globe of ice surrounded by whirling, searing flame.
“It’s over Prax; you can’t win!” Rann howled over it. “Surrender!”
“To you? Never!” Prax shouted.
Then, he did something Rann hadn’t expected. He coiled up tight to the wall and propelled himself forward, straight at the living avatar of flame.
Ice coated his body, evaporating almost as soon as it was formed. But the self-sacrificing technique had caught Rann completely by surprise. The two impacted, falling to the floor, their respective elements fading away into nothing within seconds as they wrestled, grappling for better position.
Rann managed to slither around back first, but Prax drove an ice-coated elbow into Rann’s bleeding midsection, tearing the wound open more. Rann bellowed in pain and anger and replied by grabbing Prax’s other arm and wrenching it hard in the wrong direction. Prax howled and resisted, trying to pull it back into his chest.
So Rann, gripping tight to the wrist, smashed his head into the elbow from behind, dislocating it. Prax cried out sharply, and in his pain, he managed to twist out of Rann’s grasp and get to his feet—
Just in time to receive a blast of fire straight to the face.
The flames burnt away his eyebrows and turned Prax’s skin red before he could put it out with his ice. He tried to respond, but Rann was already surging to his feet, and he caught the unprepared shifter with a mighty uppercut that lifted Prax from his feet and deposited him, unmoving, on the ground, eyes wide and unseeing.
Rann knelt over him, a flaming blade coming to rest next to Prax’s jugular.
“It’s over,” he snarled when the other shifter finally came to. “Yield.”
Prax looked ready to continue, but once he came to his senses and saw his predicament, he relented. Self-preservation won over pride. He nodded but never stopped staring at Rann, hatred in his gray eyes promising that it wasn’t over between them.
“Come on,” Rann said, stepping back, offering a hand. “Good fight.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Prax hissed, and Rann had to duck out of the way of an icy blast. “I’ll never take your hand.”
Rann watched the other shifter get to his feet and head back to his changing room.
“Whatever,” he muttered, and did the same.
He had other, more important things on his mind. Like what was he going to wear to his date that night.
Gayle might not be picking up her phone, but she hadn’t canceled on him, and until she did, Rann had every intention of showing up and showing her a fun time. After all, that’s what dates were supposed to be.
And he was sure it was a date.
Pretty sure.
Chapter Nineteen
Rann
The suit itched like hell.
All Rann could think about as he crept along the rooftop was taking the damn jacket off and incinerating it. Being that he was a fire dragon, it would be easy. Just a simple flick of his fingers, and voila, no more itchy jacket.
Of course, then he’d have to follow up with the pants, and wouldn’t he look weird walking down the streets in dress shoes, boxers, and a dress shirt.
I could pull it off.
He snorted to himself, smiling ruefully at the image before focusing on his quarry, directing all his attention forward, to what was in front of him. Rann absolutely did not want his mind wandering to what was behind him. That would lead him down a path of thoughts he simply did not need to travel at the moment. It would do nothing but distract him if he pondered it.
How can I not though? I’m creeping along in a suit when I should be out on a date with Gayle.
Up ahead, the medium-build male in a denim jacket and black rain pants turned the corner, heading past a dimly-lit convenience store and into the darkened commercial area at the south edge of town.
Rann could no longer follow on the rooftops of the storefront shops. So he waited until his quarry had gone a bit further and then he leapt down. He landed in a crouch on his toes, knees bent to absorb the impact, fingers spread to help silence the landing. Dress shoes were not ideal for stealthy movement, so he had to keep that in mind.
Where are you going, Jed?
Following in silence, Rann’s mind wandered once more. To where he should be. To whom he should be with.
Unfortunately, when someone chooses not to open a door, there’s little to be done about it. Sure, he could have kicked the door in and confronted Gayle, but that