“Where is she?” one demanded, pausing on the side of a tree. I took the opportunity to bury a bullet deep in the chest of a naturi with an orange glow.

“She’s busy looking into what other mischief you’ve been up to within her domain,” I said over the scream of the naturi as it plummeted from the tree to the hard cement sidewalk.

A dart whizzed by my head and thunked into a tree just behind me. It was a warning shot. “Why are you killing us? We’ve done nothing to you. We’ve harmed no one within the Fire Starter’s domain. We simply wish to exist here.”

“Coexist peacefully with humans? I doubt that,” I said, moving slightly to my left down the sidewalk, trying to get a better shot at the naturi that also had a wrist crossbow trained on me.

“True,” she admitted with a wide, evil grin. “It’s only a temporary arrangement, but for now we are willing to coexist in harmony with the earth killers. Can you not leave us in peace as well?”

“No,” I replied just before firing off two shots. The naturi dodged the bullets, dipping low as she also fired off another poison-tipped dart.

“So be it. We’ll kill you off first and then go looking for the nightwalker,” the naturi murmured as she flew back up into the thick, black foliage near the ceiling of the hothouse. I fired off another blind round, hoping to at least clip her wing, but I heard only the unmistakable sound of breaking glass. I cringed as a bullet broke through the window, shattering it. The large plate of glass flashed and almost seemed to chime as it crashed to the floor. I was trying to avoid creating any damage that might be difficult for the authorities to later explain. The broken window also provided the remaining four wind naturi with a quick exit. However, they seemed content to fire their little arrows at me for the time being.

I continued down the path toward the sound of the raging water as the three blue naturi darted in and out of the heavy swath of trees. Thick leaves made it difficult to get off another shot. The breeze intensified so that I could now feel it like a cool hand brushing against my face. Sweeping the gun around, scanning for my missing prey, I found that I was standing a few feet away from a two-story waterfall. The rushing water reflected the moonlight that poured down through a break in the trees, revealing a small, wooden bridge that crossed over the stream in the middle of the room.

A flicker of blue caught the corner of my eye, drawing my aim to my right. I was too slow. The tiny dart plunged into my shoulder, digging deep into the muscle. The stab of pain was instantly followed by an intense burning that slithered down my right arm and under my shoulder blade. The liquid fire stole through my limb, sapping my strength so that I was forced to slip the Browning into my left hand. I squeezed the trigger, but the naturi darted away just in time. Sucking in a sharp breath, I jerked to the left as I sighted the naturi again, ignoring the faint breeze created by the dart that just missed my neck.

I fired the gun again. The naturi didn’t even have a chance to scream, as the nine millimeter bullet tore through its throat, nearly severing its head. The creature flopped down in a bed of ferns and didn’t regain the air.

With my back pressed against the rock wall, I scanned the area, the gun raised in my left hand. My right arm hung limp at my side, fire pumping through my veins. The poison’s darkness closed in around me, crowding my vision. The naturi had disappeared, possibly hoping that the poison would work its magic and allow them to pick me apart when I finally fell unconscious at their feet.

Fighting the urge to lower my gun in frustration and rub my aching eyes, I reached out with my powers to search the room. I didn’t expect to locate the last three. A window was broken. They had an easy escape route.

I definitely didn’t expect to sense one directly behind me. Swinging around, I took a step backward toward the bridge. My heart pounded in my chest, increasing the throbbing in my arm, but also washing away some of the lethargy that had crept into my frame. For now, I just needed some time to fight this poison that was burning through my system. My own supernatural healing would fight it off and finally overcome its effects. It just needed a little time.

Something large and dark suddenly flew at my head. As I ducked, I fired off a shot at the blue monster. My aim was off and I heard the bullet tear through wood. The local pack wasn’t going to be pleased in the morning. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something flop and slap against the floor in a pale strip of moonlight. Looking down, I discovered what looked to be a gold and white koi. Great. The bastards were now throwing fish at me.

Gritting my teeth, I resumed my search of the room. I stepped toward the bridge, carefully avoiding the fish. The wood creaked and groaned under my weight. Another flash of blue darted out from behind a thick grouping of leaves. I lifted my gun, my finger putting pressure on the trigger as I tried to lead my target. Yet before I could squeeze the trigger, another fish was pitched at me in the darkness. This one looked to be the size of a large trout instead of the fist-sized koi I had encountered just moments ago. I tried to lift my right arm to block it, but it was slow to respond. Twisting, I felt a sharp stabbing pain biting into my left calf muscle.

With a curse on the tip of my tongue, I fell backward over the railing of the bridge into the water. The only positive was that I had the presence of mind to fire back at the naturi to my right before I hit the icy water. My back slammed into the rock floor, knocking the air from my lungs as my head went under the water. Despite being in a representation of the rain forest, the water that flowed through the room was ice cold. It seeped into my clothes and dug its sharp talons into my skin.

I shoved myself back to my feet, only to discover that the pool of water barely reached my knees. The falling water pounded the floor behind me, sending up a cool mist. My teeth were clenched in a desperate attempt to keep them from chattering as I scanned the area with both my eyes and my powers. There were only two naturi left. Apparently I had managed to get off a lucky shot before hitting the water.

Enough games. I was cold and wet. The pain in my arm and leg was throbbing, sending angry waves through my body. It was becoming a struggle to remain conscious as the poison flooded my systems and leaked into my brain. I had had less trouble with the damn naturi in Spain. Shoving the gun back in the holster at the small of my back, I stepped forward. With both hands on the railing, I slowly hauled myself over it and back onto the bridge.

The naturi chose that moment to attack, believing that I was helpless. Blue and orange glows shot from behind a tree and flew straight at me. Expelling a slow breath, I lifted my empty left hand and concentrated on the creatures about the size of a young child. At the same time, I reached down into the black shadowy core that existed deep in my chest. The hard ball of power roared with hellish joy as I touched it with my thoughts, summoning it. It flowed out, faster than the water falling behind me until it filled my entire frame. It blotted out the pain in my limbs and the chill that was eating away at my skin.

Suddenly, I could hear the naturi’s heartbeats, thudding faster than a hummingbird’s. I could hear the blood pumping through their nimble little bodies. I concentrated, struggling to control the rush of power that was swamping my brain. It wanted more than just these little naturi. The tiny creatures came to a sudden halt in midair, their voices raised in an ear-piercing scream before they fell back to the earth with a soft thud.

Lowering my hand, I reluctantly pushed the swell of power back down to the dark core. It shoved back with a frustrated roar in my head, demanding to be set free. It was intoxicating. A rush unlike any I had ever felt. But I would never let it rule me. Power such as that had only one purpose: to kill.