Chosen Fool (Forever Evermore #5)(88)

A car’s tires squealed, its windows already rolling down.

I instantly dropped, aware that was not a good sign.

Shots fired over my head. One of my guards, a fire Elemental, dropped beside me, a bullet hole draining blood from the center of his forehead onto the asphalt. This was not the place for me to be lying as more gunfire erupted from the adjacent area. All of us were sitting ducks as my guards started retaliating with their power or weapons.

Frost grabbed my arm, his body glowing as he returned fire to the right. He shouted over the clamor, “Move. Now!”

I relocated in complete agreement, crawling backward toward the shop I had just exited. I made it to the sidewalk as an explosion shook the ground under me, the blast rocking hard enough that I fell on my side. I scrambled onto my knees, only to be hit over the head.

A sharp sting bit into my neck, followed by a fast burn. I was being injected with something.

I grunted, tumbling to the ground, my limbs weakening instantly.

My arms were jerked behind my back, the rough concrete scratching the side of my face. I shuddered at the sensation of cold fire as silver handcuffs were slapped onto my wrists. My powers were instantly cut off and the icy burn burst throughout my system. Dizzy from the drug coursing through my veins, I groaned when I was yanked to my feet. My purse dropped from my shoulder, the strap hanging awkwardly on the cuffs between my hands. Warfare swayed all around. Steel-like arms gripped me around my waist and chest.

The voice was my past whispered against my ear. “You think you can take me down? Attack me in my own place of business?”

Philip Masterson. The Bossman.

Jasper entered my line of blurred vision, watching as always.

I wished I could curse at him. Do anything.

But my jaw was slack and my head hung to the side, all my weight held by him.

With his wolf riding his voice, Bossman growled, “I’m done playing. I know two talented Mages who can get that f*cking diamond from you, my pet.”

The tiny crack in the sidewalk stared up at me. And it hit me. It was so simple.

Bossman wanted the diamond. That was all. My Primal Diamond.

That was the agreement he had with Jacob Angel.

Three things occurred next.

Jasper flashed gold and disappeared.

The Bossman’s hands glowed and our surroundings started to disappear.

Sin raced out of the shop, half-dressed, flickering in the retreating landscape. His gun was raised, and he shouted my name as he fired.

Bossman and I were suddenly in a shimmering golden void, an abyss of nothing…

Except for the silver bullet I could see traveling at a snail’s pace through the fabric of the Bossman’s shirt, directly over his right forearm. It was the part of a visible, muscled limb that Sin had been able to fire at safely in the millisecond he’d had to make a decision. The bullet was caught in this emptiness with us but time was altered here and the bullet was traveling…differently. Almost as if it was in extreme slow motion while I was inside the Bossman’s hold. I twitched as the drug filtered through my Mystical bloodstream, my strong, powerful blood killing the foreign Com medicine.

The silver bullet finally made contact with the Bossman’s skin.

He shouted in pain. In fury. The shimmering golden void we were in flickered in chaotic flashes then cleared altogether. He jerked behind me as the bullet finished its trajectory, and we were abruptly standing in the street again. I grunted as the bullet flew through his arm and stabbed through to my chest. Unyielding fire erupted further into my body.

But the pain wasn’t immobilizing. It was pain I could handle.

The bullet lodged against my ribs, my red blood slowly soaking my shirt.

Bossman stumbled back, his supporting arms gone.

I fell to my knees. Strangers on the busy—but quiet—street stopped at our sudden appearance. I focused on my vocal chords, the vibration thrilling when I was able to snarl, “Help me. He’s kidnapping me.”

I have to say a small prayer of thanks to good Samaritans. Because as soon as those words escaped my mouth, and because I was a tiny female—even if I had just appeared out of nowhere—they took one look at Bossman, the bleeding * that he was, and lunged at him. He muttered a curse at their numbers, growling under his breath and holding his quickly healing arm…then he flashed gold.

He was gone, the pouncing crowd stumbling over themselves in a heap.

My voice was hoarse. “Please…” The medicine was almost gone from my system, but my leg muscles wouldn’t work to stand without help. My gaze searched the crowd for Sin. “Get me out of here before he comes back.”

“Okay, miss,” a gentle Mage male murmured, hurrying to grab under one of my arms. A Shifter female grabbed my other. Both of them carefully lifted me to my feet. I wobbled as vertigo hit, so they kept a firm grip on my biceps. Another Shifter opened the door to the shop I had just been in, where Sin must be. The throng of bystanders followed as I was helped into the clothing store.

My vision was still blurry, but my attention scanned the place.

It was a furniture store, no clothing anywhere.

The place was a tacky, dated mess, and horrendous retro music played.

Stopping next to the glass cashier stand, the Mage muttered a curse as he fingered the cuffs around my wrists. A shiny bell chimed above the entrance, the door closing as the last person from the onlooking crowd entered. The crowd was a mixture of concerned Mysticals and Commoners, most of them wearing light-denim jeans—some folded oddly at their ankles—with colorful t-shirts rolled at the sleeves. My vision cleared further, and I stared at their hair. It was definitely not the current trend. There were a few oddballs with Mohawks, while the rest had hair styled giant and puffy with possibly…hairspray?