In one fluid motion, Zafron seized Steele''s wrist, his grip like iron. Before Steele could react, Zafron spun him around and slammed him against the wall, reversing their positions. The impact knocked the breath from Steele''s lungs, his head cracking against the cold stone.


    "Who the fuck are you?" Zafron snarled, twisting Steele''s arm behind his back. "Why are you following me?"


    Steele let out a harsh laugh, despite the pain shooting through his shoulder. "By the name of the Emperor, you''re under arrest for the murder of Malachi Vest and countless others, you piece of shit."


    Zafron''s brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "Malachi who? I don''t even know what the hell you''re talking about."


    "Don''t play dumb with me!" Steele roared, suddenly driving his head backward. The back of his skull connected with Zafron''s nose with a satisfying crunch. "You thought you could just disappear after Drakoria?"


    As Zafron stumbled back, blood streaming from his nose, Steele spun around and launched a vicious right hook. Zafron barely managed to weave away, the punch grazing his cheek.


    "Listen, asshole," Zafron spat blood onto the ground, "I''ve never been to Drakoria, and I don''t know any fucking Malachi!" Of course this was a lie but he wasn''t about to admit anything that would link him to Drakoria, not now, not ever.


    He punctuated his words with a lightning-fast combination – a jab that Steele blocked, followed by a brutal liver shot that connected solidly. Steele doubled over, gasping.


    "Lying bastard!" Steele growled through gritted teeth. He straightened up and unleashed a flurry of strikes, each one aimed with lethal precision. "I saw you there! I saw what you did!"


    Zafron parried the attacks, his movements fluid and efficient. The strange substance coating his arms hardened into a protective shell, deflecting Steele''s blows with metallic clangs.


    [Well, this is fun,] Calista chimed in Zafron''s head. [Your new friend seems a bit confused though. Maybe we should get him a map?]


    "Not helping!" Zafron muttered, ducking under a roundhouse kick that would have taken his head off. He countered with an uppercut that caught Steele on the chin, snapping his head back.


    Steele staggered but didn''t fall. His eyes blazed with fury as he wiped blood from his split lip. "That''s it," he snarled. "No more playing around."


    His arms began to glow with an eerie green light, the air around them seeming to thicken and distort. Zafron felt his movements becoming sluggish, as if he were trying to fight underwater.


    [Oh, that''s new,] Calista observed. [And not in a fun way.]


    Zafron tried to dodge Steele''s next punch, but his body wouldn''t respond fast enough. The blow caught him in the ribs, and he felt something crack. Pain exploded through his chest.


    "Fuck!" Zafron gasped, stumbling backward. He raised his arms to block the follow-up strike, but Steele''s fist crashed through his defense like it wasn''t even there.


    "Not so quick now, are you?" Steele taunted, pressing his advantage. His strikes came in a relentless barrage, each one moving at normal speed while Zafron struggled against whatever force was holding him back.


    A right cross caught Zafron in the temple, making his vision blur. He barely managed to deflect a knee aimed at his stomach, but the effort left him off balance. Steele capitalized immediately, grabbing Zafron''s collar and driving him backward into a wall.


    "I''ve waited months for this," Steele growled, his face inches from Zafron''s. "You''re going to pay for every life you took."


    [Hey, genius,] Calista cut in, [if you''re done getting your ass kicked, maybe try using that fancy new healing trick of yours?]


    Zafron''s eyes widened slightly. Through the pain and confusion, an idea began to form.


    "You want to see what I can do?" he wheezed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Fine. Let me show you."


    The substance coating his arms suddenly liquefied, flowing like quicksilver. Before Steele could react, it shot outward, wrapping around both of their bodies.


    "What the-" Steele''s grip loosened in surprise.


    Zafron grinned, despite his injuries. "Hope you don''t mind getting a little messy."


    The slime hardened instantly, trapping them both in a crystalline cocoon. But while Zafron''s body began to heal, knitting itself back together with unnatural speed, Steele found himself completely immobilized.


    "You motherfucker!" Steele raged, struggling against the hardened shell. The green glow around his arms flickered and died as he lost concentration.


    "Listen carefully," Zafron said, his voice steadier as his wounds closed. "I don''t know who you are. I don''t know who Malachi Vest is. And I''ve never been to Drakoria. You''ve got the wrong guy."


    "Bullshit!" Steele spat. "I saw you! Your powers, that substance – it''s exactly the same!"


    "Ever consider there might be more than one person with abilities like mine?" Zafron countered. He could feel his ribs mending, the pain fading to a dull ache. "You''re chasing the wrong person, and you nearly got us both killed because of it."


