The two I could tell were shifters had long dark hair. One had it in a braid, the other in a bun. Aside from a once broken and healed nose, the two faces were nearly indistinguishable. Twins were rare for shifters. They were considered to be gifted according to legends. As in, more powerful than other shifters.
Just my luck.
The third male was fair in complexion and hair. Elias had called him his brother but I saw no resemblance to the broody dark haired enforcer.
All three of them stared us down, but none of them advanced. I wrapped my fingers around the handle of my blade, ready to pull it free.
One of the shifters, Man-bun, cracked his knuckles then made a kissy face at me. I narrowed my eyes. He was going down first.
“Send the whore away,” Elias’s brother said. “No reason for her to get hurt in men’s business.”
My blood boiled and I took a step forward. Fuck taking out the shifters, I was going for this asshole.
Elias’s arm blocked my path and I stopped moving. It was a good reminder to stay calm. When you fought with emotion, you made mistakes. I stood against Elias’s outstretched arm, my nostrils flaring as I glared at all three of our targets.
“You should be less concerned about his sex life and more concerned about the fact that I can kick your ass,” I said.
“She’s got some fire,” he said, still addressing Elias.
Asshole.
“Only warning, David,” Elias said. “You have no authority here.”
“Neither do you,” Elias’s brother, David, said.
“I do, actually,” Elias said. “And nobody will bat an eye if I kill you. You have no power in this realm.”
I could feel the tension rising around us. It was laced with magic and hung around us like a cloud. I’d seen what Elias could do. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see what two with his powers could destroy.
Then again, if David took out Elias for me, I would be free to pursue Lola’s killer on my own. That thought didn’t linger long. Guilt, and to my surprise, a flicker of concern passed through me. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Today was full of surprises. I didn’t like it.
“Enough,” I said. “I don’t know what this feud is, but I do know we’re standing in the middle of a parking lot, in daylight, in full view of humans.”
There were no other cars here. No signs of any witnesses, but it could happen.
“Then we better get this over with.” David’s hands lit up, gold sparks dancing on his fingers.
Son of a bitch. That wasn’t what I was going for.
Elias shoved me aside and ran to meet his brother. I stumbled, but quickly caught my balance. As I turned to face the remaining shifters, I pulled my knife out and raised it in front of me.
The blade was a custom magic-built knife. And it was my most prized possession. Made with silver and iron, it was toxic to most supernaturals. Though, it would kill me just as easily as it would them. Lucky me, I can’t turn into a wolf, but I got the silver weakness.
Man-bun stepped toward me, a creepy grin on his lips. “You don’t want to do this, sweetheart. How about we talk while the boys work this out?”
“The condescending, misogynistic bullshit ends now,” I said.
I felt the magic flowing around and out of the corner of my eye, I caught Elias charging his brother. That was his fight, this was mine.
Man-bun nodded to his twin, Braid. He hadn’t said a word to me yet and his expression hadn’t changed since he arrived. But now that it was time to dance, he was the one who stepped forward.
The dark-haired man locked his green eyes on me, his face impassive. The lack of expression sent a chill down my spine but I prepared to face him nonetheless.
He was about five or six inches taller than me and probably had at least a hundred pounds on me. But it wasn’t the first time I’d faced odds like this.
“You waiting for an invitation?” I asked.
For the first time, his expression shifted and I noted the slightest smile on his lips. Then he doubled over, his body convulsing. I heard bones snapping as his human form changed before my eyes.