“…understand perfectly well who you are,” Kiran Mrak said, his voice suffused with derision. “You are what passes for local law enforcement. Undertrained, undereducated, likely coming from a background so poor that you view this job as a step up; a steady, respectable way to take care of your family.”

“Treaty,” I called out.

He ignored me. “If we had met at night, things may have been different. But here we are in broad daylight. Therefore, officer, it so happens that our interests align. You want to take care of your family, and so do I.”

The moment I stepped foot off the inn’s grounds, the Draziri would forget all about Marais and key in on me. I had promised Sean to stay in plain view inside the boundary and I would do it. But the urge to walk out there was strong.

“Where is your wolf?” Maud asked me under her breath.

“Sneaking around them from the back.”

Marais wasn’t saying anything. He clearly was determined to find out what was going on once and for all.

“So,” Kiran Mrak said with the resignation of a man who’d done this hundreds of times, “how much will it take?”

“Sir, are you trying to bribe me?” Marais asked, his voice very calm.

“No. I’m trying to help you supplement your pay. It is clearly inadequate for a man of your intelligence.”

Marais smiled. Oh crap.

“A man should be compensated in line with the amount of danger he faces in the course of his job,” Mrak said. “And your job is exceedingly dangerous, especially at this moment.”

“Oooh,” Marais said, stretching the word. “I love danger.”

“No, he doesn’t,” I called out. “If you touch a hair on that man’s head, I will…”

“I believe in fairness, officer,” Mrak said. “So do you want credit? Do you want currency? What is it that you value on this god-forsaken hellhole of a planet? Gold, right? You mammals like gold.”

I would kill him. He had to die. Behind me the barrel of the small projectile cannon slid from under the inn’s roof. It was basically a souped-up version of a rifle, and unlike energy weapons, it was very efficient. The inn had trouble loading and aiming it, but I had already loaded it and I would only need one shot.

Mrak raised his hands and one of the other Draziri put a small bag into it. The assassin pulled it open and extracted a gold nugget the size of a walnut. He looked at it, shook a few more onto his palm as if they were mints, and looked at Marais.

“Withdraw,” I said. “Or I swear, I’ll get your entire species blacklisted.”

Next to me Helen hissed, baring her fangs. Both Mrak and Marais glanced at her. Helen stared at Mrak, raised her finger and drew it across her throat.

“What a charming child.” Mrak turned to Marais. “Is this enough?”

“Sir, are you aware that bribing a law enforcement official is a crime?” Marais asked, his voice still mildly curious.

“Bribery is a crime and greed is a vice in your culture, officer, yet it rules your pathetic little lives, no matter how much you protest otherwise. I find these negotiations tedious. Yes or no?”

Marais opened his mouth. I knew exactly what would come out. It didn’t matter anymore. My inn was exposed. Nobody knew how many people were watching all of this from their windows. This is how it ended. The only thing that mattered now was saving Officer Marais who had nothing to do with anything and was trying only to do his job.

“Gentlemen, this was fun.” His voice rang. “Lie facedown on the ground with your hands behind your head.”

Yep. That was exactly what I thought he would say.

“Really?” Mrak sighed.

“Lie down on the ground!” Marais barked. “Hands behind your head! Do it now!”

“Fine,” Mrak snapped. “Kill him.”

Magic moved. The ground to the left of us tore and Arland burst into the open. He wore the full suit of syn-armor, black and crimson. His golden mane fell on his shoulders. The blood mace in his hand whined, priming. He was coming, unstoppable like a battering ram. I caught a glance of Maud’s face. My sister was smiling. She’d set this up.

Arland reached the edge of the inn’s boundary. His mouth gaped open, his fangs on full display. The Marshal of House Krahr roared like a pissed off lion and charged. Maud grabbed Helen before she had a chance to follow.

The Draziri did what any normal sentient being would do when they saw an enraged vampire coming - they backed away, trying to scatter, and scattered straight into Sean. The first Draziri didn’t know what happened when Sean broke his neck.

Arland’s mace crushed the second Draziri. Both he and Sean went after Mrak. He slipped between them as if he were made of air. A blue blade appeared in his hand. He slashed with it, fast and precise. They danced across the street, Mrak avoiding their blows like a ghost. No shot.

The third Draziri lunged at Marais.

I glanced at Beast and pointed to the third Draziri. “Kill it!”

My dog dashed across the street, claws sliding out of her paws.

The officer snapped his Taser up. The Taser sparked. The Draziri jerked and ripped the metal prongs out of his body. Marais went for his gun.

Beast leapt into the air, her mouth gaping open, displaying four rows of razor sharp teeth and tore out the Draziri’s throat. Blood spurted onto the asphalt at Marais’s feet.

We were doomed. We were all doomed.

Kiran Mrak spun, avoiding Sean’s knife. A gun barrel yawned at me. He’d walked them right where he could have the perfect shot at me.