The Cure by Teyla Branton

stepped from the shadows in front of us. Two carried pistols and the third an assault rifle. Each of them had a sword strapped to their backs which showed they meant business. Swords were perfect for severing all three focus points from one another: the brain, the heart, and reproductive organs. Without at least two points connected the rest of the body could no longer regenerate.
    An Emporium hit team.
     

 
     
     
     
     

     
    I SHOULD HAVE SENSED THE men before they appeared; even though their life forces were darkened by their blocked minds, they had been within my range. That I hadn’t instinctively found them showed I wasn’t as ready as I hoped to use my gift in battle. I couldn’t blame everything on my worry for Jace.
    Holding my Sig on the three men, I glanced behind me, relieved to see we’d come far enough that we were probably out of the sniper’s line of fire. At least until he moved or came to help his comrades. I shifted my attention back to the men. Unbounded confidence radiated from two of them. The other was mortal. I could feel all three life forces clearly now, which told me they probably weren’t sensing Unbounded. That was good news, though it might not make much difference if both Unbounded were gifted in combat.
    “Ah, crap!” Keene muttered.
    “There’s only three.” Jace’s gun wavered slightly.
    “Two Unbounded,” I told them in a low voice. “Guy on the right’s a mortal.”
    “Well, well, look what we have here,” said the Unbounded in the middle. He was a Nordic-looking man, tall and extremely pale, apparently their leader. “You’re surrounded. Come with us, and we won’t hurt you.”
    “Yet,” muttered the Hispanic Unbounded next to him. They both laughed.
    “Put your guns down slowly now,” the leader ordered. “Toss ’em on the ground.”
    None of us obeyed.
    His grin was pure evil. “So that’s the way you’re going to play it, huh?”
    “Three of us, three of you,” I said. “Why don’t you just walk away?” Even as I said it, I felt them coming fast. Running. Two more sparks that signaled life forces, their thoughts also dark.
    The Nordic Unbounded laughed. “Because there’s not just three of us.”
    The two new men stepped from the shadows behind us, armed with rifles. Knit caps, black coats, jeans, nose rings. Average American thugs, only meaner. Hello sniper and friend.
    “Mortals,” I whispered to Jace and Keene, lowering my gun, but not tossing it to the street. Not yet.
    Keene took a step forward, ignoring the Hispanic who moved his assault rifle in his direction. “It’s me, Keene McIntyre. My father’s in the Triad. I’m Tihalt’s son. I know you recognize me. At least I’ve seen you.”
    The Hispanic and the mortal shook their heads, but the leader laughed. “I know who you are—and I’m guessing with what happened two months ago, I’ll get a bonus for you.” He gestured toward me with his chin. “Unlike her, there’s not even a standing order to bring you in alive.”
    Alive? No way. Letting them take us wasn’t an option.
    I looked at Jace, a signal, and he dropped the barrier over his mind so I could send him direction or at least sense what he planned to do. If I was wrong and one of these men could also sense, we’d be in trouble, but if I was right, it would give us the advantage of working as one. There was no way to get Keene to drop his shield so I could do the same with him, and I hoped his training would take over once the fight began.
    Jace’s emotions told me he was frightened and exhilarated all at once for his first real battle. My feelings leaned more toward worry. Though Ava and Dimitri were excellent fighters, they weren’t gifted in combat and that meant Jace had learned all he could from them weeks ago and wasn’t as prepared as he should have been. He should have trained with the best, but the best had disappeared for two months.
    All Ritter’s fault. If I survived the next few minutes, I would