She had to hand it to them.

Despite the blatant and ominous display of abnormality right before their eyes, their attackers held their ground. At least, they hadn't turned tail and fled as soon as Sinastar darkened the room with his zai like most people would have. Is it because they heard about what happened on the motorway? Or are they just too shocked to move right now?

But she didn't need answers. Not to those questions. Not when her cousin's abrupt entrance had provided her with more of both. A bloodstain, large enough to make her heart skip a beat, covered the front of his white shirt. Several of the men pointed their weapons at him at the same time as he approached them by the wall.

“Who the hell are you?” asked the leader. The gloom blurred his expression but not the trepidation in his voice.

“The one you've been looking for,” said Sinastar over his shoulder as the man with the wounded foot struggled to get out of his chair. “You've come with ten others so you have ten seconds to leave.”

One of the men he had just passed reloaded his gun, a loud click in the silence, and Sinastar grabbed him viciously by the throat before she could blink. Her breath turned into a short burst of steam and she got goosebumps all over. Jason pressed closer to her but she couldn't look away from her cousin as he shoved the man up off his feet.

“I'm trying not to kill you,” he whispered as if he were the one with an iron grip around his throat. “Don't make that harder for me.”

“Shoot them!” yelled the leader

He dove out through the door behind him as his men obeyed without hesitation, firing at her and Jason. She instinctively raised her arms and Jason jerked against her but Sinastar appeared in front of them, his arms outstretched on either side. Did he – ? She scanned the floor beneath him and the wall behind them but both were free of blood and bullet holes. His disproportionate shadow completely enveloped them until his dark red zai cooled into the shape of huge extended wings.

“Sin, are you hur-?” She lowered her arms again but paused as their eyes met.

His breath smelt like the blood trailing down from one side of his mouth. His skin had been cold enough in the clearing. Standing this close to him now was like opening the door and being buried by a snowdrift. His pupils had become cat-like slits and he smiled as though they had just shared an inside joke she couldn't remember. He didn't look like that last time –

He turned away from them without answering and his arms drifted back down to his sides. Bullets landed on the tiles with a soft tinkle and his black wings retracted a little. They concealed most of the holes in the back of his white T-shift, including the one surrounded by a wider patch of blood than the one on his front. The dark feathers radiated the same hellish smokiness that covered the windows and bright red blood dripped from the pristine white feathers along the lower edge of his wings onto the floor between the bullets. Someone shot him in the back …

“Tara,” breathed Jason as if he needed to make eye contact with her.

She straightened up against the wall they had both cowered against and almost blacked out, tightening her grip on his arm.

“So you want to die,” said the new version of Sinastar, his voice wickedly amused. “That should make this easier.”

“What the hell? Aren't those wings?” exclaimed one of the men, looking over his shoulder. “ Who the hell is – Boss?”

“Did you really think he would die here with you?” said Sinastar and they stopped searching for their leader. Their earlier confidence had vanished the second he appeared in the doorway. “So pitiful. But your time's up now.”

Before they could move, deep red barriers filled the open doorway behind them and covered the doors on either side. Sinastar held a hand out towards them.

“Wait …” stuttered the man closest to him.

Satara clapped a hand over Jason's eyes right as a tendril of Sinastar's zai plunged into the man's chest. The base of her stomach became a trapdoor but the breath caught in her throat and her mind vibrated in anticipation.

“What the – what're you doing?” spluttered Jason.

He pulled her right hand away but she replaced it with her left as Sinastar curled his fingers into a fist. Their attacker choked as blood spurted from the hole made by his zai and dropped to the floor like soiled clothing.

All hell broke out. Enraged and terrified shouts filled the reception, so loud she thought they would crack the blacked out glass, followed by wild gun shots. One of them ran through the barrier but stumbled at once and choked to death on the floor. Those behind him instantly backed away from the other doorways and were also pierced by Sinastar's zai.

“Don't look, Jayce.” She turned away from the scene as Sinastar lifted them into the air and pressed both hands over his eyes. She wasn't tall enough to shield him the way her cousin had shielded them. “Once you see it, it never goes away again.”

And someone like you would never –

“I can deal with it –” His flushed skin was slightly clammy beneath her palms.

“You shouldn't have to,” she hissed, taking a deep breath when he stopped struggling against her.

