vacant parking lot. The damp ocean air made her skin goose-bumpy.
Suddenly, Kara stopped and grabbed her head, a whimper escaping her throat. “No. No. No.” This was worse than usual. Way worse. It went beyond strange dark feelings and nausea. This hurt. “It’s something bad.”
She raised her head, scanning the vacant lot. “Not just lust and anger. This isn’t going to be a typical neuter job, Abbs.” Her voice sounded like she’d swallowed glass.
Whatever they were tracking was an evil Kara hadn’t encountered before. There was no way she could allow Abbey to get any closer until she knew what they were dealing with.
With a casual gesture, she reached in her waistband and depressed the syringe’s plunger. Then she stopped and made a disgusted face. “Shit! The manza leaked all over my skirt.” She pulled out the syringe and held it up to the dim streetlamp. “There’s nothing left! Cheap-ass diabetic needles.”
“Oh, crap.” Abbey squinted at the empty syringe then ran a hand over Kara’s saturated hip. “At least it didn’t poke you. I mean, I love you and all, but I can’t carry you home from here.”
Kara touched the sticky leather and shook her head. “Can you make more?”
Abbey paused in thought, taking in a quick calming breath then letting it out again. “Yes. I have the herbs and the purified water, I only need a few drops of red wine and some salt. I can do this.”
“There was a liquor store a couple blocks back.”
Abbey grabbed the syringe from Kara’s fingers then turned and headed in that direction. “Come on,” she whispered over her shoulder.
“No, I don’t want to get any farther from the trail. The violence is fading, but so is the woman’s energy.”
Abbey stopped and poked a finger at Kara. “Fine. But don’t you move from that spot until I’m back.”
“I’ll be right here.” Kara gave her a thumbs-up, but as soon as Abbey was gone, she turned back down the street and cast out her mental net, straining toward the darkness.
She drew in the stale scents of city sidewalks and smog and found something else tickling her nose. Something metallic that made her hair stand on end. She followed her nose down a small street, old brick businesses on one side and a construction site surrounded with chain link fence on the other.
She couldn’t see much better than the average person, so she was thankful the moon splashed a pale yellow glow into the shadows. Except for sight, she had more acute senses than the other witches she’d met, and she was a hell of a lot stronger. She would have traded those little perks, though, for the ability to mix a spell. Even as adults, Abbey’s circle of witchy friends politely snubbed Kara because of her defect. In high school—they’d been outright cruel.
Kara wrinkled her nose and glanced around, sensing a shift in the energy. A large dumpster was against the wall to her left and the scent of blood wrapped around it, permeating the night air. When she walked past the edge of the dumpster, she saw a man dressed in jeans and a gray hoodie standing over a body on the ground, his face angling down and his hands moving busily in front of him.
“Hey!” Kara shouted, heading straight for the man. “Get away from her, you son of a bitch!”
He glanced up in surprise. “Wh—huh?”
She couldn’t sense the evil in him, but by the look of his blood-streaked hands, he was as guilty as hell.
“You like to play rough with ladies?” She stopped a few feet from him and gestured to her chest. “Here I am.”
The man glared at her with bloodshot eyes, his greasy brown hair peeking out the edges of the hood. “You’re crazy. I wasn’t hurting her. I was just looking for a cell phone to call the cops.”
When Kara glanced down and got a good look at the woman for the first time, her blood ran cold. The unconscious brunette’s face was badly bruised and oozing from several spots, as if she’d been beaten with a blunt object.
Suddenly, Kara stopped and grabbed her head, a whimper escaping her throat. “No. No. No.” This was worse than usual. Way worse. It went beyond strange dark feelings and nausea. This hurt. “It’s something bad.”
She raised her head, scanning the vacant lot. “Not just lust and anger. This isn’t going to be a typical neuter job, Abbs.” Her voice sounded like she’d swallowed glass.
Whatever they were tracking was an evil Kara hadn’t encountered before. There was no way she could allow Abbey to get any closer until she knew what they were dealing with.
With a casual gesture, she reached in her waistband and depressed the syringe’s plunger. Then she stopped and made a disgusted face. “Shit! The manza leaked all over my skirt.” She pulled out the syringe and held it up to the dim streetlamp. “There’s nothing left! Cheap-ass diabetic needles.”
“Oh, crap.” Abbey squinted at the empty syringe then ran a hand over Kara’s saturated hip. “At least it didn’t poke you. I mean, I love you and all, but I can’t carry you home from here.”
Kara touched the sticky leather and shook her head. “Can you make more?”
Abbey paused in thought, taking in a quick calming breath then letting it out again. “Yes. I have the herbs and the purified water, I only need a few drops of red wine and some salt. I can do this.”
“There was a liquor store a couple blocks back.”
Abbey grabbed the syringe from Kara’s fingers then turned and headed in that direction. “Come on,” she whispered over her shoulder.
“No, I don’t want to get any farther from the trail. The violence is fading, but so is the woman’s energy.”
Abbey stopped and poked a finger at Kara. “Fine. But don’t you move from that spot until I’m back.”
“I’ll be right here.” Kara gave her a thumbs-up, but as soon as Abbey was gone, she turned back down the street and cast out her mental net, straining toward the darkness.
She drew in the stale scents of city sidewalks and smog and found something else tickling her nose. Something metallic that made her hair stand on end. She followed her nose down a small street, old brick businesses on one side and a construction site surrounded with chain link fence on the other.
She couldn’t see much better than the average person, so she was thankful the moon splashed a pale yellow glow into the shadows. Except for sight, she had more acute senses than the other witches she’d met, and she was a hell of a lot stronger. She would have traded those little perks, though, for the ability to mix a spell. Even as adults, Abbey’s circle of witchy friends politely snubbed Kara because of her defect. In high school—they’d been outright cruel.
Kara wrinkled her nose and glanced around, sensing a shift in the energy. A large dumpster was against the wall to her left and the scent of blood wrapped around it, permeating the night air. When she walked past the edge of the dumpster, she saw a man dressed in jeans and a gray hoodie standing over a body on the ground, his face angling down and his hands moving busily in front of him.
“Hey!” Kara shouted, heading straight for the man. “Get away from her, you son of a bitch!”
He glanced up in surprise. “Wh—huh?”
She couldn’t sense the evil in him, but by the look of his blood-streaked hands, he was as guilty as hell.
“You like to play rough with ladies?” She stopped a few feet from him and gestured to her chest. “Here I am.”
The man glared at her with bloodshot eyes, his greasy brown hair peeking out the edges of the hood. “You’re crazy. I wasn’t hurting her. I was just looking for a cell phone to call the cops.”
When Kara glanced down and got a good look at the woman for the first time, her blood ran cold. The unconscious brunette’s face was badly bruised and oozing from several spots, as if she’d been beaten with a blunt object.
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