I couldn’t believe Nik had lied to me about this stupid town.

Tears of anger rolled down my face, and I swiped at them with the back of my hand as I walked toward Black Bear’s Auto Repair.

I should have known better than to trust anyone. My whole life, the only two people I had ever been able to trust were my mother and myself. Everyone else was bound to lie or hurt me, and I had just learned the hard way that getting out of Vegas didn’t mean I was safe from getting hurt.

I was actually falling in love with him. I believed all that crap about him wanting me to stay in Willow Harbor and how this was the safest place in the world for me. I believed him when he said that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

And the whole time, he was just as much of a prisoner here as I had been in the Mist Lake Towers. Nicer scenery, but the same damn story.

How dare he tell me that he could keep me safe when he didn’t even have control over his own life? He’d had plenty of chances to tell me about Selena, but instead, he had chosen to let me believe that he was free and happy. I let him make me think I could have that life, too.

And the whole time, it was nothing but a lie. Another dream that was never going to become a reality.

I walked faster, pulling my new jacket tighter around my body. The air was cooler tonight, and I hadn’t forgotten what everyone said about it being dangerous to walk around town on Halloween, especially on a full moon.

Yet, here I was, storming off into the shadows, completely alone. At least the auto shop wasn’t far. It was just another block up ahead. As long as he’d done like I asked and left it outside, I should be able to use my magic to get it going again. I wouldn’t be able to get far on it, but I could at least get the hell out of this town and never look back.

I still hated the thought of having to leave my mother’s bracelet behind, but once I got settled somewhere and had found a good job, maybe I could call the owner and see if she still had it in the shop. It would take time, but there was a chance it wouldn’t sell. I had to at least hope.

I also hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to the Finnygoods. I hadn’t even bothered going back to my room to get my things. It wasn’t much, anyway. Just the clothes I had bought earlier today. I had my purse with me, so that meant I had the dagger, since I’d never found a good enough place to hide it.

I would survive this. I had to.

But still, my heart was breaking.

I had honestly believed Nik was different. I should have known better than to trust someone I’d only just met, but I was pulled in by his kindness and those eyes that seemed to really see me for who I was.

But I couldn’t let it hold me back now. This was for the best, really. Dominic would be looking for me, and as angry as I was with Nik for keeping the truth from me, I had fallen in love with this town and its quirky, magical residents. I didn’t want anything to happen to them, and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to bring pure evil into their midst. They didn’t deserve that.

I would get in my beat-up car and drive down the coast until I hit Florida. I’d find another small town, get a job waiting tables or something, and I’d build up enough money to buy a car of my own and keep going. If I moved every few months, I had a better chance of staying hidden than if I just stayed in one place.

The auto shop appeared around the corner, and thankfully, my car was exactly where he said it would be. I jogged toward it, anxious to get out of the shadows and on the road, when something moved near the edge of the shop.

My heart raced, and I hurried my steps. My feet were aching from running in these new boots, but I just needed to get to the car. It was only a few steps away.

Movement caught my eye again, but this time, instead of staying in the shadows, the man stepped out into the light. He was short and fat, but I recognized him immediately as one of the men who had been standing in the crowd when Selena was arguing with Nik.

Two more men emerged from the darkness, and I glanced around, looking for my escape. There was no way I could make it to my car in time, and I highly doubted I could outrun all three of them.

Instead, I placed my feet shoulder-width apart, taking my fighting stance.

I let my hands fall to my sides and connected to my power. I had taken down ten lesser demons on my own when I escaped Mist Lake Towers. If I had to, I would do it again.

Show me what you got, boys.

The fat one in front lunged toward me, but I side-stepped him and gathered the power of lightning in my hands. I threw a single lightning-bolt toward him, but miraculously, he jumped over it.

Three more men stepped out of the darkness of the trees behind him. Crap, I had underestimated this Selena character.

I conjured a series of chain lightning that hit its first mark and spread to the next man, sending all three of them to their knees. But it wasn’t enough. The two men still behind me near the shop grabbed my arms and placed some kind of silver chains around my wrists. When the fat man came toward me, I used the leverage from the two men holding me to lift up and land a swift kick to the fat man’s chin.

I spun around, ready to fight without my hands if I had to, but it was no use. The three men I’d downed a second ago had already recovered and grabbed me before I had the chance.

The fat man came around beside me and stuck a needle into my arm, plunging an entire vial of silvery liquid into my veins.

Everything around me grew blurry as my knees gave out, and I fell to the ground. I felt the sensation of being lifted before everything went dark.