Page 43
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.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43 (Reading here)
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156