What if every magical creature you'd ever heard of was real, driven into hiding by an army of violent zealots? This is reality for Sarah Heisen and Porter Collins. Sarah is a sphinx living a life of luxury in her family's mansion. Hidden from all da...
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Chapter One
(Reya)
Reya ran, her footsteps echoing loudly in the narrow alleyway. The only light came from the streetlamps by the road, which made it hard to see. The smell of rotting, sunbaked garbage was heavy in the air, threatening to make her sick, and she forced herself to hold her breath until she was clear of it.
Running while holding my breath, she thought. Only one of the many useful skills I've picked up.
It had rained a couple hours ago, and the ground was still wet, so she wasn't worried about leaving footprints. If she were lucky, the slick ground would be enough to throw them off her trail— because they were right behind her!
She could hear them chasing her. Their footfalls were even louder than hers, and there were several of them. How many? She had counted three when they'd first spotted her, but there were probably even more now. There were always more.
Her breath came in ragged gulps, but she didn't let herself slow down. She was faster than they were. She could outrun them. She was starting to get tired, though. Her hair streamed out behind her like a flag, a fiery red beacon to the ones chasing her, and she cursed herself for not bringing a hat.
"This way," a voice behind her shouted. "Don't lose it!"
Defiance fought against terror inside her. If they caught her, she was dead. It was as simple as that. But all those years she'd spent living on the streets hadn't been for nothing. Reya knew her way around these back alleys better than anybody else. She'd stayed alive this long, and that wasn't going to change tonight.
She spotted a dumpster sitting against the wall in front of her, and the fire escape above it. Without pausing, she jumped on top of the trash can and then onto the rusty catwalk. She climbed the ladder with astounding agility, stopping on the roof and looking down at the narrow street three floors below. Less than half a minute later, a man came into the dim light, his long black coat billowing out behind him. He ran past the dumpster, just like she'd hoped, as did the one that came behind him.
"That's two of them," Reya whispered, watching them until they were lost to sight. "Where's the third?"
He'd most likely been left behind during the chase. Not many people could keep up with her. In fact, she was impressed that those two had managed it for so long. Either way, she needed to get back to shelter before they realized they'd been tricked. Taking a few steps backward, she got a running start and jumped to the next building.
Her home was about half a mile west of where she was, and she didn't want to spend a minute longer than she had to out in the open. Her feet hit the roof of the next building running, and she vaulted over the next gap as well. She moved with more confidence now, knowing that she could pass right above the men and they wouldn't even notice her. It was amazing, really, how people never thought to look up.
