“What do you want?”

My smile only grew, but I knew better than to ask for anything really interesting. He’d never agree to it and our fun would be lost. However, I still had to go for something that might make him sweat just a little bit so it would be a real competition. “A favor.”

“You want a favor?” he repeated.

“Yes, I want the right to hold a favor in reserve with you.”

Danaus stared at me in silence, weighing the danger of owing me a favor. At the time, I knew he was considering the odds of whether I would actually beat him in a race to hunt down the five naturi. He would need only three to beat me. This was going to be a close thing no matter what was at stake.

“I’d like the same prize should I win,” he finally said, surprising me.

“All right,” I agreed slowly. I hadn’t considered the chance of him actually requesting the same thing. Of course, what was the danger? The bastard could control me if he truly wanted to, and it wasn’t like he could ask me not to feed. It was both too dangerous for those around me and just generally impossible if I really needed to feed.

With the contest settled, Danaus headed off to the right, quickly becoming little more than a hulking shadow in the darkness. His crunching footsteps echoed through the silent night, announcing his approach. Meanwhile, I moved soundlessly through the darkness, weapons drawn. Large shadows rose up around me, cast by the moonlight glazing the various statues and random bits of brick wall that worked to section off the park.

I paused as I passed the first circle to my left, and fanned out my senses so I could try to pick out the naturi. Their energy danced in the air, but it was all hazy and unfocused. Confident that I hadn’t left a naturi at my back and they were all still in front of me, I edged around a small brick wall and entered the second connecting circle.

“Why have you come here, bloodsucker?” called a voice out of the darkness. It sounded like it had come from the far edge of the park. It was an easy target for me to home in on, but I knew that the other four naturi stood between me and the speaker. They weren’t about to make it that easy for me.

“Looking for you.” The cold, silent air carried my words across the distance. “And hoping to find Rowe.”

“The traitor is not here.”

“If you go find him for me and bring him here, I might consider letting you live,” I taunted as I edged away from the wall. Tightening my grip on the blades, I moved across the second circle, allowing me to put some distance between the statues and myself. The approach left me exposed and vulnerable, but then I wasn’t the type to hide and wait for my prey to come to me.

“We want nothing to do with that traitor.” The voice laughed, the sound bouncing around the park. “Besides, we outnumber you. You’re the one that should be pleading for our mercy.”

“Never again,” I muttered under my breath. I had begged for mercy at Machu Picchu when I was tortured as a fledgling. I had pleaded for them to kill me and release me from the overwhelming pain. I would never beg for anything from the naturi again.

My only warning was the soft ping of a taut bowstring being released. I spun around, dropping to my left knee, but I reacted too slowly. The poison-tipped naturi dart embedded itself in my left shoulder blade. Pain screamed down by arm, causing my hand to open. My knife fell to the snow with a muffled thud. I swallowed a cry, gritting my teeth to hold it in. My left arm was useless as I waited for the poison to finally run its course through my body.

Raising my right arm, I blocked the blow aimed to remove my head. A brief flash of sparks from the impact with my short sword lit up the night. My opponent looked to be a teenager with his fresh face covered in a sprinkling of freckles and his unkempt, windblown brown hair standing on end. But looks could be deceiving. This creature was likely older than I was, with ample battle experience.

As he lifted his sword over his head for another blow, I aimed my own sword for his stomach, hoping to disembowel him. He was fast. He shifted his stance, easily blocking my thrust. I needed to finish him quickly. I was trapped on my knees and there were four more of them running around the park.

The naturi looked over my shoulder for a split second as he moved to slash at me again.

“Shit,” I hissed. Dropping my left shoulder, I rolled away from my opponent and the naturi that had come up behind me. As I moved, I scooped up the knife I had dropped with my left hand. While I’d regained the ability to use that hand, it was still weak. I wouldn’t be able to block with it and my aim would be miserable if I attempted to throw anything.

Unfortunately, rolling to my feet caused the dart in my shoulder to dig deeper, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body. I swayed once on my feet before the pain finally ebbed a bit. Blinking once, my gaze focused on the three naturi arrayed before me. At the same time, a pair of gunshots shattered the night, bringing a frown to my lips.

That’s one, Danaus said, touching my mind. The hunter had taken the lead by making the first kill. However, with three naturi before me and a fourth lurking somewhere in the darkness, my main concern was not about winning our little contest, but surviving it. Of course, I wasn’t about to admit to the hunter that I was in trouble.

The naturi that had attacked me earlier moved in again, while one of his companions also swung his blade. In a flash of silver glinting off the moonlight, I blocked both slashing blows, causing the two naturi to take a step backward. Clenching my teeth, a soft grunt escaped me as I threw the knife as hard as I could at the naturi that had yet to attack me. However, my left hand still lacked both speed and accuracy. The naturi easily deflected the knife, sending it spinning off into the night.

A pair of shots rang out as Danaus pursued the other naturi that had yet to appear at my back as I’d expected. That left three standing before me.

That’s two, Danaus kindly informed me.

I swallowed a snide reply, cursing myself for not taking the time to pack my Browning. I still didn’t like guns and avoided carrying them whenever possible.

“Two of your companions have been killed. This is your last chance to escape before you lose your lives as well,” I said.

“A chance to kill the Fire Starter is worth any risk,” one of the naturi said, bringing a frown to my lips. I had yet to use my gift and still they recognized me. I wasn’t ready to be considered enemy number one among the naturi.

“Besides, we have you outnumbered. You haven’t a chance,” said another naturi.

“Not for long,” I growled. Grabbing another knife off my leg with my left hand, I swung around at the opponent on my left. He blocked the sword aimed at his chest but wasn’t fast enough to stop the knife I buried in his lower abdomen. Unfortunately, my back was left open. Pain screamed through my body as another naturi stabbed me in the back. I moaned as I jerked the knife loose from the naturi’s stomach. Stretching around, I stabbed the other naturi in the thigh, but the move drove the sword deeper into my back.

The naturi pulled the sword from my back, bringing a gush of blood from my body. Wildly swinging my short sword, the naturi took a cautious step backward, giving me more space before they once again moved in for the kill. Danaus was coming toward me, but I had a feeling he wasn’t going to make it in time. Blood was pouring out of me and I was growing weaker by the second.

Desperate and trapped, I needed to take them out as quickly as possible, but we had agreed not to use our powers. Unfortunately, I needed to start using Danaus’s power if I was going to escape Nick’s wrath.

Stepping backward, I drew in a deep breath and held it as I pushed down the pain threatening to overwhelm me. I reached out into the air with my mind, pulling the energy that was radiating from Danaus toward me. He wasn’t going to like this at all.