And then the limo crashed. The
sudden impact shifted everyone’s bodies to back of the limo. We piled on each other. I spun off of bleeding Stacy. The limo rolled over until it and all of us were upside down. The back and front windows broke. Cracked glass flew everywhere. The floor rocked under me. Metal screeched as it bended. My hair fell in my face and blinded me for a few seconds. The guys continued to fight, but I didn’t know who was winning. I shoved my hair away.
What do I do?
I couldn’t shift anymore, not until I healed from Stacy’s kicks and punches. Not that shifting mattered. Regardless, I had no strength and couldn’t beat them up.
Thankfully, Wiz stabbed Pike in the chest and then sliced the side of his face.
Pike fell to the ground. These weren’t fatal wounds for shapeshifters, but it would give us time to get out of the car and run. That was our only choice. Wiz was a good fighter, but he had no super strength whereas Pike’s shifter ability gave him energy and loads of stamina.
Wiz can’t use his magic, either.
In order to do a spell, he needed time and concentration to cast it.
Blinking away the ache, I tried to rise
. Exhausted, Wiz fell back into me. We both dropped to the carpeted ground. Under the seat, I spotted a dead girl chained to the floor. She looked just like my mimic, Faye, but with a bloated face and violet skin—a color that a person got when they overdosed from the drug hemodrop. That rotting stench reeked from her. Holes covered her arms as if several vampires had feasted on her for days. It was another sign of too much drug use. Teens injected hemodrop in their arms nowadays. I’d seen it all over the street.
So this girl must’ve died with them while they all did drugs, and they decided to pin this on us.
“Just go, Cameo.” Wiz nudged my back. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
And then the habbie’s blaring
police alarm filled the air.
I sighed. “It’s already too late.”
Chapter 3
Without delay, Stacy slipped out of the limo
and fell to the ground. Blood smeared her face. Three habbies helped her up. Long blue guns with red tips hung in leather straps over their shoulders. Other cops switched their cars’ headlights and high beams on.
“They killed my sister!” Stacy
screeched. “And did something to my boyfriend. I don’t know why but—”
“Don’t worry.” A habbie crept our way
. He had a bald tattooed head and blond goatee. “We got a call about the attack.”
Phone call already? Yeah right. What a bunch of
were-bullcrap.
“When we get out
, run,” Wiz whispered. “Don’t look back. Don’t get something to move me to safety when I collapse.
“No.”
“This is different than the other jobs.”
“Why?
” I kicked away broken glass around my feet.
“
I’ve been avoiding a meeting with someone.” He clasped his hand to my arm. “I should’ve figured he would meet up with me this way. I can already feel him off in the distance, coming.”
“What do you mean? What are you talking about?
Why would someone go through so big of a set-up to meet you?”
“It’s not just the set-up, it’s the fact that he needs me surrounded by habbies, instead of being with me by himself. He knows I can’t protect myself from a large group of habbies, his people, and him all at the same time.”
“If you have any weapons drop them!” The habbie with the goatee stomped closer and pointed his gun at the limo. “Let’s not make this messy. Get out of the car.”
Wiz slid up behind me and
pressed into my back. “I’ll meet you later.”
“Everyone get out of the limo.” Goatee peered in, flashed his light on me, and froze. “Holy Mother Mary! What is
that?”
Wiz’s body stiffened behind me.
Goatee leaned his head to the side and studied my scales.
“I think we got some sort of white reptile shifter,” Goatee called over his shoulder. I slid toward him. He jerked back and stepped aside. “Don’t come too close to me
!”
Sighing, I exited the vehicle in the area farther away from him and stood up. The gown’s straps hung down to my elbows. The dress no longer f
it me and drooped around my hips.
“What are you?” he mumbled. The streetlights flicked on as dusk arrived.
“Mixbreed.” I tapped my forehead brand.
None of your business what I am! Not that I know anyway.
“What were your parents?” Goatee ba
rked. “Don’t play that weak mixbreed crap with me.”
Many people spotted the X brand and figured mixbreeds were weak. In fact, most possessed no power, but a small percentage carried some magic. The fact that he asked what my parents were showed he wasn’t a complete moron.
“It has tits,” someone in the far back declared. “Must be a girl snake thing.”
“I wonder what else she
has under that dress,” another joked.
