damage he could have caused had he unintentionally allowed his enemy to hear his plan was too vast to consider just then.
WIN!
'Give me a minute.' What to do, what to do. He was wearing that fucking butterfly necklace, so Cronus wouldn't know where he was or what was going down. Which meant Cronus wouldn't be popping in and saving the day. And Strider couldn't take the necklace off because Rhea could then pop in and ruin the day.
Pop. Whiz.
Another sharp sting, this one in his calf. He stumbled, but kept moving.
Win.
'I told you. I'm on it.' Looked like he'd have to use the Cloak of Invisibility, moment alone or not.
Strider reached into his pants pocket—damn it, his hand was shaking—and withdrew the small square of gray cloth. Surprised him every time he saw the thing. How could so powerful an artifact come in so small a package?
Someone stepped into his path, and Strider simply barreled through him. Another pop and whiz rang out. Humans might not recognize the muffled sounds, but they recognized danger and raced for cover.
Strider spun to the right just as a bullet soared past him. Plumes of dust and debris rained around him as the bullet lodged in rock.
Defeat laughed like a kid who'd just opened his Christmas present early and found out he'd gotten exactly what he'd asked Santa for. Winning!
Quickening his steps, he tossed a glance over his shoulder. There were four Hunters, three males and one female, racing after him, spreading out to engulf him from all sides, darting through the crowd as if they had done so a million times before.
A plan began to form in Strider's mind, and he grinned. He wouldn't need the Aedes Divi Iuli, after all. He took the next corner as if his feet were on rails and shook open the Cloak. The more he shook, the more the Cloak unraveled. The more it unraveled, the bigger it got. Soon, it was large enough to cover his entire body.
'Did you see that? He's got the Cloak!' one of the males shouted. 'Kill him!'
'No mercy!'
Win, win, win.
More pops. More whizzes. So many he couldn't keep track. A few weeks ago, Hunters would've done everything in their power to keep him alive. Capture him, yes, but also ensure he lived. They'd feared freeing his demon and unleashing its evil upon an unsuspecting world. Except, Galen had found a way to pair the freed demons with new hosts. His plan? To pair them with people of his choosing. Humans who would follow his every command.
Pop. Whiz.
A bullet lodged in Strider's lower back, another in his thigh. He stumbled, slowed. Shit. At this rate, he'd bleed out before he got the cape around his shoulders.
Win, win, win. A whimper now, pained and unsure. A pain that radiated through Strider.
'Don't give up yet,' he muttered. 'I've got this. I promise you.' Both arms shaking now, he managed to drape the Cloak over himself and jerk the hood in place. In the next instant, his body disappeared from view and even he couldn't see it. An odd sensation.
He leaped from the path he'd been taking, stopped abruptly and turned. The Hunters slowed, each frantically searching the thinning crowd for any sign of him. They'd put distance between themselves, but now edged closer to each other.
'Where'd he go?' one rasped.
'He used the Cloak. Damn it! We'll never find him now.'
'Think he's still running or do you think he's waiting nearby, planning to follow us?'
Winning! Defeat said again, happy once more though not completely satisfied. No one had died.
'He's a demon coward. He's running.'
'We can't know that for sure. Which means we can't return to base.'
'And we shouldn't talk, either. Damn it!'
None of the Hunters had looked to their feet yet. Had they, they would've seen the blood that left the protection of the cape and materialized on the stones. Strider eased to the dirt, careful to avoid bumping into anyone and giving away his location.
'So what do you want us to do?' the female asked, speaking up for the first time. Husky voice, a hint of smoke.
'Split up,' the tallest of the group said. He was clearly the leader. He had dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. And he looked so much like Amun, Strider was momentarily struck senseless. Surely he was merely seeing things. 'Just roam the city until I call you and tell you otherwise. But move as fast as you can. He's injured, and won't last long out there.'
Each of them nodded, broke apart and kicked into gear. Well, except for the leader and the girl. They shared a loaded glance. Silent. A muscle was ticking in the guy's jaw.
He leaned down, pressed a quick kiss to the girl's mouth, muttered, 'Stay safe,' and moved away from her.
Interesting. And profitable. Clearly, the two were lovers. The leader would probably do a lot to get his female back.
Rather than find shelter and patch himself up, Strider followed her. New challenge, he told his demon.
Win.
I will. She was petite with shoulder-length blond hair. Mixed into the blond were streaks of bright pink. She wore a white Hello Kitty tank top and ripped jeans. Weapons were probably hidden all over her curvy little body. There was a silver stud in her eyebrow that matched the gray of her eyes, and one of her arms was sleeved with tattoos.
There was something familiar about her. Something that caused a wave of...hatred to hit him. Yes, hatred, he realized with shock. There was no mistaking the dark emotion for something else. How odd. He didn't remember meeting her. Not in any of the battles he'd had with Hunters. That didn't mean he hadn't met her, though. Only that she'd been insignificant at the time.
Why the hatred, then?
Win. Win!
Worry about who she is later, asshole, he told himself. Short as she was, she was able to move faster than he would have expected. He wouldn't be able to keep up, as weak as he was becoming.
Win.
I told you. I will. She's as good as mine.
When the girl wound around a corner and headed toward a crowded building, Strider grabbed her by the hair and jerked. A low blow, but necessary. As she fell, she yelped in surprise. A second later, though, she was on her feet, two daggers palmed.
'Bastard,' she snarled. 'I knew you'd come after me, the perceived weak link. Well, that was your first mistake.'
Several humans turned to stare at her, obviously wondering who she was talking to.
Strider didn't reply. Just darted behind her and smashed his hands against her carotid, cutting off the blood supply to her brain. And shit! She was cold. Like a block of ice. He almost pulled away. Almost.
'So what was my second?' he asked smugly.
At first, she struggled, tried to spin. 'What the—' But then her knees buckled, and her eyes rolled back into her head.
Just like that, she was out.
We won. We won!
Too easy. Still. As the pleasure began to wash through him, Strider grinned. The grin only widened as he picked up the girl, shivered—because damn—then hid her within the confines of the Cloak and carried her away.
SIENNA DRAGGED herself from her bed, the chains around her neck, wrists and ankles rattling, cutting.
