"Relax," her voice said from somewhere nearby. "Wooziness is a well doc.u.mented side-effect. Not much reached your bloodstream. The sensation should pa.s.s soon."

"Should?" But that wasn't what I was worried about. That wasn't what was driving my heart faster. Ripples of energy danced in front of my eyes. I knew them well. They preceded the punches. I learned to listen to them the hard way. Failing meant pain. They spoke the truth. They protected me. I wanted to linger and stare at them a while longer. I felt safe here, not alone, but I floated past them. I could sense people approaching too. It was useful to know when my father was coming home. It let me know when I should go up to my room. It helped me avoid getting hit. I frowned as it finally occurred to me: I had always told myself my hearing was just a little better than other people, but that wasn't right. I could sense my father from over a block away. It was why I rarely b.u.mped into him. I had always been using my Sight that way. Not thinking about it. Just doing it.

I didn't like this. My mind was too pliant. The carefully constructed barriers were melting. What had Rei done to me? Without the barriers...without the barriers my mind was going to go there. My sub-conscious was always trying to go there. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to go back...but it was already too late.

A rock.

Flames.

Screaming.

Splatter.

I panicked. I couldn't get the images to stop. I needed them to stop. The tall man standing over me laughing. The sparks erupting from his hand. My own left hand absorbing them. My right hand pointing at Rei. The sea of white. The panic was driving forward out of control. I started getting dizzy. Rei was shaking me, shouting, but it didn't matter, the pressure was building again. I saw the flash of fear in her eyes. Saw her dive out the window, gla.s.s shattering. Lights popped. Timber crackled. The office plunged into darkness. A sharp pain surged in my skull. Overcome, I dropped to my knees. My memories returned, and I started to scream.

Dust caked my nostrils. Sirens sounded in the distance. My right hand reached up. It knew what to do. It grabbed hold of Tyrone's face and snapped down like a vice. He looked at me through my fingers. He was confused...no...petrified. I stared back in fury and tightened my hold. He tried to pull away, but my grip was stronger. Too strong. Ferocious. Unnatural. He wasn't getting away...not ever again.

And then the power surged out. Tyrone's face crackled like chicken skin on a spit. He started to scream. The smell of singed hair mixed with something else. The smell shook my resolve. He was in so much pain. Too much pain. I tried to stop it. It was savagery, inhuman savagery. It needed to stop, but my hand kept its grip. His eyes bulged under some unseen strain. The left went first. Then the right. The warm fluid ran through my fingers.

Like warm jelly.

Enough, my mind screamed.

Not safe, a voice echoed back.

Tyrone wasn't fighting anymore. h.e.l.l, he wasn't ever going to fight again. It needed to stop, but the surge wouldn't abate. It redoubled instead. The bulge of power inside me was shifting. A barrier was giving way. I could feel it buckling under the strain. And then it tore. Power rushed into my shoulder, surged up my arm, and smacked into Tyrone's screaming face. Spray masked my vision. The sound of concrete rent to rubble erased my hearing. Heat coursed around me. Whiteness filled my vision. My consciousness slipped. Exhaustion enveloped me. And then it was I who was screaming, the room lit by a dim red glow.

The corpse of a man was strapped to a chair in the corner. His skin was slashed to shreds. His head hung loosely. I had returned to the warehouse-but I could still smell Tyrone burning.

What planet was I on? Who could even invent this s.h.i.t? Revulsion and shame overwhelmed me. I puked my guts out in disgust. When I ran out of stuff in my stomach, I kept going till I ran out of air. I puked until my body hit the kill switch, and I collapsed into her outstretched arms.

Chapter 10.

BLOOD WASHES OUT.

The faint scent of blood mixed with the taste of bile on my tongue.

Not the best wake-up call.

