tilted in a curious manner.
 
 “I’ll take the hag, you get the cat.” Meg never took her eyes off
 
 Liadan. She stared in almost helpless fascination. The hag appeared
 
 bigger than she had before, her body stronger. There was no question
 
 that Liadan was a predator.
 
 Dante’s voice cracked just a bit. “I really don’t like cats. They’re
 
 creepy. I’m more of a dog person.”
 
 “I’m not asking you to take it as a pet,” Meg practically snarled
 
 back at the vampire. “I’m asking you to kill it. I’m taking on the big,
 
 scary hag. You can handle one little kitty.”
 
 “We really need to talk about this new trend toward emasculating
 
 me at every given opportunity,” Dante muttered. Meg stared at him,
 
 her eyes narrowed. “I can handle the cat.”
 
 “Do that.”
 
 Meg pulled the gun out of the holster and shrugged out of the
 
 confines of the jacket. She no longer felt the chill in the air. Her skin
 
 was hot with the ant
 
 icipation of the next few kill-or-be-killed
 
 moments. Her heart was pounding as she faced down her enemy.
 
 296
 
 Sophie Oak
 
 Liadan was facing away. There wouldn’t be a better time. Meg stood
 
 up.
 
 “That’s not a good idea.” Dante tried to pull at her hand.
 
 “Just take care of the kitty,” Meg shot back at him.
 
 Meg looked out across the forest that separated them and took
 
 aim. The cat hissed, the sound so much larger than it should have
 
 been. It echoed through the forest. As the hag turned, Meg let out the
 
 breath she had been holding and pulled the trigger.
 
 The hag was quick, but not fast enough. She moved to the left.