He held onto the sides of her hoodie instead as their attackers started screaming and begging for their lives. Malevolently silent, Sinastar ignored their cries and the scent of blood turned her stomach. He's killing them. They're humans and he's still killing them. She didn't know why she was surprised. But we didn't ask them to chase us. They tried to kill us first and he still gave them a chance to run. It's not his fault they didn't take it. This is all their fault.

“My – my wife is waiting for me at home,” sobbed one of the men. He sounded like the last one. “Please. I told her I'd be –”

“She won't know you died trying to kill innocents,” said Sinastar. His voice rolled down her spine like a water drop from a melting icicle. “I promise you.”

“No. I'm sorry. I didn't –” A soft cracking noise stopped him from speaking forever.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

They deserved it. With her hands over her friend's eyes, she drew in another steadying breath and glanced over her shoulder. Sinastar turned to them at the same time and his wings blocked her view of his last victim's body. The red spray on the walls seemed to shine despite the limited light and stood out like a drum roll in the middle of the night. She whirled around to face her cousin as he approached them.

“Oh heck,” said Jason behind her.

He renewed his grip on her hoodie and she wasn't sure if he wanted to drag her out of harms way or use her a shield. But Sinastar's zai started to recede from the windows and one of his pupils relaxed into a circle once again. Only one. His zai's still red .

“To the roof, both of you,” he said.

His order sounded like a sudden glass explosion and she hoped Jason hadn't noticed her flinch.

“Aren't you –” She stopped. – going to hurt us too? Betray us? Tell us what's going on? Turn back into the Sin we know?

“Mercy wasn't an option.” Despite the whetted edge of his tone, a familiar darkness passed through his irises like the storm clouds of his conscience.

“I know.” She forced her gaze to remain on his face.

Not on the bodies scattered beyond him nor the red puddles spreading out under them. Not on the man whose head hung bonelessly over the back of the chair beneath him nor the dirty switch blade on the floor by his foot.

“I'll meet you both there.” His wings withdrew into his back in time with the disappearing zai barriers.

He hadn't touched either of their heads before he left nor did he look back at them as he stepped over the guy who died trying to follow his leader and out of sight.

“Bloody heck,” said Jason shakily, his stare half blank.

She moved to let him breathe and almost stumbled into the wall. The residual ache in her bones almost brought tears to her eyes. We need to get to the roof now before I – Someone knocked on the door to the left and Jason stepped in front of her before she could react.

“Spy?” The door opened and Judy poked her head tentatively through the gap. She caught sight of the bodies around them, the red stains on the floor and walls, and her hands flew to her mouth before her eyes found Satara's across the room. “Oh my gosh. Are you – are you okay?”

“Yeah, somehow,” said Jason. His shoulders relaxed just a little and he chuckled awkwardly. “Are you?”

“Somehow.” The calm in her voice didn't match her expression as she picked her way through the mess. “Where's Spy?”

Tears had left trails of damp mascara down her cheeks and washed out her faint eyeliner.

“He's gone to –”

“Did you tell them we were here?” Satara stepped out from behind Jason before he could reveal anything and gestured at their attackers.

“What're you talking about?” Confusion settled in his gaze as it flitted between them. “Why would she do that?”

Don't be stupid just because she's pretty, Jayce.

“You knew we were coming here,” she reminded the therapist. “You were expecting us. Did Sin tell you we were on the motorway? Or when we were at the hotel? Or maybe even as soon as we were across the road?”

Unless he's willing to kill guys who work for him just to make us trust him, Sin had no reason to get shot in our place. More than once. He wouldn't need help to kill us and he doesn't need to kidnap us now that we've chosen to go with him. Which means –

At her side, Jason didn't say anything but his expression wavered and he shifted to face Judy rather than stand between the two of them.

Judy looked away from his uncertain eyes. “Satara, this isn't – I know this must look bad to you.” I've seen worse. “But I really need to speak to Spy. It's important.”

“He left us alone here so he obviously didn't think anything was going to happen. He wasn't expecting those guys to find us here but they did.” She swallowed the rage that covered her taste buds like stomach acid, indicating herself and Jason with an agitated wave. “We couldn't have told them where we were because we don't have phones. So that only leaves you.”

“Tara … I think we should get to the roof,” said her friend. He almost avoided her stare for some unknown reason.

“Is Spy up there?” Judy turned to him instead and she resisted the temptation to knock the woman unconscious.

