Chapter 4

Chicago had a consistent buzz in the air that you get accustomed to regardless of if you like it or not. I rejoice in it every time the soles of my boots brushed the asphalt of the streets as I joined the sea of humans rushing to reach whatever destination they had in mind. It fascinated me to see them hurry and do everything they set out as a goal for the day, pushing exhaustion aside as if meeting that person, or buying that loaf of bread would change their world forever or prevent their life from slipping through their fingers before they have time to blink.

So much tension. So much frustration surrounded them as I passed, it was choking me every time I took a deep breath.

"Excuse me." A middle-aged woman muttered as she bumped into me, her shoulder thumping mine in passing, and as my eyes connected with hers she recoiled from me wide-eyed the mane of ash blonde strands lifting around her face as if from static. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought she saw the monster I knew I was behind the youthful face and polite expression.

"You're good." I forced a closed-lipped smile and sped up my steps to get away from her. From all of them, actually. It was on me that I didn't spare a second to check my appearance in the mirror before I left as fast, and as quietly, as I could so the shifter wouldn't see me.

Earlier in the day when Dominic and I rushed to Alice to check on her, I realized that I couldn't just sit around and wait for some miracle to happen. I had to go and find a solution that would help bring my friend back to how she was.

First, however, I had to know if the Council was recovering quickly. Or if luck would heal them slowly enough to give me time to help Alice first. In my bloodlust I caused a lot of damage to the Syndicate. Unfortunately, Isiah and Frederic were very good at hiding behind their goons. So, they were out there somewhere in a hole like some roaches waiting for the right moment to strike. It won't do us any good to find help for Alice just so they could snatch her and use her the way they'd used everyone. She would be better off dead if you asked me.

Samir took it upon himself to take care of my friend; so, I decided to address the issue of the prophecy he shared with me, what feels like a lifetime ago, at a later date. I had no idea if he told Dominic about it as I asked him, and I hope he didn't share it with Rowen. It made me sound petty, but I still didn't trust the witch.

There was just something about him.

Ducking in a dark alley between two rundown buildings, I waited for the majority of the crowd to dissipate before I decided that stepping out in the open again was safe. It wasn't very late into the evening, the sun having just set an hour or so ago, and the air was still filled with moisture thick enough to drown you. It was sticking to my lungs with each intake of breath, forcing me to put in an effort just so I could breathe. Leaning my head back on the bricks, I closed my eyes and for the first time the sigh passing my parted lips sounded as if all the weight in the world just exited my body. It made me so lightheaded I almost missed the sound coming from the second railing of the fire escape across from me. The second a shoe scraped over the metal everything in my stilled, time slowed down to a point a blink of an eye became eternity.

Whoever it was realized their mistake at the same time, and they froze, not even taking a breath, as we both waited to see what the other would do. I immediately knew my stalker was not human. Their heartrate was too even in the predicament they found themselves in instead of kicking and punching behind their ribcage. It was impossible for a human to hold their breath that long without passing out either. What set me off the most was the lack of scent.

If I was truthful, I expected Dominic to be his usual stubborn self and nip at my heels the second I snuck out of that cursed house. My stomach dropped at the realization I was of all things disappointed that he respected my wish to be alone. Something he obviously shouldn't have judging by the fact the person following me got tired of waiting and dropped into the alley nimbly on her toes while I was stuck with my own thoughts and totally forgot she was there.

Yes, it was a she, which was unmistakable when she was in sight.

If that was a Guardian or some mercenary the Council paid to kill me, I would've been long gone without realizing it.

What in all the worlds was the matter with me?

A tiny slip of a female rose up from her crouch, flicking her long dark braid over her shoulder as she did so. Each movement was loaded with self-confidence, that she was exactly where she needed to be and she had the certainty she would be the one that would walk out of the alley, not me. Misguided as her expectations were, I had to give her credit for first impressions and take a second to truly look her up and down.

Given what I had been through and the fact the Council was searching for me dead or alive, I should've been more careful. But supernatural females were rare and precious. For every ten or more males there was one female. Killing one without a second thought would be the greatest crime of them all. And me?

I was not the Council.

I did not kill without reason even if it was a male.