Wiz stepped out. A growl boomed from his chest and echoed over our he
ads. His skin glowed pale white. Both of his eyes brightened with rage. Everyone targeted him with their guns.
“
My mom was an earth witch.” I scanned the area, counting the habbies. Six cars and at least twelve men surrounded us. Most toted guns. Others directed people and cars to turn around. Business owners propped closed signs in their windows and scooted customers out of their stores. Stacy disappeared among the crowd of supernaturals that scattered from the vicinity. Other supes fled the opposite way, except of course, for the homeless vampires who surrounded us with extended fangs.
“And your dad?” Goatee spat out a black glob near the tip of his shoe. “What was he?”
“I never met him. My mom said he was the devil.”
The habbie gazed at my slit eyes and took in the white scales over my face, arms, and legs. “
He probably was the devil.”
More vampires crept near the scene. Their full moon forehead brands reflected
in the cars’ lights. They adjusted their tattered clothes as they probably prepared to leap for us once the bullets ripped through Wiz and me. I didn’t fault them for their behavior. Vamps with no cartel connection begged and took blood whichever way they could.
“Hey!” Goatee waved his hand in front of my face. “Am I boring you?”
“No,” I muttered.
He came closer to Wiz and
me. “We got a phone call that someone stole a limo, killed a teenager, and attacked the rest!”
He yelled it as if for the benefit of the few witnesses who were racing away.
“It didn’t happen that way.” I shook my head as Wiz snorted. Three men headed to the limo, ducked in, and dragged Faye’s corpse out.
T
hey found her body too quickly. If I didn’t know this was a set-up, now would have clued me in.
I pointed to Faye
, anyway. “As you can see she’s been dead for a long time.”
Goatee smirked. “You have a lot of experience with dead bodies?”
Wiz placed his hands in his pockets, closed his eyes, and hummed an erratic tune. In order to do his spell, he needed time to concentrate.
Goatee gestured to Wiz with his gun. “What’s wrong with your friend?”
“He’s not a social person,” I mumbled.
Wiz’s chest vibrated, causing his white shirt to ripple.
Goatee pointed his gun at him. “Stop whatever your doing!”
“He doesn’t understand English, only Spanish.” I
tried to give Wiz more time as he prepared for his spell.
“Help,” Pike groaned from inside the limo. A long black haired habbie raced over and towed Pike out by his ankles. Dark red liquid leaked from Pike’s ch
eek and soaked his tuxedo shirt. “I’m dying! Help!”
What a baby.
An injury like that would only keep Pike in the hospital for a few hours.
“
Did you or your friend do that?” Goatee moved closer to me. I remained silent while the man carried Pike down the street.
“Let her go
home.” Wiz opened his eyes. It signaled to me that he was done preparing the spell.
“I kille
d the girl and attacked the guy,” Wiz continued.
“So
, he
can
understand English.” Goatee moved forward until he was only a foot away from Wiz. “We both know what this is, right? The Bearded Dragon doesn’t like to be ignored. He wants to talk and right now.”
Who is
the Bearded Dragon?
“He could’ve met me without putting a dead body in my car,” Wiz said through clenched teeth.
“The girl over dosed in his club. He figured he’d knock two things out at once.” Goatee rubbed the hair on his chin. “If you come nicely with me to meet him, then I won’t pin the girl’s murder on you. We’ll just write the report up to an over dose and notify her parents.”
“You wouldn’t pin the death on me if I didn’t come,” Wiz said. “He needs me out of jail so I can give him what he wants.”
Goatee leaned forward. “I wouldn’t bluff him, if I was you. From what I know, you’ll be dead by the morning.”
“I’ve known him longer than you could ever fathom.” Wiz bared his fangs. “But thanks for the advice.”
“I’m ordered to use force if you don’t come willingly.”
“Then you’ll die.”
No, Wiz. Don’t kill cops.
I searched the area
. No other witnesses existed on the street, but the habbies, vampires, Wiz, and me. Although, people were probably watching us from their shops, no one was willing to help.
I forced a grin. “
Maybe we can all sit down for tea tomorrow. I’m broke so the tea and cookies are on you.”
T
he habbies clicked their guns to a setting that caused the blue tips to brighten and give off a continuous buzz.
“I guess that’s a no.” I twisted my lips to the side.
