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I showed Asher mercy. Surely he realized that.

My stride became frantic, jerky.

I hadn’t yet seen another house, but if I followed this road for long enough, surely I would. And when I did, I could break in just like I broke out of Asher’s. Inside there would be phones. I’d painstakingly memorized the numbers of several Infernari who spent much of their time topside. I could place a few calls. Expedite my return. Or at least leave them some information about where I was, who I was with, and the threat looming over all of our heads.

Jame Asher.

He wasn’t just hunting Infernari. He was also destroying portals.

That was very, very bad. It took dozens of generations of portal masters to construct a single one, and then they had to be maintained. If we lost our gateways, we might never get them back.

All the more reason why Asher needed to die, why I felt so wretched for being unable to do this simple thing.

I heard the engine accelerate in the distance. It was coming for me.

I pushed my legs faster.

These humans loved their buildings, and yet I saw none. Naturally I was cursed to be held hostage with the one human who lived away from his people.

And now that infernal metal beast he drove was quickly gaining on me. I could hear it as the tires squealed and the engine roared. Abominable thing.

Far ahead I finally caught a glimpse of a house. There was no chance I’d make there before Asher caught up to me.

I threw a glance over my shoulder.

A mistake.

Asher’s vehicle was eating up distance at a frightening rate.

Jerking my head forward, I laid on the speed and sprinted with everything I had.

I still never made it.

Roaring, the vehicle swerved around me and squealed to a stop.

I didn’t slow. Rounding the car, I continued forward, my legs pumping. Sweat dripped down my brow from the exertion. I was no longer cold. Quite the opposite. I had one goal, and that was to reach the dimly lit house I made out in the distance.

Behind me, the car door opened, then slammed shut. I heard those heavy footfalls at my back.

Asher’s body would be even denser than Brad’s. All that muscle packed on his upper body should slow him down. And yet, the bastard was gaining on me. Fast.

I began to zigzag when I heard his heavy breathing no more than a few arm lengths behind me. Even this was futile.

He barreled into me, his arms wrapping around my torso, tackling me to the ground. I hit the road hard, my breath wheezing out as Asher fell on top of my body. I jerked my head back, cracking it into his skull.

“Fuck!” he roared, “Stop hitting me in the goddamn head!”

His hold didn’t loosen like I’d hoped it would. If anything, he tightened his grip.

I rolled us, trying to knock him off my back. He released one of his arms and clamped it around my neck. I wheezed, the strangled sound coming out of Brad’s voicebox.

He pulled me in close. “Thought you’d cut and run?” he whispered in my ear, and I felt the odd intimacy that comes with violence.

I jabbed my elbow up between our bodies, slamming it into his diaphragm. Asher’s breath left him in a whoosh. I flipped over him and drove my fist right into his temple. He grunted and gritted his teeth.

Perhaps I’d get another chance to kill him. I’d be able to live with his death if it was in self-defense.

But just as soon as I began laying into him, he flipped us once more, his legs straddling my hips. Asher’s fist slammed into my face, and it felt like an anvil. My vision instantly darkened, and my hold on Brad’s form dissolved. I tasted blood in my mouth, followed by the smoky taste of magic as it burned away.