Stranded on foot—he had left his bike down at the Metro garage—he briefly wondered if he could get away by entering one of the posh shops dotting the street. One look at his leather jacket, dirty black jeans, and scuffed combat boots, and he dismissed the idea; he would stand out like a sore thumb and draw attention to himself rather than disappear among the elegant shoppers. Glancing over his shoulder, he recognized his pursuers and swore out loud. The two most powerful watchdogs of the paranormal world were after him. After skirting the Immortal Council’s justice for so long, he should have known they were just waiting for him to do something stupid. From escaping the orphanage, breaking and entering the same institution, to assaulting a bloodsucker, he had done plenty lately to be on the Council’s radar, but for them to send the demon and Ravenna Del Sarto to retrieve him seemed excessive. Rock’s words came back to him and he couldn’t help but find the whole situation ironic.
