Page 28

Supes poured out of the warehouse, from within the smashed shipping crates around us—even from the water, climbing the quay. Elementals, demons, and shifters, surrounding the SPAR forces from all sides.

“Fall back to the vehicles!” Reyes’ command barked over the comms as spells blasted into the troops.

Weres shifted, running and leaping at the nearest targets.

A demon drew two shadowy short swords, the blades flickering like they didn’t really exist. Two officers went down—an elemental, with his throat ripped out, and a were, killed in mid-shift.

But the SPAR forces weren’t without their defenses.

Magic flared as spells fired off and devices were activated.

The SPAR hydro pulled in a jet of water from the harbor, sweeping two supes off their feet and washing them back over the quay.

The dryad wrapped an enemy shifter in her vines, strangling them.

Spells deflected off shields or failed to penetrate enchanted flak vests.

Our Humvee jerked to a stop twenty yards back. We kicked the doors open, boots hitting the concrete. “Stay here, sir!” Banner yelled as he and the two that had ridden up front ran to join their squads.

“We should stay back,” Kara said with obvious reluctance as she followed me out to watch from my side. “They’re trained for this; we’re not.”

Part of me knew she was right. The other part wanted to do something . But what? SPAR was the best the city had; if they couldn’t deal with this, who could?

Except they weren’t only surrounded; it was soon apparent they were outnumbered.

Two pyros targeted the first Humvee, blasts of aether hotter than normal fire quickly reducing it to molten slag. The chassis sagged as a wheel burst. The fire mages turned to the second, readying another destructive spell.

“Form a circle!” Reyes ordered, countermanding his previous command as it became apparent the enemy wouldn’t let them reach the vehicles.

The surviving SPAR troops gathered loosely together, huddled near a shipping crate, defensive aether flaring.

Attacking spells shot in, flashes of color that impacted on shields, bright enough to dazzle and leave a corona of light in their wake.

The dryad was in the center, casting healing magic as fast as she could. Reyes had grown two feet, shifting into a satyr form, muscles bulging where none had been before. He lifted his great sword like it weighed nothing, shooting a tornado of air out at the nearest supe.

“Fuck,” I breathed. It came out as barely more than an awe-filled whisper in the face of the destruction unleashed before us.

A were-cat of some type sprung out of the shipping crate nearest me, two more on its tail. It looked half-hyena, half-panther, dark fur with oversized shoulders and a square head. A dozen feet away and coming on fast.

Kara’s nimbus flared to life as she straightened. Her horns appeared, curling back to protect her, eyes turning red, and her tail lashed the air. Without thinking, I reached for her magic, her aether nimbus flowing over my head, chest, and arms, graying my vision.

Should’ve brought a weapon.

The cat leaped for me, but Kara’s whip wrapped around its torso, yanking it out of the air and slamming it to the ground. Yet nothing stopped the one behind it as it pounced.

I crouched beneath it, then drove up with the force of both legs, meeting the underside of its jaw with my fist. Just like the earth elemental I’d fought on campus, the blow was born of desperation, not any kind of martial prowess, but it struck true.

The cat’s head snapped up and it flipped in mid-air before slamming into me, driving me back against the Humvee, the impact stunning me.

“Master!” Kara yelled. With a snap of her wings she was there, gripping the were-cat by the scruff of its neck and flinging it away like it was a kitten, not two hundred pounds of pure muscle. Her hands roamed over my arms, my shoulders, checking for injuries. Each breath was a small gasp.

“I’m fine,” I said, though the flak jacket squeezed my bruised ribs, and each breath came sharp and stabbing.

The cat lay on the ground where Kara had thrown it, neck snapped, head twisted around.

It had been dead before it landed on me, only its momentum had carried it on.

There was no doubt I’d borrowed Kara’s strength; I could never have struck such a blow otherwise.

Maybe some of her speed as well. It had kept me alive.

“Oh God,” she cried, “I thought you were dead.” She grabbed my face in both hands, kissing me fervently, her lips tasting of tears.

“Kara—” I tried to push her away. She gave a little sob and kissed me again. “There’s another cat.”

“I killed it.” She let out a shaky breath and turned to check—but for that moment, there were no immediate threats.

Yet in those few seconds, the situation had grown dire for the SPAR troops.

