“Anna, run!” I barked, struggling in earnest against the thug. It wouldn’t be long before he realized that she was a witness who had heard Gerald’s name. Even if the thug didn’t try to hurt her-or worse-Gerald absolutely would.

This morning, I wouldn’t have thought Gerald capable of hurting a child, but now… everything was different. She was a threat to him, he clearly had no problem eliminating threats.

The thug unfroze and cursed. “Shit, how much did you hear, runt?!” Anna flinched back, scrambling toward the door leading out to the street. The thug tensed, preparing to follow her.

I wasn’t about to let that happen.

I slammed my weight into him, throwing him off balance, fought against the hand still holding a knife to my throat. I needed to hold him off long enough for her to get away. She knew how to call the police; she was a smart girl. I just had to hold out for a little while.

Which was easier said than done, given that he had a significant height advantage on me and I wasn’t in the best condition. After years of struggling to pay for food and being stick thin, I’d never minded the bit of weight I’d put on. It was a sign I was thriving. But now, it worked against me.

The thug hissed and jerked the knife against my neck, leaving a trail of fiery pain. More blood slid down my throat, but I didn’t stop, focusing entirely on not letting him get to Anna.

Blind instinct took over and I clawed at anything I could reach. His face, eyes, and throat were all prime targets. I focused on them, ignoring the throbbing pain in my neck. Then, as quickly as the fight started, it was over.

He stabbed the knife into my chest and dragged it down as his other arm shielded his face. I shuddered, faltering in my attack, and he took the opportunity to shove me into the wall. Air pushed out of my lungs, and I slumped, muscles refusing to so much as twitch despite the screaming need to move.

I couldn’t afford to die now–Anna wasn’t safe! The thug was already moving to follow her, his face a mess of blood and scratches. He cradled one of his eyes, muttering a string of curses as he lumbered away.

The edges of my vision turned fuzzy and dark, closing in. I stewed in the unfairness of it all. I wasn’t making it out of this. I knew enough about the organs he had hit to know that. But Anna didn’t deserve to die because of Gerald's greed. She was so young…she had her entire life ahead of her.

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All the good I’d done in my life felt small, inconsequential now. It meant nothing if I couldn’t save that little girl. She wouldn’t be in this mess if not for Gerald’s beef with me. I couldn’t let her become a casualty.

Damn it all, I can’t save her though! I can’t do anything!

I couldn’t even twitch my fingers, and the thug was almost out the door now, one foot already planted in the parking lot. He hadn’t spotted her yet, but it wouldn’t take long.

If someone didn’t do something, she’d be as good as dead.

Someone, anyone, please save her!

Then, before my next breath, everything stopped. The thug froze mid-step, his hand still resting on the door. Even the rhythmic ticking of the clock stopped in perfect sync, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

The moment dragged, suspended in the weird pause, until something changed. The air charged with an unfamiliar power, turning heavy in a way I’d never felt before, as something…no, someone appeared between the thug and I.

A woman.

Power flowed off her, the air shimmering with it. I blinked away the darkness to take her in.

God…was a woman? Questions piled into my head, shoving each other aside. The entity huffed and crossed her arms.

Long, blood-red hair hung to her waist in waves, and sharp obsidian eyes flicked around the room. When they landed on the thug, her lips curled into a sneer. “Pathetic sack of skin. I can’t wait until I have a hold of you.”

Oh, she was a vengeful woman…

She snorted and turned away from the thug. “No, I’m not a deity. I’m a spirit of another realm, but we can get into that in a minute.” Her drilling gaze locked on me now, taking in my predicament. When it landed on the blood stain covering most of my front, her features softened. Kneeling next to me, she frowned, her expression twisted with sympathy.

“It’s rare I see a person with as clean a karma as you, human. Such a shame, that the worst things always happen to those who are good.”

Her voice lilted with an ethereal quality, wrapping around my mind until I was almost drunk off it. That, or the blood loss was getting to me…

Shaking aside my many questions, I tried to gesture toward the door. “He’s going to hurt a little girl. Please, save-!” Blood bubbled up between my lips, choking the words and throwing me into a wet coughing fit.

When it finally stopped, the woman nodded. “I know, but there isn’t much I can do in this world. The majority of my power lies in Nexus. This isn’t my domain.”

Despair welled through me and the darkness surged, fighting to pull me under. I slammed my head back into the wall, forcing it away for just another minute. Pain throbbed from the new injury, and I focused on it, using the molten heat as an anchor.

This woman was here for a reason; there had to be a way she could save Anna. I wouldn’t let myself die until her safety was secured.

I just…had to find out how to do that.