Free o f31e4a444fa175b2 by deba schrott Page A

on me immediately, and she let out a squeal. “Aunt Riss! You’re back!”
    Her body slammed into mine and she nearly cracked my ribs in a bear hug. I breathed in the opposing scents of fruit and sweat, hugging her back more gently. I really could crack ribs.
    “I knew you weren’t dead!”,.
    My hands tightened around her. “Dead?”
    “Yeah, Mom said you were as dead to us as. . .“ Her voice faltered, but we both knew what she’d been about to say.
    Coach Jennings intruded on our reunion. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry you’re not who you claim.”
    Cori stepped back, keeping an arm around my waist. “Of course she’s who she says she is. My Aunt Riss, the Fury. Chief Magical Investigator of Boston.” She rolled her eyes. “I knew Mom was being figurative about the whole death thing. Your picture’s plastered across the Herald every other month.”
    Goose bumps prickled as’ Nemesis and Nike stirred beneath my skin, and I stiffened. Something was wrong. “Scott?”
    “They’re here,” he murmured, body alert but eyes on me.
    “Who’s here?” Cori peered around us. “Mom and Dad?”
    “Cori, sweetie, you’re going to have to trust me. Can you do that?”

    She shot me a look that was pure teenager, one that clearly suggested I was an idiot.
    “Okay, grab my hand and don’t let go, no matter what happens. We’ve got to get away from your teammates right now. Trouble’s coming.”
    Excitement glinted in her eyes. “Got it.” She tossed her glove to Jennings, then grabbed my hand with both of her own . “I won’t let you down, Aunt Riss.”
    Gods send I didn’t let her down in the moments to come.
    “Ready, Scott?”
    He nodded, spun, and took off running at the same time I tapped into the magical energy beneath my feet. I thrust it into Con’s body all at once. No time for finesse.
    Her eyes widened. “What is that?”
    “Just stay with me!”
    I burst into speed, jerking Con along. Thanks to the magic pouring into her, she kept up easily. Fence posts blurred past us as we ran.
    “Whoa, look how fast we’re—” ~he cut herself off, hands clutching me more tightly as she noticed the three men facing off against Scott on the far side of the field. “Aunt Riss?”
    “Just hold on to me, baby, and don’t look at them.” I pointed toward Scott’s souped-up sports car a hundred feet away. “That’s our getaway car. If something bad happens to Scott and me, you get in that car, drive straight to the Belly, and call your parents on the way. They’ll send someone to meet you.”
    “But I don’t have my license ye—”
    “No huts. Your parents will need your help if something happens to me.”
    Her lips tightened mutinously, but she fell silent for the moment. Good enough. It’d have to be. Things weren’t going as well for Scott as they should have gone.
    I faltered a step when I saw that. Granted, Scott was one against three, but that shouldn’t have mattered.
    Not for a Warhound.
    Scott took a bad hit in one leg, but kept on swinging his fists—wait, why was he using his fists when he never ‘went anywhere unarmed—oh shit.. . his opponents had actually managed to disarm him, not once but five times, judging by the glints of ‘metal on the ground. He was able to knock. one of the men to the ground while the other two converged on him. They moved with inhuman speed, ducking his lightning-quick attempts to hit them with equal swiftness. Something about that just wasn’t right. Two more kicks’
    slammed into Scott’s abdomen, and his roar of pain echoed across the field. The sound cut to my heart and sent fear skittering through trig veins,
    “What the hell?” I muttered,
    How could three mortals be kicking Scott’s ass? They had’ to’ be mortal. I would have sensed otherwise in, the morgue,
    “Aunt Riss?”
    But they obviously weren’t mortal, senses be damned. though nothing a Fury and ‘Warhound combined couldn’t handle. I just had to get to them