From the fifteen that had started, only eight were still standing, most of them bloodied.

Another fell as a spell sliced through the side of his neck.

The whole fight had lasted less than a minute; they couldn’t survive another at this rate.

“We have to get them out,” I told Kara, pulling open the passenger door of the Humvee, wincing as my chest protested. I clambered over into the driver’s chair, Kara climbing in beside me.

“They’ll target us as soon as we move,” she said, voice firm again, her moment of panic forgotten.

“Then we better be fast.” I stabbed the starter switch. It was a military vehicle—no key—the priorities speed and simplicity, and we needed that.

The engine rumbled, loud and rough, and I slammed my foot to the floor. We shot forward, smashing aside the flaming wreck in our way.

Half the enemy supes reacted, spells blasting into us. The vehicle rocked as it was hit on both sides, and a window shattered as an ice lance burst through. The wheel jerked as a tire blew, the rear fishtailing as the run-flat fought for traction. I gripped hard, clenching my jaw.

A were-bear rose up before us, one enormous paw swiping out.

He was too big to hit without damaging our only way of escape, and I twisted the wheel, swerving around him.

His claws caught the frame, metal screeching beside my head and buckling under the blow.

I flinched as something struck above my eye, splitting the skin.

Then I was past, yanking the wheel around to skid the Humvee to a stop beside Reyes and his troops.

We were between them and half the enemy supes, though others still had clear shots.

Blood stung my eye. I dashed my sleeve across it, smearing crimson over the white fabric.

I couldn’t afford to lose half my vision, not with all our lives in my hands.

“Get in!” Reyes yelled over the comms, but no one needed prompting.

They pulled open the door, cramming in without worrying about seats or comfort, bodies piling on one another.

Not far away, the flame mages raised their hands, readying a large spell.

“We’re going,” I yelled. I had no throat mic like the troops, and hoped everyone not yet inside was smart enough to climb onto the running boards.

I gunned the engine as flames engulfed us, shooting in through the smashed rear window as we leaped forward. But the supes inside had shields up, blocking the heat from penetrating.

The Humvee skidded around in a wide circle, sending our enemies diving for cover.

The tires bit in and I stamped on the gas, engine howling.

We raced back the way we came, clipping a mage that wasn’t fast enough to get out of our path, and he spun away with a crunch.

I drove for the open space between commercial buildings; the run-flat tire thumped erratically, the damaged rubber slapping the underside with every rotation.

The warehouse fell back in my rearview mirror.

I jinked the wheel as spells followed us, two hits making the vehicle shudder, but the distance grew swiftly.

Reyes leaned between the seats and got on the Humvee’s radio, his voice much deeper in his satyr form.

“Control, Control. Warehouse was a trap. I say again, warehouse was a trap. Twenty—two-zero—enemy supes still alive. Request backup. We have dead and injured.” He released the button and looked at me.

“And we’d have a lot more if it wasn’t for you, sir. ”

I nodded once. Nothing needed to be said.

“Copy, Captain Reyes,” Command replied over the comms. “Evac helo enroute, ETA six minutes. Standby.”

Reyes ran his eyes over the nimbus of dark aether that covered me, flicked a glance at Kara, and sat back without a word. She cast me a look and let her magic recede, her horns shrinking then disappearing entirely as she reapplied her glamour, the red glow in her eyes fading back to green.

It was a bit late to keep secrets when we carried seven SPAR officers.

Once we’d driven far enough, I slowed. Two of our troopers clung to the vehicle’s side, and the last thing we needed now was more injuries.

I pulled off the road between two large buildings, and rolled to a stop.

They leaped off and the doors opened, other supes spilling out to give those in need more space.

“How bad is it?” I asked, getting out too.

“Two seriously injured. We lost eight,” Reyes said bitterly, then added in a rumble, “Better than we deserved.”

Still in the back, the dryad healed those most in need, her hands glowing green with her aether.

The rest stood around with expressions ranging from loss to anger.

Banner was there, the elf too. His eyes widened as he recognized me, flicking to Kara and back.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again with a snap.

“Something to add, Farron?” Reyes snapped.

“No, sir.” The elf—Farron—nodded at me. “Grateful to the Assistant Director, sir.”

There was a murmur of thanks and relief from the others.