‘Tell that to all those souls you sent to the underworld while you were in bloodlust.'A voice in my head mocked me souring what little decency I had left in me and refused to stop clinging to.

"This is pleasantly surprising." The female yet again yanked me from my thoughts, her voice cultured and crisp like she just answered my request to speak to a representative.

Cocking her head to the side, which made her braid swing like a pendulum over her shoulder, she spoke to me conversationally as if we were two friends meeting up for brunch. I couldn't make out her face since she strategically dropped from the fire escape between me and the exit of the alley, placing her back to the light but there was no mistaking the body of a warrior. The light glow from the street formed an outline around her forcing me to squint in hopes I could catch the color of her eyes which would've helped me recognize her species. Anything would've helped really.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see a thing, so I figured I'd play her game for the time being.

"It's usually cooler at this hour, but I would agree with you that it's not horribly hot." I answered and it worked just as I expected it would.

"I was talking about you, not the weather." She tilted her face sideways and laughed. Enough light broke through to show one side of her face. It passed over the rounded cheekbone, quite long lashes, and the glint of her iris. Her eyes shimmered and brightened for a split second to give her away as a demon.

Taken by surprise, I flinched back, something she didn't miss. All humor left her, and she stiffened, slightly bending her knees in preparation for an attack. My body reacted accordingly, moving my feet slightly apart and relaxing my shoulders so I could move fast if I needed to.

Everything about the situation was off. The Council sent a demon after me? And since I was not trying my best to remove my clothing, she was not a succubus sent to drain the life out of me. I've heard stories about them, it's a very unpleasant way of dying I'd been told but never had the opportunity of meeting one in person. Male or female.

"You're a demon." I blurted out, opting for the truth.

"And you are an Atua." She countered neither accusing me nor judging me for it.

"My guess is the Council sent you to hunt me down, so let's get this over with. I have places to be." Rolling my shoulders, I took a step toward her.

"They did hire me, but I didn't accept the job so I could kill you." Lifting both hands to her sides, palms up, she countered my movement by stepping back and maintaining the distance between us. "I've been following you for the last few weeks and maintaining my distance because I didn't think you would be willing to stop for a moment and talk. Everything I've learned about you is that you kill first, you check who and what you separated from the land of the living later." Slowly, purposely she turned her body so that I could fully see her. "I thought I was wasting my time trying to chat to tell you the truth."

Chocolate color skin glistened in the light, beautifully outlining the muscles of her toned arms. A leather vest was wrapped around her torso ending an inch above the waistband of the skin-tight leather pants which looked spray-painted over the legs. There was nothing apart from her long braid that anyone could grab and use against her in a fight. It spoke of experience and promised death to any opponent.

Her demeanor, the tone of her voice, her heart rate and her body language did the right thing though and told me she was speaking the truth. Her only mistake was admitting she accepted a job from the Council. There was not a soul in this world or any other that would risk double-crossing them by agreeing to anything and not following through.

She was still turned, her upper body slightly back and to the side, an awkward enough position that would work to my advantage when I strike, and I took the chance. Swiping my foot in a wide arc, I took her feet from under her following it through with an uppercut punch that caught her chin and whipped her head back. A satisfying crack bounced off of the dirty walls around us breaking the silence and I smiled at her grunt when the air left her lungs the second her back hit the ground.

With surprising speed, she was up and backing me into a corner, her smaller size giving her an advantage with speed. My offensive attack turned into defense, and I hoped I didn't make a mistake of underestimating the demon. My arm hurt every time I deflected her punches, and my shins were bruising from the strength of her kicks. We were moving so fast dust was picking up and forming tiny tornadoes at our feet but neither one of us was backing down. And that's when it happened. For the first time in my life that I could remember someone managed to best me in a fight.

The female performed a side kick and threw both her hands in front of her the second her feet touched the ground, and she was facing me. Red threads of magic burst from her palms and hit me like a ton of bricks at the center of my chest, punching all the air out of me. Searing pain spread through my entire body, and I had no time to think when it knocked me out. The last thought I had was the regret that I would never see Dominic again to tell him how much he meant to me and that I'm sorry that I'm so damaged that I can't be what he needs.

Darkness swallowed me whole.