Chapter 60

 

“Hey!” I called out, loud enough for the assortment of followers to hear. When they started to turn around, I stopped and lifted my arms in a vague gesture. “Can anyone join the club or do we have to buy the membership package?”

I didn’t have to look behind me to know I had some large backup behind me when the expressions of fear, hatred and just plain shock appeared on Marcus’s little collection of sleazeballs. A quick looksee told me there were probably only four of five that were all human like myself. Good thing to know I thought as I started walking cautiously toward them.

“Marcus,” I said in a taunting tone. “You have been a very, very bad boy.”

The scary as hell guy in the middle glared at me. “So, the Huntress has come to be after all.”

“Bet your ass she has.” Reaching behind me, I pulled the Sais free from their harness. I could hear blades clearing leather from all around me. Opening my arms, I held the Sais in the air. “Easy way or their way?” I motioned to the men behind me.

Marcus snarled, his eyes flashing an electric purple.

I took that as the latter and started walking toward them. I barely took two steps when four blocked my path to the magician. Before I could assess which one I wanted to beat on first, Tim and Chase flanked me, tipping the odds in my favor.

A rush of bodies went by us as we stood eyeing each other up. The sound of grunts and metal clashing came from behind us. I suddenly felt like I was in slow motion with everything moving but me.

That feeling lasted a whole of two seconds before a blonde chick wearing a really bad cat woman knock off, with the scary glowing green eyes tried to take a slice out of me with the extra pointy knife she held. I had no problems getting out of her way, but wasn’t about to back down. With a flick of the Sais, I kicked into a spin that came so easily I almost went right past her. Ducking, I came up behind her and kicked out her knee to bring her down to my height. She growled and went down, her blade skittering across the pavement. I shifted the Sai to my other hand and pulled the scanner off my belt. Hoping it was just a simple push of a button, I held it over her and pushed. Her eyes widened and that was the last expression on her face before there was a light and an odd popping sound. All that remained of her now was her blade. I had to get one of these gadgets that worked for my side. Bounty hunting would so much simpler with one.

Clipping it back on my jeans, I spun back to the action and assessed how many bodies were between Marcus and me from the looks of it, all of them. Quinton and Rafael were double teaming an enormous man that looked like he belonged in a street fighter game. It was clear to see they had the advantage of fighting together for so many years. The big dude didn’t stand a chance. When he went down, I ducked down and worked my way towards them, barely missing a blade that was intended to dice up someone else. With a scowl, I flipped around and got well out of reach.

Rafael was disarming the guy when I reached them, with a quick nod to me, he stepped back. The same bulging eye expression appeared on the downed man’s face as I held the scanner over him. Pop, and he was no more.

A screeching made me turn quickly to see a woman with normal, non-glowing eyes charging for me. I didn’t need to be psychic to know I’d just sent her boyfriend to a holding cell in another realm. She wielded a wooden baseball bat. I wanted to ask her if she was insane bringing that to a fight like this, but she swung it a few times and I decided questions would have to wait.

Putting one Sai back in the strap, I pulled my raptor out, surmising that if I got close enough she was going to have to go down fast before the wood connected with any part of my body. I hadn’t asked Victor if I could scan humans, but she was wearing one of those devices on her wrist, so she was going to be my guinea pig. I jumped back out of her reach, only to have a thick arm wrap around my neck and squeeze. Breathing was barely possible.

Being confined in any way just happened to be one of those things that equally freaked me out and pissed me off. Without so much as a struggle, I went lax in the hold and brought the hand holding the Sai across my body and stuck it right into the side of my captor. With a loud howl, I found myself free again but still facing the bat whooshing past my face. Scanning her was going to be a pleasure.

Glancing over my shoulder, I made sure there was no one on my team that was going to meet a stray swing when I ducked. As she raised the piece of wood to swing, I executed the new roll and duck I’d practiced and glided my raptor across her side. She grunted, but the bat still went up. Before she could turn, I was behind her and kicked out both her legs so she went down to her knees. She maintained her hold on the bat and I really had to give her bonus points for that; she was determined. In front of her the guy I’d stabbed was getting back to his feet. The sheer size of him down on one knee was enough to make me double take. Seriously someone on the Alterealm side had slept with an honest to Christ giant, they had to have.

Pulling the scanner off the clip again, I held it out to the woman and pressed the button, hoping I hadn’t just sent her to Kansas instead of Alterealm. I’d have to ask about that later. She growled out a low gurgle just as the light flashed and I found myself with no one between me and the gothic Hercules, who was now on his feet again. In his massive hand was a battle axe that had to be almost as long as I was tall. Nothing short of a grenade launcher was going to take him out and one of those I didn’t have.

Replacing the scanner, I grabbed my Sai again and backed up to assess how the hell I was going to survive this one. A quick glance over his shoulder allowed me to see how terribly thrilled Marcus was looking, and that pissed me off. Troy was suddenly at my side, and I wanted to bow at his feet and thank him, but before I could even make eye contact the hulk of a man came at us.

Normally I would baulk at someone stepping in to aid me when I was fighting but with the first deafening clash of Troy’s broadsword blocking the axe, I decided maybe this one time would be allowable. Troy grunted, telling me just how much brute strength the other guy had. Admiring his ability was going to have to wait. I ducked and weaved out of the way, trying to find the right moment to help out as they met each other blow for blow. The first time I’d seen Chase fight I had thought it was beautiful, and Troy was no different as his moves were a masterpiece in action.

The battleaxe went up again and I noticed the wielder was favoring the side I had jabbed. Timing it for the next swing, I went down and flipped, coming up on my knees between the two large men. It wasn’t the Sai in my hand this time, the scanner was held out and ready. Wasting no more than half a breath of time I pressed the button and then had to shuffle back before the axe came down on my head.