Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 1)

I lunged for him, grabbing his arm and yanking him toward me.

“What are you—”

I cut off his words with a quick, hard punch to the face. He stumbled backward, then surged toward me, shaking his head like a bull.

Crap. I so wasn't prepared for this.

I kicked out, nailing him in the stomach. He huffed out a breath and doubled over, then lunged upward and swung a punch for my head. I dodged, taking a glancing blow to the cheek that made my head ring.

To my left, Mac was landing a series of successful punches to her policeman. She either had a natural skill or spent Friday nights in a fight ring. Either way, I was impressed.

My skills, however, were sadly lacking. The guard lunged for me again, grabbing my arm in a tight grip. I kicked, my foot colliding with his thigh. He grunted but didn’t let go.

Panic fluttered as I struck out, nailing him in the cheek again. He still didn't release me, and I began to feel like prey.

A flash of gray appeared from the corner of my eye, and a blur shot for the policeman’s head. It collided with him, and a tiny blast of percussive magic slammed into him and echoed through the air, making my head pound.

The blur had been a raccoon—Cordelia?—and it dropped to the ground and ran away as the policeman began to fall.

Holy crap.

I grabbed the policeman at the last minute, stopping his unconscious body from slamming to the ground in a way that could give him a head injury. I wanted to get into the morgue, not kill the poor guy.

Assuming he was alive.

Oh please, be alive.

I leaned over him, feeling for his pulse.

There! Faint and reedy, but there.

My hand touched him, and a vision flashed in my mind. The policeman, driving his car later today. He crashed into another car.

Oh, crap.

I dug into his pocket, finding his keys and tossing them into the bushes where he’d never look. There. Problem solved. He couldn’t drive his car, so he couldn’t crash. I’d consider it a job well done.

I turned to see Mac leaning over her unconscious policeman, removing his handcuffs from his belt.

She looked up at me. “Cuff him. Tie his shoelaces together.”

I did as she said, occasionally shooting worried glances at the policeman. “Will he be okay?”

“What happened to him? You knock him out?”

“No, that raccoon from Guild City showed up and bowled him over.”

Mac looked up, her eyes wide. “A what from Guild City?”

“That raccoon I pointed out before. I swear it was Cordelia.”

She pursed her lips. “Cordelia.”

“Yeah. That was what I called her when I’d see her in the alley behind my old flat.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?” I groaned, tilting my head back. “That means you think I’m crazy, doesn’t it?”