I was lying on a cold tile floor, but the air was hot and moist. I sat up slowly, my vision blurry. I was naked from head to toe. Normally that would concern me, but I didn't give a d.a.m.n at the moment. I'd had a rough day, and lack of clothing wasn't that high on the list. (Realizing you melted someone's face off tends to realign one's priorities.) I blinked my eyes and looked around. It was a shower room. That explained the steam. I was grateful. It was helping to wash the smell of blood from my sinuses. I went to rub my head but stopped. I had forgotten about the burns. I probed my fingers carefully. No pain...that was odd. The fierce throbbing had vanished. Bracing myself, I looked down at the damage.

The burns were gone. My hands had healed.

Only a few rough wavy scars remained on my palms. I felt the spot on my forehead where Rei elbowed me. No b.u.mp. No bruise. I felt my ribs where the tall man had kicked me. No tenderness. "So that's real too..." I muttered.

Looking about the room, I spotted my clothes laid out on a nearby bench...someone had rinsed them out. I gulped. They were hanging to dry next to Rei's. I could deal with the hoodie, fatigues, and tank top-but the panties were kinda freaking me out.

"Pink?" I whispered. "You have got to be kidding me."

Water splashed in the corner of the room. My body tensed. There was no way she was...

Boys grow up oblivious to the fairer s.e.x. Their daily concerns involve Tonka trucks and Kung-Fu movies. But boys grow older. One day, a girl makes a subtle motion, a swish of hair, a bat of an eye, and suddenly the lad takes notice. That's when all the problems start. It starts slow. He doesn't work it out right away. He finds the Spanish teacher's lectures more interesting. He double takes pa.s.sing a billboard. Then one morning, he wakes up sticky. He learns to do it manually. He acc.u.mulates a collection of p.o.r.n-a compendium the likes of which hasn't been seen since the library of Alexandria burnt to the ground. He becomes an expert on female anatomy. He learns b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He learns b.u.t.ts. He can mentally image the entire high school cheerleading squad in a dramatic re-enactment of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. He prepares for all conceivable eventualities-and he's entirely unprepared for the real thing.

Rei's back was to me. She was busy working the blood out of her hair. It was dim. She hadn't bothered with lights. Probably didn't need them. What little there was struck her skin and blurred. It was that same fuzzy glow I'd noticed in the office. As she moved it was like staring into a silver prism, the whites and greys reflecting this way and that. The effect had something to do with the water-but what I didn't dare hazard a guess. I spotted a red tattoo on Rei right shoulder blade. I had never seen a red one before. The design was simple, almost cartoonish. It depicted some sort of large lizard. The lizard's tail wrapped around its own neck, strangling it. The beast's scaly body formed a circle, and on its back resting like a leaf was a cross. I was trying to figure out what that symbolism might mean when I got...distracted.

Rei was shifting her weight from foot-to-foot as she scrubbed. She was humming, bouncing to the beat as she did. Reddish water flowed over her b.u.t.tocks as they flexed and relaxed. An inviting darkness cowered between them. I swallowed. Rei's figure made all my boyhood fantasies seem pathetic-as ridiculous as a kindergartner's finger painting. Frankly, I didn't know what to do with myself. I was sitting buck-naked on the floor ten yards from the most beautiful thing I had every set eyes on. She was washing the blood of three dead men out of her hair-and I was pretty sure she was humming a show tune.

I felt a tad lightheaded. My blood supply was fast tracking to less important regions. Reminding myself of the recent death-feast, I sent my deepest apologies to my most underutilized appendage and stormed over to the nearest showerhead. I jammed the b.u.t.ton with the big 'C' on it, and a gush of ice water brought me back down to Earth. I closed my eyes and let the gallons roll over my head. As water streamed over my ears, I tried to sort out my life.

How had I gotten myself into this mess? I should have been on the noon bus to New Haven by now. I should have been wondering what dorm life was going to be like. Instead, I was standing naked in a New York City warehouse next to an extremely attractive killing machine. I had just aided and abetted the slaughter of two very large men and witnessed the torture killing of one very bada.s.s...whatever he was. On the bright side, Rei had been nice enough to wash the blood out of my clothes. At least she was a conscientious killing machine.

