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"We’re screwed"

He kept backing up anyway He ground his teeth If he’d been able to fold, as any proper resident of Second was able to do, then he could have just put a hand on her and taken her to his house in Queen Creek Now his safety and hers depended on a junk pile gaining speed like a tortoise headed for a siesta

Goddauardian as he drove the Nova backward down the alley The desert couldn’t have been drier than her mouth and her chest fired off heartbeats like rounds of ammunition "So what is it? Are the death vaaze to hers "So you do remember?"

"I found the memories you took, so yeah, I remember the battle at thehis arh the rearand guided the car at an increasing speed toward the street "And yes, the death vamps are on the way"

"Exactly how many?"

"At least three, maybe more"

"But they’ll fall like you so we’ll have ht? They’ll be hurt? They’ll need time to recover?"

He shook his head "Nope They’ll float down and they’ll most likely have a bo slow drag "You know, you’re kind of scaring me"

"Good"

He backed into the street, the wheels squealing as he ain the car lurched forward at a snail’s pace He hit the steering wheel a couple more times and appeared to work his mouth over another obscenity or two He moved into the sparse three AM traffic

"Watch behind," he said, "and tell me what happens"

Just as Alison turned around to look out the rear , a loud explosion ripped the air Her whole body jerked in response

"There’s s everywhere," she cried "What was that?"

"A nifty little bomb called a shredder It’s full of shrapnel and, when tossed in grenade fashion, explodes in a pre-set direction One of the Coain Darian Her Darian The psychopath who talked about his fantasy kills the way most people described a faain

"We wouldn’t have survived if we’d been back there"

"Blown to bits"

She glanced at him Her heart seized What did this mean? "So Darian, the Co Tell ain and sucked in a quick breath "There are threeas you and the other two are like the death vah"

She turned to face hiain "Will they come after us? The men on the street?"

The Nova reached top speed and started rattling, but the warrior kept his foot to the pedal

He shook his head His arh-speed chases aren’t allowed on Mortal Earth"

"They won’t be sprouting wings?"

"Nope No wings, which hy I’d been sent to the y picks up wings-in-flight pretty fast The death va his black pair for quite soot there"

Alison strove to cal here? I , then at the club, now here you are"

He glanced at her "I’o through the ascension process I’lanced in the rearview "Have we left them behind?"

Alison turned around and scanned the street The car had covered at least a mile and a half Maybe more He had the Nova at full throttle now and the car shook als She could barely see remnants of the explosion at that distance

"All clear"

"Good" He breathed a heavy sigh and eased off the gas a little The shier sounded like it was being strangled "Thank God"

She felt nu She placed her pal to ease the shaking Could her life get any more bizarre?

"So letsaht?"

"Yes, Mortal Earth and Second Earth, but there are four ot this straight, were you fighting several death vao? And was one of theain, his eyes wide "How the hell do you know that?"