She bled green when I pulled the knife out. I put pressure on the wound. I couldn’t worry about the perpetrator.

I couldn’t even call Seb. Truth was, I had no real idea what to do other than wrap it and pray.

Clara would be so useful right now, but I couldn’t call anyone while I was keeping pressure on the wound.

“Why are you interfering?” the hunter snarled.

I also couldn’t fight anyone. Not without letting her die. But if I didn’t…

Cold iron wasn’t poisonous to me, but being stabbed with it would sure as heck hurt. “I don’t let murders happen on my watch.” I informed him.

“If it’s a monster it’s not murder.”

Great.

Hard line hunter. I twisted slightly to look at the man. Dark skinned, dressed casually, a second cold iron knife ready in one hand.

He wasn’t getting his first back. Except maybe the hard way. “I suggest you leave. Now. Before my backup shows up.”

Seb would come and investigate, but he was the other side of the river. It was a trek.

“If you had backup, they’d already be here. Step away or I’ll assume you’re a monster too.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Go ahead.” I thought I had the wound wrapped enough that she wouldn’t bleed out in the two minutes or less it would take me to take care of this guy.

I stood up, gracefully, between him and the fae. “Make your funeral arrangements first.”

He laughed. “A teenaged girl.”

A hardcore hunter with no good magic sense. Of course, if he did, he’d probably be able to tell the difference between different kinds of monsters and know who was really a threat.

“A warrior.” I shifted my stance. “Leave or I will hurt you.”

I wouldn’t kill him. He was probably salvageable. The fairy groaned a little.

I had to ignore her for now, because he threw the knife at me. I twisted and it only hit me in the arm. “Thanks, I’m collecting those.”

With a snarl, he closed in on me. I aimed a punch at his jaw, pulled so I wouldn’t actually kill him. It hit and he staggered.

“That’s right. I hit like a girl.” Then I followed up with a bullrush, trying to put him on the ground. Maybe I could tie him up.

“What are you?”

“I’m not telling you. Work it out for yourself.” I had him on the ground, spun him over, pinned him in a half nelson. “Do you yield?”

He growled, but then, “I yield.”

“Do you promise not to hurt her any more?”

“While you’re here.”

I’d have to take that for now. I released him. I wasn’t giving him back his knives, though. Spoils of war.