I examined my body in the dim light. No signs of the blood, guts, or vomit...

Had the Queen of Darkness given me a sponge bath?

It was all too much. Supernatural battle-royales didn't exist. That sort of thing would catch the eyes of the authorities, right? This was like the standard go to school naked dream-only with a larger body count. Clearly, I was still on the bus to New York with drool running down the side of my face. This was a very long and very detailed dream. I waited patiently, willing myself to wake up. The cold water continued to rush over my head, and I waited some more. But nothing much happened. I just started to shiver. Frustration replaced hope. Things weren't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to have finally gotten out of Las Vegas. I was supposed to be on my way to getting my education, making my own way, setting my own path. Being shadowed by the Queen of f.u.c.king Darkness and targeted by thugs wasn't part of the equation.

I slammed my hand down on the k.n.o.b, and the flow of water petered out. Behind me I could still hear Rei humming. My jaw tightened. I knew that song. She was splashing about to I'm Singing in the Rain. The vampiress was a Gene Kelly fan? Un-f.u.c.king believable. It was like I was the target of some gigantic joke.

Fuming, I stormed out into the adjacent locker room. It was freezing. Looking around, I realized I had no towel and that my shoes and clothes were still back in the shower.

"f.u.c.k," I growled.

"I'm afraid that would not fit into our time horizon," Rei replied.

I jumped straight up into the air-again. She must have only been two feet behind me.

"Could you please stop doing that?" I pleaded. My voice sounded strained...like I'd spent the past hour screaming. I kept facing straight ahead. I simply could not handle a full frontal right now.

"What do you wish me to cease?" she asked.

"Sneaking up on me, of course."

Rei chuckled. "Oh, my deepest apologies. My most jittery of champions, did I frighten you?" I didn't need to see her smirk to know it was firmly planted.

"I'm serious...please, Rei."

She stopped laughing. "Very well. I will 'pump up the volume' as they say."

"Thank-"

Something big and soft flopped onto my head. I managed not to scream and confirmed it was a towel. One of the lockers had its door ripped off at the hinges. I guessed we were 'borrowing' it.

"Your clothing is to your left. The garments are still wet, but we lack time. Get dressed. We leave in five minutes." Rei stomped away chanting "one, two, one, two" over-and-over again. She kicked over a trashcan and struck a wall as she went.

When her steps receded into the other room, I turned around and started putting on my clothes. The wet jeans and socks weren't a picnic, but at least they weren't still covered in blood. In the other room, Rei belted out a throaty version of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

I sighed. The Queen of Darkness was a smart a.s.s. Typical.

Chapter 11.

SUN IN THE EYES.

Exactly five minutes later we were out the door.

I inquired about the slight issue of three mutilated bodies.

Rei gave a vague response, something to do with the impressive size of the building's furnace.

I didn't ask any more questions after that. I just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The combination of a cold shower and soggy clothes had left me shivering. I was grateful to be out walking in the warm sun. It was still well over eighty degrees, and I could use all the heat I could get. The whole bit about vampires (my running a.s.sumption) bursting into flames must have been a bit of an exaggeration on Stoker's part, but it was clear Rei wasn't a fan of tanning. The walk back to Penn Station was directly into the afternoon sun, and Rei kept the brim of her cap tilted low. The cap read, "The American Red Cross-Save a Life Today."

I shook my head. That was just sick.

Rei kept switching between staring at her feet and performing quick scans of the sea of pedestrians. In less than a few minutes, she started to sunburn. She looked totally out of her element. Her motions were jittery. She even stumbled on the uneven pavement.