Wiz clucked and signaled me to take cover. I dove to the ground. He raised his hands out of his pockets. Tiny amber stones burst from his fingers, soared toward Goatee, ripping his chest apart, and traveled through him. Goatee’s limp body collapsed to the ground. A shield of murky, green light exploded around Wiz and me and radiated a coal scent.
My whole view was now a shade of green.
The amber stones continued through the air. Guns blasted, but the bullets bounced off our light shield. The stones rose higher, unaffected by the bullets. With each inch, they widened, lengthened, and liquefied into balls that stretched and formed into the shapes of birds. Thick wings longer than my arms extended from them. A path of midnight black feathers sprouted. Silver legs grew. Razor sharp claws broke through. While large silver beaks emerged. They cawed and squawked. Their high-pitched noises rose around us. I covered my ears with my hands, but couldn’t deafen the racket. The habbies screamed as Wiz’s birds swarmed on them. They flapped their wings and widened their claws to attack.
“Eat!” Wiz roared. Rays of dark light
blasted from his eyes, pierced our shield, and bathed the space before us in shadows. “Eat!”
Blood dripp
ed from his nostrils and stained his shirt. The birds crowed and dove toward the habbies’ chests as they tried to flee. But there was no escape. The beaks pierced their flesh like steak knives slicing through Jell-o.
“Run, Cameo.”
Wiz swayed. Quickly standing up, I jumped behind him. He leaned his back on me and used my body as his foundation. I gripped his shoulder and hoped I could keep him up, but still he wavered. Sweat soaked his shirt. My hands stung as his skin turned blistering cold. I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip.
“When I fall, leave me.” Wiz’s voice cracked at the end.
He shook and gazed off in a distant direction beyond the habbies. “Someone is coming and I . . . rather you not meet him.”
“
You need me.” I peeked around his arm. “I’m getting you out of here.”
He parted his lips but no words escaped. His knees buckled. His eyes closed. Wormlike lines pushed up under Wiz’s face. A maze of sunken and
swollen skin spread across his arms and head. The lines rose half an inch higher and lazily wiggled as if they just woke up. Wiz screamed. The lines slithered, journeyed through his flesh, and circled his eyes and mouth.
No matter how many times I
see this I can’t get used to this.
I tried to hold Wiz up, but we crashed to the gro
und, slipping in blood.
In front of me, Goatee’s lifeless eyes gazed back as my face hit the wet pavement. My cheek exploded with shards of pain. The light shield vanished. Crunching noises flooded my ears while the birds feasted on
the dead. I turned away, unable to watch the scene. My stomach bubbled and churned in disgust. The odor of blood mixed with a coal scent drenched the area and forced me to breathe through my mouth. Even the vampires, who hung around like vultures hovering over a corpse, stood in shock with wide eyes and parted lips. They backed away step by step and then blurred off into the other direction.
I wished I could just run off too as I touched Wiz’s forehead. His skin froze my fingertip
s. He shook for several seconds and rode a wave of spasms.
It’s going to be okay. We’ve done this before.
I cried.
Wiz is strong.
Blood spilled out of his mouth and more streamed from his nose. I wiped it away from his face with my dress.
All magic had a cost. For some the price was minor. The moon commanded shapeshifter’s lives. It forced them to change, managed when they ate, loved, and had sex. Witches sacrificed their blood, skin, and other parts of their body to control the elements. Vamps lost the sun and hid from its damaging light. During the day, their magic cemented them into vulnerable statues. Even I depleted my energy each time I mimicked another. The longer I kept a copy’s form, the more my magic drained me. At times I slept for days in a comatose state and woke up drowning in hunger.
I studied Wiz as he trembled in my arms.
What’s your price?
Sure, he endured pain after he used magic, but
that wasn’t all he lost. Those things stirred under his skin, slid away from his eyes and nose, and glided across his chin. I tore his shirt open and observed them while they crawled down his neck. I touched one. It pushed against my fingertip and pulsed like it had a heartbeat. I shook away a shiver. All of the worms paused as if waiting for my next action.
“Do you need help?” a light voice sounded behind me.
“You should get out of here.”
I turned to see a
tall vampire with almond skin and blue eyes pat down her tattered red mini skirt. The brunette wig she wore had knots on the side and clumps of dirt in the front.
“I’m fine.” I returned to Wiz and froze. All of the lines now surrounded my fingers. A wave of unease crept up my spine like thousands of fat cockroaches tiptoeing across my skin. The lines edged closer and
quivered against my hand.