Zayne halted, head tilted to the side and chin up. Turning toward the wide street, I propped my hands on my hips. There were still people out and an ever-present racket of sirens coming from all different directions, but it was nowhere near as busy as earlier in the night.

“Kind of jealous over how quickly you can sense them,” Zayne commented as he stepped toward the curb.

“Yeah, well, you can fly, so...” I followed him, squinting but seeing nothing beyond the streetlamps. “See anything?”

He shook his head. “It’s nearby. Probably a Fiend, but let’s check it out.”

Letting Zayne’s awesome eyeballs lead the way, I followed him across the street. I had no idea where we were going, and I couldn’t read the street signs, but the farther we walked, the darker the sidewalks became. Hoping they were in good condition, I stayed close to him as my tunnel-like vision became worse with each step.

“Where are we?” I whispered as we crossed onto another tree-lined street. It was freakishly quiet.

“We’re on Ninth Street,” he answered. “Southeast. We’re not too far from the naval yard. Normally don’t see a whole lot of demon activity down here.”

I guessed demons didn’t like sailors.

There were a lot of dark buildings and lighted windows surrounding us. They looked like apartment buildings or condos.

“By the way, I’m going to have to push back training tomorrow until later in the afternoon,” Zayne said. “Unless you want to get up early.”

“Yeah, I’ll pass.” Leaves stirred above us as what I hoped was a bird took flight. “What are you doing?”

“Got some stuff—Wait.” Zayne lifted an arm, and I plowed right into it. Lowering his arm, Zayne stalked forward down the street past a narrow alley and then stopped. He knelt. “Look at this.”

My boots crunched over the gravel as I joined him, kneeling down. Zayne’s fingers were on part of a busted chain-link fence. “I see...nothing but your fingers.”

Zayne cursed under his breath. “Sorry. Didn’t think—”

“It’s okay.” I waved him off. “What is it?”

“Blood. Fresh. Well, kind of.”

I rose, looking around. “What does that mean?”

“It’s wet, but really thick. Weird.” He tipped his head up, staring at the trees on the other side of the fence, and then he stood. Going back to the sidewalk, he glanced down the street and then turned back. “I think I know what’s beyond this fence.”

My brows rose. “A big slice of pizza? Hopefully?”

He snickered as he strode forward. “Not quite. It’s an old manufacturing building that was supposed to be converted into apartments, but the funding fell through several years ago.”

“An abandoned building?”

“If you don’t consider bleeding demons occupants, then yes.” Kneeling again, he grabbed the broken section of the fence and peeled it back. “Let’s check it out.”