I had a moment of schadenfreude when she did. It was shameful, but I had to admit it was kinda comforting to see her so vulnerable. At a visceral level, I was terrified of her. Despite her thin build, Rei could probably snap me like a twig. That she could hurt a.s.suaged a bit of my fear. Then I felt like s.h.i.t for thinking it. I reminded myself of the situation. Rei didn't have to be out here in the sun. She appeared to be here purely for my benefit. For whatever reason, she'd been a.s.signed the unenviable task of protecting me from some very unfriendly folks. I should have felt more grateful, but what could I say?

Me man. Me no likes when damsel kicks more a.s.s.

Then start being gallant, d.i.c.kweed, my conscience scolded.

I cringed. I'd totally forgotten. Fumbling in the breast pocket of my western, I pulled out the brand new pair of black Ray-Bans I'd bought for my trip. They had cost me three days of wages. I was relieved to find them unscratched. Rei was busy counting her bootlaces. I nudged her and present my offering.

She examined the sungla.s.ses with a frustrated look.

Me Queen of Darkness. Me no likes when meals lend a hand.

I nudged her again. "Don't be moron. You're starting to look like a lobster, and I can squint better than you can. Consider them a gift."

Rei hesitating for a moment.

"A gift?" Her eyes narrowed. "On what terms?"

"It's a gift, genius. There aren't any terms. Now stop making me feel bad."

Rei huffed loudly and s.n.a.t.c.hed them away. "Fine." Pouting, she jammed them onto her face, picked up her pace, and stormed off ahead of me. I guess thank you wasn't in her vocabulary.

I smiled. The shades looked good. They sat a bit large on her face, but they fit her ego perfectly. In my best John Wayne I said, "De nada, partner."

At my words, Rei slammed to a stop. She smacked her hand into my chest and knocked the wind out of me. "Don't you dare joke about that." She glared at me from behind her new shades. We were so close I felt her cool breath, and my Sight tingled as a cold flame danced on skin. Rei was truly furious...

I swallowed. What had I said to make her so angry? I stared back at her in confusion.

Her jaw slacked. The cold tingling subsided.

"Have you any idea what you are implying?"

I shook my head a most definite no.

Rei turned to stare across the street, keeping the sun to her back. When she spoke again it was more measured, but the iciness never left her voice. "Dieter, this may be difficult for you to understand, but where I am taking you, words can have power far beyond their colloquial meanings. You must mind yourself, Dieter. Speak little and listen well. Approach the next few weeks as though you were Daniel thrust into the lions' den." Rei paused to inspect the afternoon rush once again. "You appear smart-and at least a little brave-but you are ignorant of the world. You do not understand this game or its rules. You do not know what is after you or how it can get at you. There are a great many things that could get you killed, Dieter." Rei flashed her fangs. "Or worse."

I rubbed my scarred palms. Worse?

Uncertain what Rei was implying, I nodded.

Rei turned away but paused. "And, Dieter," she said, staring directly into the sun, "for the love of heparin, never call me your partner again."

We walked on in silence. Rei was right after all. I was tangled up in something nasty, but I had no idea what it was. Yea, I had abilities that no one else seemed to have. My Sight was weird, and I had no explanation for what happened back in Vegas, but I'd never shared that information with anyone. Those were the kinds of conversations that ended with you in a padded cell. Yet Rei knew that there was something different about me from the start. She'd even mentioned that there was a file on me. I frowned. A file implied a large organization. Did that mean that Elliot College was involved? Did she work for them? And what about this other group? They were interested enough to send the tall man and his friends out to capture me. That meant they were willing to kill. I dared a glance at Rei. Heck, everyone around here was willing to kill.

I shook my head. It wasn't worth the effort to start shooting theories from the hip. Rei was right. I was like a caveman that stumbled onto a modern factory floor-there wasn't much I could make sense of, but plenty of ways to get maimed. I thought back to the man Rei had hewn in half. The powers at play were way too potent to mess with. Give me a standardized test, and I could work magic; give me dudes shooting lightning bolts out of their hands, and I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss.

