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“I will not allow this,” Mal’s tone has lowered to the point of being unrecognizable.

My spine stiffens, and Ben’s arms fall away from me as he takes two big, wary steps back.

“What did you just say?” I turn to face the dragon calmly.

“I will notallowthis! You willstay here!”

“Uh-huh,” I keep my face blank so the volcano explosion of rage doesn’t show.

“I mean it-”

His words are cut off as I put him to sleep mid-step towards me. He falls to the floor, catching himself with his face. Everyone watches, and there’s a prolonged silence afterward.

Oddly, Kimi gets revealed after Mal takes his nosedive. He had been standing behind him for who knows how long. His eyes meet mine, and if I wasn’t so pissed off, I would have taken a step back at the violence in his eyes.

“Anyone else?” I ask and lean forward, keeping eye contact with Kimi in a silentI dare you.

Kimi steps on Mal’s form as he comes towards me, body full of aggression, and my eyes narrow, body tensing. He goes around me to open the front door and stands there, waiting.

“Take Kimi with you at least,” King hovers over Mal’s prostrated form.

“Still a TGT agent,” I point out.

“He never goes out,” King informs me. “No one truly knows what he looks like, and his glamour can change at his will.”

“You never go out?” I ask in surprise. Kimi doesn’t turn away from staring at the wall or respond to me at all.

“It’s usually best if he doesn’t,” King says. I mean, I can see why. He’s a lunatic. Obviously, a broken lunatic right now. What is going on with him?

“Agreed, he’ll come with me,” Ben says, surprising me.

I look back at him with wide eyes and try to understand his logic. Is a group of berserkers or whatever else bad enough that he needs backup? Backup from a male that wants me dead? What is the risk/reward scenario here?

“No one will notice him.” Ben places his hands on my shoulders as he tries to reassure me.

“No one will notice the male dressed like a soccer mom with a suit jacket and obvious homicidal tendencies?”

“Trust me, baby. Compromise.”

21. Outlaw

Popping is a little different since Ben started giving me tips on controlling myself in the gray realm. He recommended walking the lines like a tightrope, so I come out the other side right side up. It's a life-changer right there. Bonus? The lines get shorter with each step, so I don’t lose any time when I want to quickly get from point A to B.

I walk into the hallway from the gray realm confidently. Ben’s trick on how to stay upright seems to be working well. I didn’t fall out onto the floor or land on my head.

Tip-toeing to the stairs, I try to see into the pub, but it’s a waste of time. The stairs are too narrow for me to have a clear view. I make my way down slowly and assess things as I go. By the sounds of it, several males are downstairs, murmuring. No one seems stressed, and no screaming is going on, so either berserkers are cool with gore, or they feel no pain. Possibly both.

On the third step, I pause. Al sees me from his vantage point and then returns to the glass he’s drying. When he sets it down, he flicks the towel over his shoulder and turns to grab shot glasses. He sets out eleven of them but doesn’t fill them with alcohol. Instead, he begins cleaning each one as slowly as possible.

Eleven people. Your service, Al.

I nod to show him I saw, and he never takes his eyes off the glasses he’s started to wipe down as he dips his chin back.

Nudging the spark back awake is like shaking a toddler dosed with melatonin. There’s an opening of the eyes but a vacant expression. I stretch out for a scan and find lifelines leading to eleven figures in the center of the room. There are no traps or hexes, just the people. Once I’m done, the spark hides as if to say, ‘No more wake-ups.’

I come down the rest of the steps as if I belong here and turn to the table. The males seated there have steins in front of them, but no one is drinking. The mood around the table is somber.

They’re all dressed like Humans in denim and casual shirts, some with longer beards, others clean-shaven. But they’re all broad and strong and probably tall as well. Go figure. Four of them have sunglasses on. Inside. With the bad lighting in the pub? Weird.