Playing with Darkness: Book 3.5 (Sensor Series) by Susan Illene Read Free Book Online Page A

times in rapid succession. He could only handle so many bullets in his head before it slowed him down. I’d been experimenting over the last couple of weeks.
    In the next moment he disappeared and popped back up directly in front of me in a bright flash of light. While I was recovering from my temporary blindness, he knocked my gun to the ground. His hand wrapped around my throat next. I clutched at his wrists, but couldn’t break his hold.
    Lucas was on him in the next instant. He pulled Kerbasi’s arm from me and nearly snapped it in half. The guardian power punched Lucas with his good arm. The nephilim’s head snapped back, but he managed to stay on his feet. He flashed behind Kerbasi and grabbed him by the neck. The two men went down in a tangle of limbs after that, jockeying for the better fighting position.
    I pushed back the crowed, urging everyone to give them space. Once the area was clear I found my gun on the ground and put it back in its holster. A gasp in the crowd had me spinning around.
    The two men were edging closer to the fire. When Lucas leaped up and kicked his leg out at the guardian’s face, he landed inches from the circle. Kerbasi couldn’t get burned by his own flames, but his opponent could.
    I raced to the other side of the circle and pulled out my pocket knife, cutting into my palm. Since the flames were made by magic, I could use my blood to nullify them. As soon as a few drops hit the ground the fire extinguished. My palm began to heal even as I put the knife away.
    The nearby fae gaped at me. While most of the residents in the city had heard of me, many of them didn’t know what I looked like. Putting out a magic flame created by a powerful immortal gave me away as a sensor. I smiled at them and waved before turning my attention to the fight.
    Lucas was on top of Kerbasi and pounding his fists into his face. The guardian’s bullet-ridden head jerked back with every blow. I was glad I’d given Lucas that advantage. Kerbasi had two millennia on him in age and a lot more power. He wasn’t as good at fighting as the nephilim, but he made up for it in enthusiasm.
    After taking a few more hard blows the guardian managed to shove his opponent off. He swung his leg and kicked Lucas in the stomach, sending him flying. A group of pixies leaped out of the way just in time. The nephilim hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud in the exact spot where they’d been standing. He sucked in a deep breath and staggered to his feet. Kerbasi was coming for him again.
    Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to find Ireth standing behind me with a livid expression on her face.
    “This must end now,” she stated.
    I gave her an incredulous look. “You want me to step between two men who are thousands of years older than me—and much more powerful—while they’re fighting and stop them?”
    She nodded. “Yes.”
    “You know I’d have to be crazy to do that, right?”
    The sound of a bone crunching brought gasps across the crowd. A grunt of pain came next. Ireth shuddered, but kept her gaze locked on mine.
    “If you want to prove to us that you can control the guardian, this is your opportunity. I can’t possibly allow you back into the city again if you’re going to allow things to get this out of control every time you visit.”
    “It’d practically be suicide to get between them now,” I argued.
    “That’s your…” Her eyes rounded as her gaze slid past me.
    I spun on my heels in time to catch Kerbasi flinging a fireball at Lucas. He turned sideways to dodge it, but the flame grazed his chest and caught his shirt on fire. He ripped it off and tossed it away. There were scorch marks on his skin where the flames had burned him.
    Now that was just cheating. The only range magic Lucas had was a weak smiting ability, but that wouldn’t do much damage against someone as powerful as Kerbasi. He had to duck when another flaming ball went flying at him. It flew over his back and hit the wall