flew close to my shoulder without landing on it. “I’ll handle Romeo. You get that satchel and fly straight home with it.”
The raven cawed and ruffled his feathers.
I ran through my options. My weapons were too dangerous. Any passerby could end up as collateral damage.
My gaze landed on a nearby fire hydrant. That would do the trick. Maintaining my invisibility, I whipped out Babe and used the axe to break open the hydrant. Water gushed from the spout and flooded the street. People scurried out of the way.
I used my elemental magic to forge a connection with the water. It swirled up into a six-foot cyclone and rotated across the pavement until it reached Romeo.
“Now, Barnaby!”
The werewolf was so distracted by the water cyclone that he failed to notice the raven. With his beak and claws, Barnaby wrenched the satchel away and took to the sky.
Romeo jumped in the air and grasped the strap of the satchel. Water splashed over him and he lost his grip. I watched with satisfaction as Barnaby flew high into the sky with the satchel.
Romeo sniffed the air, picking up my scent. “You.”
I didn’t give him time to act. I concentrated on the water droplets that clung to him and lowered their temperature until they froze.
Romeo advanced. Water solidified and crunched as he tried to move forward but to no avail. The werewolf was encased in a layer of ice.
I turned visible and sauntered closer to him. “Still think you’re hot stuff?” I patted the top of his head. “Might want to put that thought on ice.”
At the end of the block, I noticed two vampires in uniform charging toward us. Someone had called the authorities. As much as I wanted to avoid them, I had to stay and offer a report.
“I’m London Hayes of the Knights of Boudica.” I showed them my badge. “This is Romeo Rice. He’s responsible for the death of one werewolf and the kidnapping of at least four more. He’s pretty strong. I’d suggest getting him to a cell before the ice melts.”
The vampires inspected my badge.
“And tell Prince Maeron,” I added. “He’ll want to know.”
17
“How much did we make from the pack job?” Kami strode into my flat like she owned the place.
I closed the door behind her. “You’re not going to like my answer.”
Kami stooped over to pet Herman. “If the pack won’t pay you for all that work, report them. That’ll get their checkbook out.”
“It’s not that simple. Romeo hired me without pack permission. Nobody knew what he was up to. They said I should’ve reviewed the contract more closely.”
Kami scrunched her nose. “There was a contract?”
“I’ll refrain from answering that.” I’d never hear the end of it from Minka either.
“The good news is that Simon said he received the funds to repair the damage to the pub, so I guess the pack decided not to be stingy with their own kind.”
That was good news.
“You said all the werewolves were alive when you got to the rooftop?” I asked.
Kami nodded. “We kept them calm while Briar healed their superficial wounds. Can’t help with the psychological damage though.”
The pack would take care of them—I hoped.
“Why are you here? You said everyone’s meeting at the pub. Go enjoy the evening. You earned it dealing with those drunk centaurs.”
“And so have you. Come with us,” Kami urged. “Darts. Pitchers of ale. I’ll even lure Minka to stand in front of the dartboard like that time in The Crown.” She smacked my arm playfully. “Come on. What more could you want? It’ll be a blast.”
As much as I wanted to join them, to feel like part of the team, there was something more important I had to do that couldn’t wait.
“Another time, I promise.”
Her face drooped. “Spoilsport. You used to be fun, you know.”
I smiled. “Really? I don’t remember that.”
She pretended to glare at me. “Yeah, you’re right. You’ve always been a party pooper. It’s why I joined the knights in the first place. To have more than one friend to throw darts with.”
“I thought we did that so we could eat.”
She wagged a finger at me. “Next time it’ll be knives instead of darts.”
“In that case I’m definitely coming and you’d better make sure to invite Minka.”
She blew me a kiss and left. I closed the door and leaned against it with a weary sigh. I reset the ward, knowing there were multiple pairs of eyes burning a hole in my back.