Acting by instinct, Will dove forward to avoid the wave of water, which flew over his head. Charlisa had moved quickly enough as well, but James got caught up in the swirl of water, and as one of the Water Nexians made a flicking motion to the side, James was jerked roughly in that direction. Will ran right at the closest person to him, a thin and gangly man that was somewhere in his early twenties. His skin was heavily tanned, suggesting a lot of time in the sun, and he had an anchor tattoo on his left forearm.

Perhaps the other Nexian was prepared for Will to throw fire at him, or else that he’d try to move away. Either way, he didn’t seem to fear a physical attack, which suited Will perfectly. In any event, it wasn’t until his fist hand slammed into the man’s face that he remembered he should have used fire. But as he pivoted on his back foot and stomped out high, catching the man in the solar plexus, he realized that he actually had an advantage here. The Water Nexians clearly had no hand-to-hand fighting experience, and couldn’t come up with a way to counter him quickly enough.

At least, that’s what Will thought until the man let out a shout of anger and pain, and threw one hand forward. Will jumped back, his mind immediately thinking of avoiding an attempt to grab him, only to get hit full in the face with another flying stream of water. It had curved around the guy he’d punched so quickly that he’d had no chance to avoid. He hit the concrete hard, rolling several feet before the water lost its momentum and splashed down around him.

Charlisa had taken a little longer than Will to get his bearings, but she now went on the attack, yelling with the force she put into two massive balls of fire. They flashed over Will’s head towards the man with the anchor tattoo. He had a large blob of water orbiting his body, and it swung around to intercept each ball of fire as it came. Still, it gave Will enough time to regain his feet and dance away.

“For heaven’s sake!” She yelled. “You can create fire with your bare hands!”

“Right!” He called back, doing exactly that. The fire he created was so hot that the water on him evaporated instantly. Instead of relying on raw power as she had, he condensed the ball he’d created between his hands. He knew that their attackers were likely far more powerful than him, so he had to rely on tricky angles and speed if he wanted to stand a chance. It was the same mentality he used to great effect in tournaments whenever he’d found himself against someone much larger than him.

The Water Nexian had been able to control the water even once it had left his hands, hadn’t he? Will thought he could do the same. As it turned out, it was easier than he’d expected. With only fifteen or twenty feet between them, Will hurled the small concentrated ball of fire he’d created. It described a small arc as it traveled through the air, actually leaving his opponent’s field of vision before it curved back in and hit. It struck the man with the anchor tattoo just under his ribcage, and with a nasty crunch, he hit the ground, screaming in pain.

More fire appeared, flashing just past Will and slamming into the defensive screens of the other four attackers. James had gotten back up, and judging by the expression on his face as he advanced, he was pissed. He threw large balls of fire as fast as he could, leaving no more than two or three seconds behind each volley. His furs were smoldering with the extreme heat, but he didn’t seem to care. He just kept throwing attacks at the four standing Nexians, a constant roar of rage erupting from his throat.

Leaping over the writhing body of the man he’d just knocked down, Will ran for the center of the group. He knew he couldn’t produce power like Charlisa’s, nor did he have James’ stamina. He reckoned he could last another minute before his Condition broke, and that was if he just conjured fire to his hands. Even if it was stupid, he had to rely on his physical speed and power. If his Condition broke, he’d be a sitting duck. So he chose the suicidal route, charging right for the person he thought might be their leader.

His recklessness caught the man by surprise, and he was able to grab his wrists before he had the chance to react or attack. With both his hands full, Will simply brought one knee up, slamming it into the leader’s stomach. The man doubled over as the air exploded out of him, too stunned by the impact to counter. Will took advantage of that, using his body as cover to avoid another jet of water. Two quick punches to the stomach later, he fell just like his companion.

“Come on!” Will screamed at the others, already moving again. They took an uneasy step back as he yelled at them, intimidated by his challenge. Too late. He got inside the reach of yet another, ducking under his clumsy right swing. When he popped back up, he threw his entire body behind a searing uppercut to the man’s jaw. His feet actually lifted off the ground with the force of the blow, the light in his eyes going out like a candle in a storm. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

The fourth Nexian hit the ground under a torrent of flame launched by James, and the fifth cried out as Charlisa put one well-placed shot into his shoulder. Of all of them, he was the only one still conscious, and he looked up fearfully as he saw Will running over to him. He tried to scramble to his feet, but Will was on top of him too fast, flipping him onto his stomach and gripping his arm, wrenching it back. The man let out a shriek of pain and struggled, but couldn’t break free.

“Stop moving!” Will said, his voice cracking like a whip. “I will break your arm if you struggle, do you understand me?”

That put an end to the futile effort. The man lay still, whimpering in pain as Will held him in his grip. By sheer bad luck, it was the same shoulder that Charlisa had hit. Will held the man still as Charlisa and James ran up to him, their eyes switching warily between the four unconscious figures. James was still grumbling under his breath as he caught up, his eyes sparking with anger. But even under the rage, he had a look of faint admiration.

“Damn!” He said. For a second, Will thought he was going to attack the last man. But he bared his teeth at Will in a grin. “You tore through those poor sops like they were paper!”

