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Juggernaut groaned as he started after me, Grove trotting along with him.

“We’ve taken out two of the targets,” Grove announced over the radio. “We’re now tracking the third miasma boar, heading north towards Main Street.”

I pushed myself, following the clear trail of damage the rampaging third boar had left: it had smashed the side of a black SUV, thrown a motorcycle up on the sidewalk, trampled two pots of flowers, and bent a stop sign pole in half.

At least it’s late, so even the bars are closed. It doesn’t seem like the boar has encountered anyone, so there are no injuries. But we’re getting closer to Main Street…

I made sure I kept Grove and Juggernaut within hearing range as we ran. Whenever I got too far ahead, I’d take a closer look at the damage—pausing just long enough to take a few pictures—then sprinted ahead again when they caught up.

I didn’t want to risk getting too far away from them—task force protocol was to stay together.

But when I could hear the boar a street or two ahead of us, I made the call and kicked up my running speed to close in on the animal.

The boar had made it all the way to Main Street and was rooting around in a greenspace on the shore of Fairy Lake.

I had to slow a little bit so I’d be understandable as I unhooked my radio and pressed the button so I could talk. “I’ve got eyes on the last miasma boar: Main Street, in the park on Fairy—”

Something slammed into me, throwing me off the sidewalk and into the middle of the street.

I would have been tossed clear off my feet, but I dropped my radio and caught myself with my gloved hands, managing to maneuver myself into a roll that transformed my momentum so that I popped out of it landing on my feet and standing.

“Good evening, slayer.”

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Jade

Iyanked a dagger free and spun around, my heart sputtering when I saw the micromanaging vampire with the charmed hood, Ruin, standing on the sidewalk turning my radio over in his hands.

“This is the device you use to contact your squadmates?” he asked, his voice conversational and yet so deadly it set off every internal alarm I had. “It seems very old and inconvenient when mobile phones exist.”

I swallowed and tried to listen for Juggernaut and Grove, but I couldn’t hear them—though they would have been hard for my human ears to pick up over the grunts the miasma boar made as it rooted around in the lush green park lawn. “What do you want?”

Ruin tossed the radio with one hand, catching it without even looking at it. “Entertainment.” He squeezed the radio, crushing it in his hand. The plastic broke, and my radio gave one last ear-piercing blast before it died.

Ruin dropped the pieces of my radio so they hit the sidewalk in a rainstorm of plastic knobs and bits of metal and wire. I had to rely on my years of training to keep my body relaxed, my breathing even, and my heartbeat steady—I didn’t want this powerful vamp figuring out how much he freaked me out. “You’re that excited to watch me wrangle a wild boar?”

Ruin shifted towards the miasma boar. “Yeah, I thought you’d show up soon when that thing meandered down here. But no, that’s not the entertainment I was referring to.”

My heart dropped to my toes. “I don’t have time to play,” I said. “I’m busy.”

“I’m touched, you already know me so well.” He stepped off the curb, approaching me where I stood in the middle of the empty street. “But I’m afraid I simply won’t accept that I come behind apigin your list of priorities tonight.”

I swapped my dagger for my sidearm—maybe if I shot him, he’d back off, though I didn’t have much hope.

He’s twisted enough that he’d probably be delighted.

Ruin bowed at the waist. “I’m feeling generous tonight, so I’ll even let you have the first hit.”

“In that case, I pass and choose the pig.” I started to turn to face the boar, but I didn’t really have any hope this would work.

“Slayer, slayer, slayer,” he tsked. “Well, you made your choice. A disappointing one—I’m sure you’d be even more fun if you started the fight, but, alas.”

I felt him move before my eyes caught up with him.

Acting by instinct, I jumped to the side to avoid him and then struck out, intending to use my pistol like a hammer and hit him in the head.

He caught my wrist and held it high above my head, which left his side open so I rammed my knee into it.