thanks to all the murders people were choosing to stay home at night. Which meant no witnesses to the massacre that was about to take place. Evie shifted her focus to the Mixen in front of her.
‘You guys take the Thirsters,’ she murmured to Ash and Vero. ‘Let me handle the acid freaks.’
‘With pleasure,’ Ash answered, peeling away to the right.
Evie stopped a few paces away from the Mixen, rolled her neck to loosen up her muscles and readied herself. She expected them to come straight for her, trying to get an early hit in – it’s what she would do in their position. But as she got closer the one nearest to her faltered, lost her confident stance and went hopping backwards, grabbing her companion by the arm.
‘It’s her – it’s the girl,’ she hissed, her eyes brightening with fear. ‘The White Light.’
Then, without a second’s warning, the Mixen took off, running down the street, heels flapping. Evie paused mid-step. That was unexpected to say the least.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the silver light trail as Vero’s blade sliced through the air and then a high-powered roar as Ash started raking the sidewalk with flames. A hissing pop followed by high-pitched squealing told her all she needed to know about how that fight was going.
Evie turned to focus on the remaining Mixen who was still standing there, staring at her. Evie lunged fast, swinging the blade low, aiming to cut his legs out from under him but the Mixen leapt backwards out of reach just in time. She stalked him, forcing him into a stumbling retreat until she had him boxed into the charred doorway of the Bradbury. He cowered low, holding his hands up, begging for mercy.
Evie hesitated. She was used to unhumans fighting back. What was the protocol when they tried to surrender? Should she just kill it anyway?
In the split second she stood there pondering it, the Mixen dived towards her. His hand closed around her wrist and she let out a scream, feeling the acid sinking through the skin and muscle until it stripped through the nerve.
Without thinking she raised the blade she was holding in her hand and swiped blindly, hearing a yell and a hiss as the Mixen released her wrist and went tumbling to a heap on the ground. His hand flew straight to his shoulder where she’d slashed him through his sweater. Evie stood over him, grimacing as she nursed her wrist. He whimpered up at her pitifully.
‘Go on then,’ she growled. ‘Get out of here, and tell your friends and whoever else that if they come out to play with any humans, if they flout the revelation law, that the rogue Hunters are going to finish them. If I see you again, I swear to God I will kill you.’
The Mixen stared at her wide-eyed and then, gathering his wits, he got to his feet and started edging away from her with his back to the wall.
Evie watched him run and then turned back to the others. Vero had sliced the head clean off one Thirster and its body was now lying in pieces in the middle of the road. The second one she’d backed into a corner. He was limping, and his eyes were wide red oceans as Ash raked him with fire. He went up as if he had gasoline in his veins. Evie staggered backwards, throwing her arm over her face to block the heat.
‘Watch out!’ she heard someone yell right behind her.
She spun around in confusion just as her blade was whipped from her hand. She made out only a greenish blur in front of her face and then in the next second there was a Mixen lying at her feet.
It was the same one she’d given a free pass to. He had sneaked up behind her. Goddamn. What had she been thinking, letting him go? As she watched, the body vanished, leaving only a pile of torn and dirty clothes on the sidewalk.
Evie turned her head in shock towards the person who’d snatched her blade from her hand and saved her life. He was standing with his back to her, still clutching the shadow blade, which was dripping dark spots of blood onto the white paper slippers he was wearing. It was the homeless guy in the green scrub trousers she’d seen earlier.
What the hell? Evie pushed the hair out of her eyes and stepped forward ready to thank him, but