Will couldn’t help but grin in reply. He glanced up at Charlisa as she drew closer. “What do you want to do?”

She grimaced. “I don’t know. First thing’s first, James, call my father. He should be made aware.”

“Right you are,” James said, still breathing heavily. He pulled out his phone, clicking his tongue. “Broke the screen, you dolts.”

He kicked the figure that Will had pinned, eliciting another cry of pain. Charlisa handed James her phone, actually shoving him several feet away. “Just call him.”

She knelt down on the sidewalk so that her face was visible to the man. “What’s your name?”

“I’m not telling you that, you savage!” The man growled. Will reacted more to the tone than the insult, bending the man’s arm a little further. He let out a howl. “Okay, okay! My name’s Nick. Lay off me already!”

“Why did you attack us?” Will asked him loudly. “Is your Alpha in town?”

“Edward’s on his way now,” James said, returning. “He’s not happy.”

“Of course he’s not,” Will said. “Now answer my question!”

“Ow! I don’t know where the Chief is, alright? We’re here on our own. Ain’t nobody else involved, alright?”

Will snorted with mirthless laughter. “Like I’ll believe that. Tell me the truth, or I’m breaking the arm.”

“Will, you can’t!” Charlisa said, sounding panicked. “The Soul Nexus made a law-”

“I know about the law,” he said quickly. “It forbids us from killing a member of another Nexus. I’m not going to kill him.”

“No killing!” Nick bleated. “And no breakin’! I’m tellin' ya the truth!”

“We’ll see about that,” Charlisa muttered. She reached one hand out to touch the man’s neck. For a wild moment, Will thought she was going to burn him. But she simply put two fingers on the side and spoke again. “Is Rachel Smith in Fairbanks?”

“No!” He crowed at once. Charlisa frowned, and the man gave a shudder and a cry. “Ow! Stop that!”

“What are you doing?” Will asked, more curious than concerned for Nick. “Are you shocking him or something?”

She shook her head. “I’m feeling his heartbeat. Hard to explain, but I can tell if someone’s lying to me. He lied, so I pulled a little heat out of his body. It’s quite unpleasant for someone who’s not one of us.”

Will’s eyes widened, impressed. “Cool. Please, continue.”

She nodded. “Did Rachel order you to attack us?”

“No.”

Charlisa frowned again, but this time it seemed to be out of confusion, not annoyance. “He’s telling the truth. Who told you to attack us?”

Nick froze, his eyes wide with fear. His mouth opened, but before he could say anything, they all heard the screech of tires. A black car had turned sharply onto the road they stood by, screeching to a halt beside James. They all thought it was Edward arriving, obviously, and James relaxed visibly. He hurried forward eagerly as the back door opened. Will frowned at that. Didn’t Edward drive himself when he used a car? Too late, he thought to shout a warning to James.

A figure in a loose grey hoodie and dark blue jeans stepped out of the vehicle with cat-like grace, getting inside James’ reach too quickly for the youth to react. He slammed one fist into James’s stomach, right under the ribcage, then pivoted smoothly into a left hook that sent him flying to the side. James could only let out one grunt of surprise before he hit the ground unconscious. The figure stepped to the side in Will and Charlisa’s direction even as another vehicle, a white van, appeared, stopping beside the black car.

“Charlisa, get back!” Will said loudly, releasing his grip on Nick’s arm. He could tell at once that the newcomer was dangerous. The casual ease with which he’d knocked out James spoke to deadly skill, and even now his movements were graceful, the subtle sign of an experienced fighter. Will rose to his feet, bracing himself in a determined stance. He and the stranger met eyes, the silent challenge all too obvious.

Will considered himself a competent fighter. He’d trained for almost eight years, and he’d won a handful of tournaments. He wasn’t lazy, and he practiced often, diligently keeping up with his training. But as he blocked the stranger’s first kick, he realized instantly that he was hopelessly outmatched in both power and experience. He was almost rocked by the strength of the kick, but he wasn’t about to give up that easily, not when Charlisa was behind him and totally vulnerable. He could tell that fire, no matter how strong Charlisa was, wouldn’t faze this man.

He pushed the man’s leg away and went on the attack at once. He jabbed, stomped, kicked, and swung for all he was worth. Each blow had as much focus and power as he could manage, but it didn’t even faze his opponent. With a growing sense of unease, he abandoned the attack just long enough to give himself some space. The stranger pursued him, leaping high into the air and driving his fist down. Even though Will blocked it properly, he was still knocked completely off his feet, crashing down onto the sidewalk for the second time that day. The man’s face was hidden, but Will could sense him smiling as he stared down at the prone youth.

Whatever the stranger had planned next, they never discovered. He didn’t even have time to raise his fist to strike again before fire flooded Will’s vision, coating both himself and the stranger in a flood of red-orange fury. When it had cleared, Will leaped to his feet. Edward was there, less than a dozen feet away, throwing a never-ending stream of fire from one hand, his other gripping the collar of James’ coat. With a roar like a jet engine, the stream of flames was following the stranger as he ran away. He whipped around the corner and out of sight. Then, in the other direction, the van’s door slammed closed, and it too peeled away, quickly diving into traffic and along the road. It had taken the Water Nexians with it, and the stranger had vanished.