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through. The only way I could kill them today was if they moved to attack me first.
    “You guys are pretty far from home,” I called out.
    “And your welcome is quite disappointing.” It was the female who spoke. Her accent was thick and Slavic.
    I cast my psychic power from my body and read them all quickly. The woman was obviously from the Russian clan, but what had me worried was that the other members of the ragtag group were representing three other clans—the Romanians, the Belgians and the Irish. Our clans had been feuding since the Banishment, and I had no idea why they were working together without animosity now. They thought of themselves as a unit—a family. And for some reason, I couldn’t siphon the reason they’d joined together from their minds. All I could read was that they needed me, and if I didn’t cooperate, then I had to die.
    “You made a mistake last night,” I said. “You shouldn’t have killed her. And you definitely shouldn’t have been stupid enough to leave enough of her body behind so I could find her. Now I have to kill you.”
    The brawler to my left laughed thin and high, and the insanity of it raised chills on my arms. “You think you can kill us, Enforcer? You’re outnumbered. And we have powers you could only dream of.”
    It was my turn to laugh. “I don’t think so. You’re the pawns. Who’s your Master? None of you has the power to breathe fire.”
    The brawler took a step forward, his anger making him stupid.
    “Bartolomé,” the female said harshly. “Stand down and follow orders.” Bartolomé stepped back, but he didn’t like it.
    “What do you want?” I asked.
    “I’m here to ask you to join us,” the female said. “When the time for battle comes, you don’t want to be on the losing side.”
    “And let me guess, it would help to have a psychic with my abilities on your side to even the odds a little.”
    “It would,” she acknowledged.
    “You already have a psychic.” I gestured to the quiet male with them. “You don’t need me.”
    “Christos’ powers are dimmed in comparison to yours. Your mind is virtually untouched. Unexplored. Our Master can help you. You’ll be one of the most powerful Drakán to walk the Earth.”
    “You still haven’t told me your Master’s name.” I was stalling. It was hard to ignore the rush that the promise of so much power would bring me. My dragon nature wanted to take their offer and never look back. The human in me kept a more level head. “I’d like to know who I’m working for.”
    “His name is unimportant. You only need to know that there is no other of our kind who holds more power. He will be king.”
    “Tell your Master his arrogance looks like ignorance when he sends five children to the house of Alasdair. You are all foolish for following someone who holds so little value over your lives.”
    They all moved at once, closing the half-circle they’d formed as they pressed in on me. My finger tightened on the weapon I held. I knew I’d get no help from my family for this battle. Erik wouldn’t know we were under threat unless they broke into the house, Cal was probably still asleep, and Alasdair would never help me. He would probably dance on my ashes if I died.
    “Our Master will not like to hear your decision,” the female said. “Maybe we can change your mind.”
    I waited patiently. All it would take was one of them to lose control. “You’re all traitors to your Archos. No better than cowards.”
    Bartolomé growled low in his throat and rushed me, his hands shifting into sharp claws. It was all the excuse I needed. I pulled the trigger of the crossbow and watched as he crumpled to the ground with a howl of pain.
    The cold numbness took over my mind as I faced Christos—the other psychic—and enveloped him in my power. The others didn’t get a chance to react. Christos turned and faced the remaining three, his eyes wide with fear. The others looked at him in confusion. He wasn’t