t of me was starting to accept that I'd made a mistake. A colossal mistake. I wasn't prepared for this-for four of them. But I s

so why waste time? Gunfire echoed in the empty space, and the bullet pierced a shoulder. Not good enough. Stepping back, I aimed more carefully and pulled the trigger as the bulky guy lunged at me, arms outstretched like he wanted a hug. The bul

ped to my knees, came back up, dodging hits more times than I could count. When I slashed the throat of the bald one and he collapsed, his strange eyes wide, I realized ju

vampires but were quicker than ordinary people, making it hard to predict where their limbs would be. Dropping to my knees, I swiped my sword across their legs, but it didn't cut deep enough; they were still standing. One moved behin

s-right before a punch caught my face, sending me to the ground. I lost balance and fell, landing on my other gun. Swinging my arms around, it took me a moment to realize the creatures weren't advancing no

six feet away, barely able to breathe. My vision blurred as I watched it approach the newcomers. The girl screamed as two of them surged forward, stopping a couple of feet away and raising their arms. Wind began to whirl, stronger than anything nature could muster-for just a moment. My heart froze as I wa

n forward. I missed by less than an inch, but a miss was a miss. The newcomers lay on the ground, trembling as it drained them and dodged me. A scream tore from my throat as thunder roared in my ears. When it finally turned to me-it

atures were behind me. Here's another thing about these creatures: they didn't die. I'd shot them in the head and chest, yet they kept coming back. They took their time, but they healed

always thought the creatures only preyed on me. They hunted me and my magic because I was the only one whose power suited their tastes. I'd watched them from afar, whenever I could track them, and I'd never seen them target other witches

ey ambushed me in the city. I'd cut the throat of one, stabbed the other in the forehead, and drove my sword into the head of another. I left them there, hidden, to see if anyone would find th

blood around his neck had dried, meaning he was already healing. Checking his pockets crossed my mind, but I didn't dare spend too long near him. Instead, I lifted my sword and brought it down on his neck. On the third at

so I wasn't betting on it. Buying myself at least some time, I tu