Page 7 of Tracking Snow

"I'd think it would be a cool consolation prize, but that might be too many new things at one time. Pubes and powers would be a lot to take in."

This girl is fucking nuts.

Oh I like her kind of crazy, Four pushes back. I like it a lot.

She is very funny, Five says, delighted by our interaction with the weird girl.

I wouldn't say funny, Six says with his usual humorless analysis. Amusing is more the right word.

Well damn.

Shaking off the surprising reactions she evokes in us, I return my attention to her. "I wasn't a teenager when my powers manifested." A bitter taste fills my mouth, causing me to grimace. "I was barely six years old."

Snow's jaw drops open. "Oh holy faefucks. That is wild. I've never heard of anyone developing mage powers that early."

"Yeah, I'm real special," I sneer.

A line draws between her brows, dropping her hand. "You okay? You keep getting this strange look on your face like you're hearing things."

This has to end. Now.

I don't want her following me. This human is of no interest to us, and we need to shake her.

Exactly, comes the deep growl of Seven, causing my spine to stiffen from the force of it. Do what you have to get rid of her.

His direction pushes hard on me, as it always does.

"Go away," I tell her flatly, turning once again.

"But," she says, scuttling to keep up on those short but quick legs, "what if those HAM assholes come back with more of their Human Against Magic buddies?"

"Then you better get home and wrap yourself up safe in bed, so they don't gut you like a pig," I advise.

Why would you say it like that? Five says, his normally light tone suddenly tight with concern.

Is that really helpful right now? Two says with a bored yawn. We gotta ditch the chick.

"I don't sleep." The scowl etched in Snow's voice compels me to glance at her briefly.

A darkness flashes over her features. I roll my shoulders back.

Make her go away, Seven instructs in a low warning that pushes on my sternum with almost painful force. Do it now.

A cacophony of protests and agreements rises as the other six fight in my head over what to do about my little stalker.

Tension wrenches tight behind my forehead.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asks. "You look⁠—"

I whirl around, backing her up in the blink of an eye. Frustration has me pinning her wrists against the wall.

"Leave. Me. Alone."

That little line pulls between Snow's brows again as her bottom lip juts out slightly.

My focus keys in on how her chest rises and falls quickly. I don't know if it's because she's had to repeatedly jog to keep pace with me or because⁠—

The dark pools of her pupils expand until her irises are a thin icy rim around them. The scent of something tart and sugary envelops my senses along with fragrant leather from the catsuit encasing her body.