Tactical Magik (Immortal Ops) Read Online Free PDF

who had to make it by staying under the radar, like her. He’d helped her learn to fend for herself. Helped her spot dangers and even taught her how to spot certain supernaturals. Best part was, he taught her the ones to avoid at all cost.
    Shifter. That was what Jimmy said he smelled on her when he first found her, rummaging through a trash can when she was only fifteen, looking for anything that was still edible. She thought he was nuts at first, but something deep down told her to trust him. She’d never been able to shift forms like he could, but she did possess similar skills. And a few more they tended not to talk about. They’d forged an unbreakable bond. One she missed dearly.
    “ Even if you’re not tough—pretend. It can convince a lot of people,” she murmured, thinking of Jimmy’s words of wisdom. “And never lose your ability to laugh.”
    His lessons were words she lived by.
    Damn him for getting caught. Damn him for sacrificing himself for her. She wanted to hate him for that, but she loved him too much to bother. This area was one he’d taught her about. He’d walked her through it enough times that she knew most of it like the back of her hand. However, this particular section was newer to her.
    She knew supernaturals had flocked to the space. They’d taken a deep foothold within the crime community and ran things now. Like they did in so many large cities. If regulars only knew the truth. She could barely remember a time when she was ignorant of what truly lurked in the darkened recesses. It was a happy time. A time before she became a runner.
    “Damn men in black.”
    She nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all.
    Yes, she was on the run from the men in black.
    Hollywood would have a field day with her. Then again, they’d have to swallow the truth that some people weren’t really people at all. Some were monsters.
    She was a monster of sorts. No one had been able to label her. All she knew was she was more than human, an outcast and wanted by all the wrong people. None of it made for a happy gal.
    She kept walking, despite the bitter cold rain stinging her cheeks. The temperature had dropped when the sun went down and would only continue to do so as long as the rain held out. There seemed to be no end to it in sight. Keeping her head low, she avoided making eye contact with anyone. She couldn’t be sure if they would remember her should anyone come looking later.
    She stepped into a small alcove in the alley and put her back to the wall. Pieces of the brick flecked off and onto her shoulder. She brushed them away as best she could, considering how damp her sweatshirt was. The hoodie she wore had done little to shield her from the drizzle that had started nearly thirty minutes prior and had remained constant. If anything, the hoodie acted like a sponge. She’d be soaked to the bone soon enough.
    She was happy she’d decided to stash her sketchpad and drawing materials. She didn’t own much except them, and her sketchpad meant the world to her. Jimmy used to laugh at her because of the one thing she enjoyed drawing most—a man she’d never met and who wasn’t real. He just sort of came to her when she had pencil in hand, and sometimes even in her dreams, if only for fleeting moments. Didn’t matter. His face and his blue-gray eyes were burned into her brain. She’d even managed to sell a few of her drawings of him. She wasn’t sure what the buyer did with them or why the person picked the naked ones. The money provided much needed food.  
    The man she drew was her guardian angel, even if he wasn’t real. To her, he represented peace and serenity. She could use a little of both.
    Wet, hungry and tired, she closed her eyes and let out a long breath. She needed a place to hunker down and sleep for a few days straight. Not to mention food. She needed food. Her reserve money was tapped out and she’d not been able to shake her followers for long enough intervals to work any odd jobs