CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY – SLIPPING THROUGH THE CITY

They made their way through the awakening city, using every trick they had learned over the past months to avoid detection. They ducked through crowded metro stations, blending in with the morning commuters. They used service entrances to cut through buildings, emerging on different streets to throw off any pursuit. At one point, they found themselves trapped in a dead-end alley as two of Karl's men approached from the street. Cassie felt the familiar tingle of an impending transformation, but Maxwell squeezed her hand, grounding her. "Not yet," he whispered. "I have an idea." As the men entered the alley, Maxwell suddenly burst into loud, angry Russian, gesturing wildly at Cassie. She caught on quickly, responding with equal vigor. They put on a show of a lovers' quarrel, their voices echoing off the alley walls. The two men, clearly uncomfortable with the domestic dispute, hurried past them without a second glance. As soon as they were gone, Cassie and Maxwell sagged against the