Deathtrap (Crossbreed #3)(81)

I flashed to the left, but as the crowd thickened, I had to weave around them and run normal speed. Despite how sick it made me feel, Cristo’s light had given me a boost of extra energy that I might not have had otherwise.

The hall widened, and I skidded to a stop in front of a vendor with a rock display on his table.

“Care for a trade?” the old man asked. “Every stone has a power.”

I laughed in disbelief, still out of breath. “Got any fireballs in there?”

“Trade me that pretty necklace, and you can have anything you want.”

I glanced down and tucked my pendant back inside my tank top. “Not for sale. Sorry, I don’t have any money.”

Christian finally came into view at the far end of the tunnel, as did the men chasing behind him.

The old man leaned over to follow the direction of my gaze. “Looks like you need some Vampire repellent.”

I snorted. “Does that come in a spray bottle?”

He held up a round stone the size of a grapefruit. “This will solve all your problems. Those are some nice shoes. Yes, yes they are.”

I glanced down at my lace-up boots.

“You don’t have much time,” he said. “I bet you can run just as fast without those shoes, little Mage. I’m not so sure about your friend. This stone is guaranteed to fight off Vampires. Guaranteed. Yes, indeed.”

I flicked my eyes at him and then bent down. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered while unlacing my boots. I could almost hear Christian mocking me. But hey, I had enough money to buy a new pair of shoes, and this old man in his raggedy clothes could probably use some business.

I tossed them onto the table. “What do I do with it?”

He carefully set the stone in my hands. “Throw it at them. Careful not to drop it.”

My jaw set. “I gave you my boots so I could throw a rock?”

He lifted my shoes and cackled as he set them into a cardboard box and sang, “Fair and square. Fair and square. The boots are mine, and they’re in there.”

I stared down at my socks. This just added a new level of fuckery to the situation. Stone in hand, I turned on my heel and flashed until I reached another intersection.

People were staring, genuinely intrigued. I could hear Christian’s words in my head, reminding me to blend in and avoid eye contact. Strangers moved around me, scrutinizing me with their gaze.

Christian passed the old man and glanced at him before finally reaching me and skidding to a stop.

“Now which way?” I asked.

He glared at my rock, and I could hear the profanities firing off in his head. But all he said was, “This way.”

I ran at normal speed as we cleared from the crowd and descended a spiral staircase. My blood ran cold at the idea of Vampires tearing me apart, limb from limb.

Christian smashed in a door without wasting time to open it. He sprinted down a dark hall that traveled in a continual curve to the right.

My lungs were on fire, and even after flashing ahead of him, I needed to stop and breathe. “I can’t keep going.”

He raked his fingers through his hair from back to front. “I can’t fight off all of them. Maybe three, but not five.”

“Pussy.”

His eyes narrowed. “And what are you going to do? Throw a rock? I can’t believe you fell for a hustler.”

“Have a little faith. Maybe there’s something to it.”

“I bet he has a penthouse suite somewhere in here. You’re so gullible.”

Vampires appeared, coming at us like a plague of demons. I shoved the stone at Christian since he was stronger. “Throw it!”

He swung his arm back like a baseball pitcher and hurled it at them. It rolled across the floor before coming to a stop.

“Brilliant,” he said tersely.

The men didn’t break stride, but just as soon as they reached the stone, it exploded.

Christian and I fell to the floor as the air whistled around us, pinging off the walls.

When I sat up, all five of the Vampires were immobile on the floor. There was nothing left of the rock but a pile of pebbles and a small plume of smoke.

I spied a tiny spike of wood on the ground next to me and pinched it between two fingers. It was larger than a toothpick and looked like the same wood used for impalement stakes. The size of the wood didn’t matter much, but people preferred larger pieces. If you’re going to get close to a Vampire, you don’t want your stick snapping in two as soon as it hits their jacket.

I stood up, and that was when I saw those wooden splinters all over the place, some of them sticking out of the men’s heads, arms, and backs.

Next to me, Christian was lying facedown. I nudged him with my foot. “It’s over. Get up.”

My eyes traveled down his body until they stopped at a cluster of sticks in his ass. I laughed and knelt down, giving his backside a nice little pat with my hand. “I always knew I was a pain in your ass.” One at a time, I plucked them free.

Christian rolled over to all fours and stood up. While stroking his beard, he studied the fallen men. “Okay. I was wrong, you were right. Let’s not speak of this again.”

“Maybe we should go back and buy something else. I could use a pet rock.”

“I’m sorry to inform you that we’re running for our lives and don’t have time to do any Christmas shopping.”