Page 1 of Shadow Seeking

CHAPTER ONE

“Where the fuckdo you think you’re going, you goddamn snitch?” I leaped over the box of rubbish that Benny knocked off the dumpster as he ran past. Damned goblin was at it again.

Benny laughed, but when he saw me clear the pile of garbage, he let out a yelp. “Oh, crap!” He knew what I’d do to him if I caught him.

But the alley was a long one, and—to my joy and Benny’s dismay—it ended in a high chain link fence that covered the entire exit. He glanced over his shoulder to see how close I was, then frantically began climbing the links. He was spry, I’d give him that.

I reached the fence when he was halfway up, and immediately followed him. Luckily, I was faster and stronger than he was. Before he could reach the top, I grabbed hold of his ankle and yanked, hard. He tried to hold on, but I pulled harder.

“Give it up, you little creep. You aren’t winning this one!” I took a deep breath and pulled again. He tried to kick me, but I had a firm grip on his ankle. The next moment, he lost his hold and fell. I let go of the fence and dropped with him, still holding onto his foot, and we both rolled on the ground.

“Let go of me, you freakazon!” He struggled, but I pinned him down, sitting on top of him so he couldn’t get away. Goblins were notoriously squirmy.

“Oh, I’ll let you go, once you give me back that bracelet. Trust me, Benny. You think I’m scary? Try facing the woman you stole from. Of course, Icouldcart you back to Analida and let her take care of you, but I’m giving you a chance to live. You know she’s a snakeshifter, right?”

I leaned down, staring into the goblin’s twisted face. Benny was a low-life thief, but I let him be usually, because he often fed me information I needed in exchange for a few bucks.

But this time, he’d signed his death warrant, unless I could get the bracelet back.Nobodystole from snake shifters and got away with it. They were nasty tempered enough when they were happy. Piss them off? You had an assassin on your trail.

“Lucky for you, Analida’s in a party frame of mind. And you’re also lucky that I’m the one that noticed you swiping her bracelet. She was too drunk to come after you herself, so I told her I’d get it back for her. And you’re very lucky that I’m not going to kill you, like she would have. Now give me the diamonds and I’ll let you go and tell her I have no idea who you are—that I managed to get the bracelet but you ran off.”

Benny froze. “She’s a snake shifter?” He sobered and quit trying to get away, but I knew him too well to let go of him.

“Yeah. She’s a snake shifter. Next time, know who your mark is, you idiot.” I gave him a shake. “Give me back the bracelet, and I meannow. She won’t stay drunk for long. You know how fast they process their liquor.”

Benny let out a sigh. “All right, all right, Legs. You win. It’s in my left pocket.” He was wearing a pair of distressed jeans and a wife beater, which looked bizarre given the fact that he resembled a demented Yoda.

“Seriously?You think I’m reaching in your pocket? You’re not pulling that stunt on me again. I’m letting go of your arm, so you move nice and slow and bring out the diamonds.”

The one time I’d reached in Benny’s pocket for something, I realized too late that he had a strategically placed hole in it and I’d gotten a handful of goblin cock, rock hard and ready to rumble. I’d washed my hands for days after that. Chances were, that wouldn’t happen now, given he was on the hunt for money, but I didn’t want to take a chance.

I rolled off him, keeping him pinned. He grunted, but reached in his pocket and brought out the sparkling bracelet and handed it to me. I took it and tucked it down my bustier. It was tight enough that nobody was fishing it out without my permission.

“Good choice,” I said, standing up and dusting off my leather pants. “All right, you can go, you numbskull.”

He blew a raspberry at me, but stood and leaned against the fence, crossing his arms. “I wouldn’t have bothered stealing from her if I’d known you were there. Seriously, Kyann, is there anybody in this city that you don’t know?”

“A lot of people,” I said. “But I know the ones who matter. At least in Upper Seattle. I don’t hang out in the Underground.”

Benny arched his eyebrows, or he would have if he’d had eyebrows. Goblins didn’t have much hair. “Good thing. It’s dangerous down there.”

I nodded. Underground Seattle was populated with creatures and humans who lived on the dark side, including a number of vampires, mobsters, gang members, and other unsavory types. It wasn’t the place to hang if you valued your life.

“That’s true,” I said. “Tell me, why did you take the chance on stealing from Analida? How did you even get into her estate?”

“I snuck in with the caterers. I told them I was one of her messengers and they had no clue I was lying. You might think about telling her to watch her security.”

“Will do. But why take the chance?”

He shrugged. “I’m hungry. I haven’t managed to score any good hits lately, and it’s been two days since I ate. I’m either getting soft, or people are getting more careful.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh Benny…why don’t you try to get a job?”

I opened my cross-body bag. I knew better than to pull out my wallet, but I kept a couple spare twenties in one of the side pockets. I pulled out one of them and handed it to him. “Here. Make sure you buy food, not drugs.”

“You know I don’t use,” he said, taking the bill. “Thanks, even though I think you might have dislocated my arm when you dragged me off the fence.” He rolled his arm, rubbing his shoulder.

“Trust me, you’dknowit if I dislocated something,” I said. “Okay, beat it. Go buy a cheeseburger and fries.” I started to leave.

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