    "The only person dying today is you," Steele threatened, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.


    [Hate to interrupt this lovely chat,] Calista interjected, [but we should probably go before his friends show up.]


    Zafron nodded slightly. "Here''s what''s going to happen," he told Steele. "I''m going to leave now. This shell will dissolve in about ten minutes. If you''re smart, you''ll use that time to think about whether you''re really sure about what you saw in Drakoria."


    "You can''t just-"


    "I can, and I am." Zafron focused, and the substance around his own body liquefied again, freeing him while leaving Steele trapped. "Next time you want to accuse someone of murder, maybe try asking questions first instead of throwing punches." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and whatever that green shit was? Pretty impressive. But you might want to work on your timing."


    "This isn''t over!" Steele shouted after him. "You hear me? I''ll find you again!"


    "Yeah," Zafron muttered as he limped away, his body still healing. "I''m sure you will."


    [Well, that was exciting,] Calista commented. [Though I have to say, your technique could use some work. Getting caught in your own trap? Amateur hour.]


    "Shut up," Zafron growled, but there was no real heat in it. His mind was racing, trying to make sense of what had just happened.


    Zafron had barely made it twenty paces when an explosive crash rang out behind him. He spun around to see fragments of his hardened shell scattered across the ground, and Steele – eyes and hands blazing with that eerie green glow – emerging from the wreckage.


    "You know what mistake everyone makes?" Steele''s voice was deadly calm, a stark contrast to his earlier rage. "They think the phantom gaze is all I''ve got."


    [Well...as you''d say, shit,] Calista muttered. [This could be a problem.]


    Before Zafron could respond, Steele closed the distance between them with impossible speed. A glowing fist caught Zafron in the solar plexus, driving the air from his lungs. The follow-up hook nearly took his head off.


    "Fuck!" Zafron stumbled backward, his healing factor already kicking in. The truth about Drakoria burned in his mind – he had been there, he did know Malachi Vest – but there was no time for guilt now. Not with this psychopath on his tail.


    Steele pressed forward relentlessly, each strike enhanced by that mysterious green energy. Zafron managed to block a kick aimed at his knee, countering with an elbow strike that caught Steele''s jaw. Blood sprayed from Steele''s split lip, but he barely seemed to notice.


    They traded brutal blows in the narrow alley, neither gaining a clear advantage. Zafron''s hardened shell cracked under Steele''s enhanced strikes, while Steele''s face became a mess of cuts and bruises that he ignored with frightening determination.


    "Getting tired yet?" Steele taunted, spitting blood. "Or just running out of lies?"


    "Go fuck yourself," Zafron growled, launching a combination that would have dropped a normal man. But Steele wasn''t normal – he slipped most of the strikes and caught Zafron with a rib-crushing body shot.


    The fight devolved into a savage exchange, both men abandoning technique for raw brutality. Zafron''s healing factor worked overtime as Steele landed blow after enhanced blow. But Steele wasn''t walking away unscathed – Zafron''s counterattacks left deep gashes and ugly bruises wherever they landed.


    Just as they broke apart for breath, both warriors bloody and heaving, a shadow fell over them. A figure dropped from above with preternatural grace, landing between them.


    Steele barely had time to register the newcomer – a tall woman with distinctive cat-like features and a pink ponytail – before her fist connected with his chest. The impact sent him flying backward, crashing through the alley wall in an explosion of brick and mortar.


    "Sakura?" Zafron wheezed, clutching his side.


    The cat-woman''s tail swished as she turned to face him. "I had a feeling something was off when I saw him following you after the fight," she said, her eyes narrowing at the destruction around them. "Seems I was right."


    Zafron''s legs finally gave out, and he slumped against the wall. "Thanks for the save," he managed, his healing factor struggling to keep up with the damage Steele had inflicted.


    "Don''t thank me yet," Sakura replied, her ears twitching toward the hole in the wall. "We need to move. I don''t know why he''s here but If he''s an enforcer, there will be more coming."


    [She''s right,] Calista chimed in. [And if they''ve tracked you to Area 52, this changes everything.]


    From the rubble, they heard a groan followed by the sound of shifting debris. Steele wasn''t done yet.


    "Come on," Sakura said, helping Zafron to his feet. "We need to find Matilda and get out of here. Now."


    As they hurried away, Zafron cast one last look over his shoulder. The green glow was already visible through the dust and debris, like the eyes of a predator in the dark.


    This wasn''t over. Not by a long shot.