You can go one of two ways when you discover the a.s.sumptions that guide your perception of the world are incorrect: freak out and run for the hills or lean into it and figure it out. What must have it been like for Copernicus when he discovered the Earth wasn't the center of the Universe? What a crushing blow to the psyche. He could have simply balked at his calculations and gone about his business as if the world was still at the center of G.o.d's creation. He wasn't the only smart person back then. I'm willing to wager a number of them made the same discovery and buried it. But it was probably impossible for him. Accuracy defined Copernicus' world. Abandoning that mantra was probably unthinkable to him. Facts gave me comfort too, but facts can be merciless. They can crush your beliefs in an instant and shake your convictions to their cores. I was walking down a sidewalk with a girl whose very nature belonged in the realm of fairy tales. The rules I knew weren't holding up. Without them I couldn't find my footing, and that scared me more than anything.

I smiled. My dad had actually been right about something. The outside world was way scarier than I could have ever imagined. Sure, he probably never antic.i.p.ated me getting in the middle of a supernatural knife fight, but at the moment, his words were ringing true. I considered making a run for it. I could try and get back to Vegas and lay low. I could find some simple job that wouldn't attract attention. I could live on cash, change my papers, and vanish. I thought about it...but it wasn't for me. I was too d.a.m.n curious. I wanted to know the real shape of the world. I wanted to know how it worked. And to do that, I needed to keep walking forward.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was falling fast, and long shadows were spreading across the landscape. I hustled to catch up with Rei. She had her hands jammed into her sweatshirt, and despite the shade, she kept her head buried in that giant soggy hood.

I frowned. Rei was feeling sad.

I thought I was bad at reading other people's feelings, but hers were so easy to read. Grumpiness was oozing off her and dragging my own mood down with it. Without thinking, I grabbed her forearm and brought her to a stop. She glared back at me but didn't amputate any of my limbs.

"What is it now?" she hissed. "We're going to be late."

"I have something to say," I said, clearing my throat. "Hear me out, okay?"

She took off her sungla.s.ses. "I don't do heart-to-hearts, Resnick."

"Yea, more like knife-to-hearts," I said with a chuckle. "But I thought about what you said. You're right. I have no idea what's going on. I know there's something abnormal about me. I know that people are dead because of it. But I've got no clue what I'm involved in. You're right. I have no idea who's playing this game. I don't know the rules. But there is one thing I'm clear on, Rei. If it wasn't for you, I'd be stone cold dead." I forced myself to meet her eyes. They scared me now, but I needed to meet them. I needed her to believe me. "Rei, I don't care who or what you are. You saved my life. Thank you."

Rei's eyes opened slightly. "How did you know what I was...?"

A rush of warmth filled my cheeks. I made busy examining a hot dog cart. I didn't know how I knew. I just did.

Rei slid her sungla.s.ses back on. "You are welcome," she said stiffly. "But do not become confused, grub. I was merely completing my a.s.signment." Grabbing my forearm, she dragged me down the street. "We have already missed the last bus to New Haven, but there is a train departing Penn Station in approximately thirty minutes. We must beat our path in haste, Dieter Resnick, lest we miss the train as well."

There was a new bounce in her step. I smiled. A weight had lifted off me too. It was strange, but Rei's feelings mattered to me. Why, I didn't know. I certainly didn't know Rei well, and what I did know about her wasn't exactly confidence building material. She had just finished filleting the most dangerous man I had ever met. Sure, she didn't ooze killing intent like the man she had murdered; sure, she seemed to be on my side; but I had gotten more than one glimpse at that other thing inside her. There was something volatile lurking in there. Something she worked very hard to contain. I'd seen it in her eyes when she was torturing the tall man. The total lack of empathy. The not so subtle hint at pleasure. Those three men might have been stronger, but Rei had been the scariest person in the room. What if Rei's 'a.s.signment' had been a different one? What if I had been her target? I felt my tender ear. To be the object of her ire...that would be a very bad day.