Blood From a Silver Cross (Kat Redding) by E.S. Moore Page B

take it as an invitation to talk and I was still pissed at him. Besides, I could watch him better this way. He must have known I was looking for members of the Left Hand. He also had known I would end up here on High Street. I wasn’t sure if it was the Oath that was helping him or if someone was tipping him off.
    The woman suddenly turned down an alley. The man followed and Adrian was quick on his heels. I dropped my hand to my waist, ready to draw my sword the moment the fighting started. I turned the corner.
    Eyes looked up and stared at me through a haze of sweet-smelling smoke. There were a few couples making out against the wall, and at least one was doing it with blood mingled between them. I couldn’t tell if they were vampires, werewolves, or just two Purebloods who got off on blood. In the end, it didn’t really matter.
    Adrian had already passed the group. I could no longer see the woman or her tail, which meant they were moving pretty fast now.
    I started after them, but before I took more than three steps, one of the men by the wall stepped in front of me.
    “Hey there,” he said. He blew smoke out of his nose and looked me up and down with bloodshot eyes. “You lookin’ for a little action tonight, baby?”
    I slowed long enough to rear back. I didn’t have time for this. I punched him right in the mouth and he dropped with a cry of pain.
    I stepped over the man, eyes focused on Adrian’s retreating back. I figured I’d made my point, but the guy grabbed my foot before I could get past him. Two of his friends stepped away from the wall, blocking off the alley. Two more moved behind to keep anyone else from getting in.
    “You stupid bitch,” the guy holding my foot said. He jerked hard as if he thought he could take me down. Instead, I spun and kicked him in the teeth, causing his already bloody mouth to spurt.
    His grip on my foot loosened as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. His skull hit the pavement with a crack and I winced, hoping I hadn’t accidentally killed him. I wanted them to leave me alone, but didn’t want to kill anyone. These were just stupid kids; they didn’t deserve to die.
    I turned to face his two friends who were keeping me from following after Adrian.
    “I’d move if I were you.”
    They glanced at each other and for a moment. I thought they were going to comply.
    Instead, they both smiled and drew long knives from within their coats. They weren’t silver, but could do a whole hell of a lot of damage to me if they knew how to use them. The edges looked sharp enough to cut flesh.
    I really didn’t want to have to fight these guys. From what I could tell, they were simple Purebloods out looking for a good time. They were also high as kites, which meant they weren’t thinking too clearly. The couples were still making out against the wall as if nothing was going on.
    “I don’t want to have to hurt you,” I said, which only served to earn me a pair of grins.
    That’s when Adrian chose to return.
    He came out of the shadows like a ghost. He was surprisingly silent for such a big man. He grabbed one of my attackers by the hair and jerked his head back so hard, it was a wonder the guy’s neck didn’t snap. Adrian spun him around and threw him face-first into the wall. The knife clattered to the littered pavement as the guy collapsed, unconscious.
    The second man spun and struck out with his knife. Adrian easily caught his hand well before the blade could come anywhere close to him. He twisted. With a horrendous crack, the man’s forearm snapped. With his other hand, Adrian grabbed the guy’s hair, jerked his head to the side, and then opened his mouth as if he was going to rip out the man’s throat with his teeth.
    “No!” I shouted, reaching out and grabbing his hand. It wasn’t like I could stop him if he really wanted to strike. I hated to admit it, but Adrian was stronger than I and because of the Oath, I wouldn’t be able to hurt him. “Don’t