Footsteps pounded into the earth behind me. Blaine was out of the car, and now in hot pursuit. The closer he got, the harder I pushed myself. I wasn’t even breathing. It was the only way to minimize the crippling pain from my ribs. Every time I was forced to take an inhale out of necessity, I nearly fell to the ground in blinding agony. The mouth to an alleyway came into sight, and I didn’t need to tell people to move out of the way. As soon as my bloodied and beaten frame came rocketing out into the shopping district, every last person shrieked and fell back from me.
It wasn’t until I was around the masses of people that it hit me. Being in a crowd didn’t barter me protection. Unlike ordinary people, Blaine wouldn’t care if others saw him. He could attack me and drag me away without batting an eyelash, because his powers of illusion could make any human see what he wanted them to. A ninja, Santa Claus, Voldemort.
It didn’t matter. The only thing that did was getting away, getting far enough away that whatever bond we shared lessened until he couldn’t sense me anymore. I needed to lose myself in the crowd first, which didn’t seem too hard. The district was made up of several streets, all looping about in a massive square, with a courtyard venue sitting in the middle.
I pushed my way into a vintage candy shop, going to the back where there was an additional entrance that connected with the next boulevard. Masses of people meandered about in the middle of the cobblestone street, only separating to let an occasional car pass through. The nightlife was in full swing, with everyone buzzing about the shops or heading towards the numerous pubs and sports bars down the stretch. Struggling to stay upright, I headed to the south end. The trolley system was at the front gates, and it was always packed, which seemed like my safest bet. Standing up on my tiptoes, I could barely see the wrought iron décor that marked the courtyard.
Crap. I was on the whole other end of the district. Trying to regain my pace, I forced myself between all the couples hogging up the street. A girl in a plunging white halter shrieked and even batted her dangerously long fingernails at me like I was infested with flees as I cut between her and her date. If I looked even half as grimy as I felt, the reaction was entirely warranted.
“Don’t.”
I whirled around, nearly stumbling over my own two feet. The voice. It had come from inside my head, but it belonged to Blaine.
“Don’t run. You’ll only make things worse.”
Taking in a much needed breath, I buckled over, trying to relieve the pressure pushing against my ribs. I straightened, just in time to see bleach blonde hair peaking over the tops of the crowd. Shit. I spun back around, only to hear everyone behind me gasp. I looked over my shoulder, watching as everyone was suddenly swept off their feet and tossed in every different direction away from the middle of the street. With the sea of people now parted, Blaine stared back at me, in full view.
A guitar hummed in the distance, a blues melody that surely came from a street performer. They were guaranteed to draw in a sizeable curbside audience. It had to be coming from the courtyard. Further screams ensued as I battled my way through the masses of people, but I didn’t dare look behind me.
Zigzagging between people, I was losing ground on him, and fast. My runes were blazing from beneath Adam’s jacket, but I couldn’t tell which ones I was even engaging. If Blaine wanted to play dirty, I wouldn’t go down without at least taking a swing of my own. Zooming past Blacksmith’s, a Wild West throwback bar, I tunneled my focus on one of the old-fashioned rocking chair sitting out front. Channeling the invisible force inside me, I yanked my hand back, watching the giant wooden prop fly from the sidewalk. It hurtled behind me, and I could hear the wood splinter on contact as it hammered into something…or someone. Sure enough, Blaine was laying on the cobblestone street, clearly in a daze from the impact. He barely managed to stagger back up to his feet by the time I disappeared into the madness of the courtyard.
The more people that screamed and shrieked at the sight of me, the easier it would be for Blaine to track me. Hunching down, I slowly weaseled through the huddled masses, keeping out of sight. Instead of moving against the crowd, I fell into the flow of it. The less of a disturbance I made, the harder I’d be to spot. I slinked over into a corner café, sliding into an available seat at an occupied table. The two women who had already been sitting there froze with their cappuccinos hovering just below their lips.
“Can we help you?” one of them managed to utter.
I curled over in the chair, relieved to finally catch my breath. A sharp snap shifted in my rib cage, forcing my hand to the beaten spot. I could only hope that it was the sound of my bones being put back into place. The pain dissipated enough that I removed my hand, and my bloodied digits didn’t go unnoticed by my two new friends.