Page 27 of The Firebrand
At the end of the hallway, Rein shoved through a metal door, rattling it against a solid exterior wall.
It was a pleasant summer night. Braelyn stopped on the sidewalk, angling her head to gaze at skyscrapers that reached for the stars. Cars rolled along a four-lane street where fancy brass lampposts jutted out to light the road.
“It’s a busy city.”
She thought she heard ahmphas she hurried to catch up with Rein.
Glancing over her shoulder, she expected an outside view of the Ministry of Well Being.
Nothing.
She wiped her eyes. “What happened to your dad’s office? It’s gone. Poof.”
“A cloaking spell.”
“These other buildings are here.”
“Some places need more security.”
“How about the stronghold?”
“Poof,” he said, chuckling.
Now he gets a sense of humor.
Running to catch up, Braelyn captured Rein’s calloused, warm hand. With his lips parted in surprise, he looked down where they joined. He held onto her as they crossed to the other side, dodging traffic.
“That’s a Ford.” Braelyn pointed. “A Honda. A Toyota. I don’t recognize that make.” Another question for Rein’slaterlist. A motorcycle passed. They turned onto a deserted side street, no other pedestrians in sight. Small bits of trash swirled in a light breeze. Here, the night was quiet, in a city kind-of-way.
“Where are we?”
“Covenkirk.”
“It looks big.”
“It is.”
“Okay. I see I must construct better questions. What makes Covenkirk special?”
“It’s Scath’s capital, the home of mage.”
“You’d be out of a job if you drove the Duck.”
“Why would I drive a duck?”
She grinned. “I’ll explain later.”
Rounding a corner, an enormous guy with dreadlocks and bushy brows lumbered toward them. While he stroked his scraggly beard, his black-eyed glower settled on Braelyn. A frigid snarl curled his lip when he pulled alongside.
Rein dropped her hand to throw an arm over her shoulders, edging her to the opposite side, dragging her close. He growled a response that had the guy lowering his gaze while he hurried on his way.
When scary guy was well behind them, Braelyn asked, “Vampire?”
“Berserker. I’ll explain later.”
“Of course you will. Did he know I was human?”
“Yes.”
