And Thruor had taken care of the driver before I had chance to breathe.

“You killed them?” Raina whispered.

“They were fire giants. They can’t die here. They’re just banished,” I told her, quietly.

“Like demons, then?”
“It’s the same principle.” I knew they weren’t all evil, though. But then, were all demons? I could never be sure on that front either. No, they were. Because they had chosen to be. Or had we all chosen our own nature?

Tyz’vel was just plain annoying.

“Okay.” She relaxed. “Sorry, I thought you were just going to beat them up and chase them off.”

My lips quirked. “Had to go all the way with that type.” I turned to Thruor. “They weren’t working for Surtur.”

“Working against him?”

I nodded. “And apparently resorting to drawing power from mortal witches.”

Raina shook her head. “Which is why I helped. That’s just plain rude.”

“I agree. But I wish I’d got more out of them.”

They’d been too good to take alive, though; and I was pretty sure they wouldn’t have let me anyway. When you know death’s just a trip home, there’s really no reason to let yourself be captured. Unless, of course, you want to be.

Mike was searching the truck. “I found the brand they were using. I’ll tell them we found the truck, but the suspects bunked.”

Best way to explain it, especially as there weren’t any bodies. Which was a good thing. Bodies would have been much harder to explain than a bit of ash in an alleyway. It was starting to rain.

“I vote we find…”

“I,” Kanesha interrupted. “Vote we take over this ramen place that’s about three blocks away.”

That sounded like a very appealing plan. “We can stash the weapons in Mike’s car.”

He wasn’t objecting to that, and the group of us headed down the street, looking, I thought, rather badass. He’d managed to cut my arm, but it was already healing quickly and I was sure the sore ribs would.
And hot broth would be just what poor Raina needed after watching that…and helping, too.

She’d probably never been in a real fight before.