squeezed his hand just a little tighter as he led me through the crowd.
8
ON SUNDAY NIGHT, WILL AND I WERE PREPARING TO meet Ava and Marcus to hunt the last nycterids. I struggled with what to wear for patrolling gear. Ava’s comments about my outfit shouldn’t have bothered me, especially since she was a reaper and the freezing February air didn’t bother her like it did me. I had to stay warm out there, or I’d be shivering like crazy instead of defending myself. I rummaged through the winter clothes in my closet with the door shut while Will waited. There was a pair of leggings that I went running in that would work. Fighting in stretchy pants would be a lot easier than in jeans. A turtleneck sweater might be enough to keep me warm, since I could just discard my coat if anything attacked.
“Are you ready yet?” Will called.
“Just a sec.” I tugged on a black turtleneck and then realized that my leggings were also black. There was no way I was dressing up like a ninja. I threw off the sweater and picked out a purple one. Huge improvement. I scrounged through my shoes and picked out a pair of cute purple snow boots with fur trim to match. Even bigger improvement.
I emerged from my closet and found Will sitting on my bed. “Have you been staring at my door since I went in there?”
“There wasn’t much else for me to do,” he said. His gaze dropped to my feet, and his brow flickered. “Nice boots.”
I put my hands on my hips and glowered at him. “You’re really mean.”
He laughed. “I just complimented you!”
“No,” I growled. “You’re making fun of my boots. I’m not stupid.”
He shook his head, grinning. “Are you ready finally?”
I picked up my scarf and coat. “Yeah. Are you?”
“Yeah. I’ve been waiting.”
I laughed and tossed my scarf into his face. He caught it effortlessly.
“You probably shouldn’t wear this out hunting, anyway,” he said, examining it and frowning.
“Why not? It’s pretty and warm.”
He held it out. “It’s easy for claws to grab. Strangulation is a bad way to go.”
I scowled and grabbed it back. “Fine. I won’t wear the scarf. I swear, you guys just want me to freeze to death.”
“Once you get moving, you’ll warm up.”
“Not likely. It’s like ten degrees outside,” I grumbled.
He grabbed my sweater, tugging me closer to where he sat, and gave me a fake serious look. “Stop whining.”
I swatted at his hand, forcing him to let me go. “I’m going to kick your ass.” I smoothed my sweater back out.
He laughed and rose to his feet. “Really. You look like a cupcake. Are you ready to go? We have to meet them in a half hour and it’s already dark out.”
I saluted him. “Yes, drill sergeant.”
We parked my car in a safe lot downtown and walked quite a ways into a grubbier area. The demonic reapers liked to hunt in the rougher neighborhoods. Fewer people walking around at night meant there were more quiet places to kill and feed without interruption. We found Marcus sitting on the stoop of an abandoned, boarded-up house.
“You aren’t still mad at me, are you?” Marcus asked as he came down the steps.
I let out a breath and walked up to him. “No. Just remember what I said.”
He grinned playfully. “I remember everything.”
Ava landed to my right, making me jump. She must have stepped off the roof. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and she matched Marcus in the same sleek black outfit as the other night. “Do you have any preferred method of patrolling?” she asked, her gaze lingering on my leggings. There was just no making her happy, I decided.
I stared at her. “Method?” I looked at Will.
“We’re on combat patrol,” he explained gently to me.
We’d never discussed terms to describe our hunting habits. We went out, looked for reapers, maybe killed one, and went home. I didn’t know there were other ways of doing it. “Which means we go out looking for bad guys, right?”
Will turned to Ava. “We don’t practice advanced tactics.”
Ava’s brow flickered and she said nothing.
“Don’t give them such a hard time,” Marcus said. “They get the job done, obviously.”
“If they were more organized, then the Preliator would have a better track record of staying alive.”
That stung. My jaw tightened and I tried to smile. “Well, maybe I’ll just leave you to show me how it’s done, then. Staying alive, I mean. Best of luck.” I