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The monster was in the crowd, ripping into people who screamed and ran for their lives. It took out half the audience on its way to the doors, throwing them into the walls so hard, their spines broke in half.

And then it ripped those doors right off the hinges. Wood and steel exploded into the night-darkened marketplace of the Umbra Forum as it took off into the city.

Darien jumped to his feet. He was through the warped hole at the top of the cage and landing on the cement floor beside the ring before he knew what he was doing.

Casen stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, fingers grasping his filthy shirt. “Have you lost your damn mind?!” he thundered. “You’re not actually going after that thing!”

“If I don’t, then who will?” Darien demanded, nostrils flaring.

The Butcher’s hand fell from his shoulder. “You’re serious. You crazy bastard, you’re serious.”

A warlock who worked for the Butcher ran over to them. “It’s heading for Angelthene Boulevard,” he panted. “They’ve got the whole road closed off for the carnival.” Eyes that were alit with terror flashed to the Butcher. “There are thousands of people there, man.”

The carnival.

Shit. Families were there. Children.

Darien faced Casen. “You got a burner?”

The Butcher asked no questions before finding one in the pocket of his trench coat and handing it to Darien. Darien dialed quickly.

The phone rang. As it rang, Darien said to the Butcher, “Where’d you find it? The demon.”

“Baited it in the sewers. Used—”

Travis picked up. “Who’s this?” The two words crackled from bad reception.

“Trav, it’s me.”

“Darien?”

“Did you talk to Loren? Where is she?”

He didn’t hear the question. It was either that or Darien didn’t hear him address it. “We’re looking for Blue…” crackle “…Dominic and Blue…” crackle “…attacked…” crackle “…we’re at the carnival…”

Darien’s blood drained from his face. “Get out of there, Trav!” He started pushing his way to the door, stepping over bodies and debris, shoving hysterical people aside as he moved.

“What’s going on?” The question was nearly cut off as the call threatened to drop.

“There’s a demon heading straight for the boulevard!” Darien bellowed. “You need to get everyone out, do you hear me?”

Travis cursed. He tried to say something else, but the call nearly dropped again.

“Now, Trav!” Darien barked, hoping like hell that Travis heard the warning. “Now! Right fucking now!”

—

Where he stood beside Dallas, not far from the river, Max’s eyes turned black. Fast as he could, he sifted through the endless muddied auras crowding the black market, searching for the source of that blood-curdling roar.

Something was heading this way. Something big. Powerful.

But it had no aura.

Max had no time to consider how that was possible, because it was barreling straight for them.

Whiter than bone. Big as his SUV.

It was a monster just like the one in the library of Angelthene Academy, except bigger. Swifter. A force of nature, it downed everything in its path. Stalls were smashed into smithereens, splinters of wood and metal slicing through the air. People were killed with swipes of claws and a barbed tail, blood and guts misting walls and sidewalks.