“He might be waiting for us.” He apologised to Satara with an uneasy smile. “We probably shouldn't hang around down here. Someone else might've heard the guns and – and everything. The police might already be on their way.”

“How do we get to the roof?” she asked frostily.

“It's through here.” Judy hurried over to the door on the right side of the reception and waited for them to follow before she lead them up a stairway.

Rooftops always seem to find me. Not that I've ever tried to escape them. The way up would have been a lot easier if every fibre in her body hadn't lost its will to live. Her ribs reminded her that they had been broken a few days ago and the back of her head throbbed as if she hadn't drunk enough water for days. It's no surprise. I kind of lost control back there.

“You okay?” murmured Jason as they stepped out into the bloodless air several floors up from the pavement.

“Why?” Despite his faintly reddened skin and the slightly stunned pace of his movements, he seemed fine. “Are you?”

“I'm okay but you're – well –” He pointed first at her hands, then at her face. “– kinda bleeding.”

Her hands shook as she rubbed her face and peered down at the red smear on her skin. “My nose?”

“I think your ears are too.” He pressed the damp pad of his thumb against her ear and showed her the small bloodstain, the corners of his mouth turned down. “That guy hit you, didn't he? When you tried to help me.”

“Yeah but I don't think he got my nose though.” She wiped the blood away. Its stickiness on the back of her hands made her crave the nearest sink. “Is it still bleeding?”

“I don't think so.” He reached for her again. “But you've still got some –”

“Spy isn't here,” said Judy once she finished turning in a circle in the middle of the communal garden-like rooftop. She had the nerve to look betrayed. “I thought you said –”

“He'll come,” she said sharply. But keep talking so I can throw you off before he gets here.

“Okay.” Judy continued to pace. She peered over each edge and glanced at the doorway they had come through. “But how's he going to get up here?”

“Do you have any water?” asked Jason, scanning their immediate surroundings.

“What?” She brushed dishevelled strands of thin hair out of her face.

“I though there might be a hose or something.” He motioned towards the flower pots filled with multicoloured peonies and benches with baby pink camellias supported by wooden trellises. He faltered. “Tara's got blood on her so –”

“Oh no, they didn't hurt you, did they?” Judy approached them but wouldn't meet her eyes.

“They were trying to kill us,” she said. Don't act like you care. “So? Is there a hose up here or not?”

Jason cringed in her peripheral vision as the therapist's features twisted into an uncomfortable smile. “I'm so sorry. There's only the water fountain and the bathroom back downstairs, I'm afraid.”

What's wrong? Did we remind you of the mess you caused by betraying Sin?

“I'll go,” said Jason. “You two stay up here.”

“Not by yourself,” said Satara but he stopped her before she moved towards the doorway.

“One of us needs to wait for Sin though.” His hand lingered by her elbow.

“You really think it's a good idea to leave me with her right now?” she asked under her breath. “Alone? All the way up here?”

“True. You do seem to be on a bit of a roll today.” Honest amusement trickled into his glazed stare. “Stabbing feet, burning eyeballs, and all that.”

“Someone had to do it.” She shrugged with a taut smile.

Every second stole more of her willpower to act. Once the adrenalin left her system, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stay on her feet. Her excessive zai use lingered like a storm brewing in the background, waiting to strike her with more lightning than she could handle.

“You really saved us back there,” he admitted, looking down at his feet. “Sorry I couldn't –”

“I wasn't the one who had a knife at my throat,” she said at once. “You're the one who moved like you were reading my mind.”

“When we were fighting?” He grinned and rubbed his nose with a finger. “Shouting our plans out loud isn't your style and I knew you'd do whatever made the most sense.”

“Looks like you're not just a pretty face after all.” She would have chuckled but the first bolt of pain struck her spine.

“Damn straight – You okay?” He followed as she suddenly backed away from him and leaned against the frame attached to the nearest bench.

“Yeah. Just wondering if it's a good idea to go back down now.” His gaze flitted to her hands and she clutched the wood behind her. “Not because I can't. But if the police come while you're down there, it's going to get even more complicated.”

“I'll be quick –”

“Judy?” A girl's voice, distant but loud, cut across his. “Hey, Juuuudy!”

“'The heck?” Jason tracked the sound the side of the roof closest to them. After a brief moment and a wonderfully deep breath, she joined him. He peeked over, then glanced at Judy and pointed down into the alley where the front door was. “Hey, I think that girl knows you.”