I had been lost in the moment, terrified my bluff would be called, and stupid enough to glance over and lock eyes with Lara-Freakin-Raith to see if she was still buying it. Even though I should have been protected by the illusion, the predator in her somehow knew where I really was. Sometimes life just isn't fair. It was a rookie mistake. One I might not live through to look back on.

Looking into the soul of Lara Raith was like entering into the depths of hell. Only hell had suddenly become ten times more hideous and devastating than even Satan could handle. It appeared as a great cavern of fire, filled with everything hideous and cruel. By some instinct, I knew this was no cavern, but the stomach of a hideous evil. A small child sat in what was about the center of the enormous space, surrounded by devices of torture and terror. I watched while she played gleefully with little balls of fire, until the balls grew larger, and the glee was replaced by terror. I watched her writhe in agony and slowly get burned into dust. I saw it happen thousands of times, each time the glee ending more abruptly. Less than a fraction of a second had passed by as the soul gaze started to recede.

I was trapped, revealed, and probably about to get the life sucked right out of me. Literally. Because for whatever Lara Raith saw in my soul, it definitely wasn't Harry Dresden. But Harry only trained a mostly incompetent apprentice, not a completely incompetent one. I had a different kind of power at my disposal. Knowledge. I knew that Laura Raith was the puppet master behind her father's continued leadership of the White Court. I knew that public awareness of that little tidbit would launch the White's into a civil war, crushing the cushy life Laura enjoyed. That, and I had a natural aptitude at fucking with people's minds. In the moments before the link formed by the Soul gaze was broken, I gathered up and shoved all that I knew about Laura Raith back at her.

Her eyes went wide and she paused for half a beat. "Well then, Mister Dresden. I suppose we all know a thing or two about keeping up pretense. Considering our relationship in the past, we might as well continue feigning civility."

I hate it when people use big words like 'feigning'. I always have to go find a dictionary. But at least, after that, I get to use them too. I thought she was dangling Thomas, Harry's half brother, at me. Very few people knew that Harry was related to a vampire of the White Court. Lara was one of them, and it was the leverage she used to make sure Harry kept his mouth shut about her own little secret.

"He means nothing to me," I said confidently.

"True, but you remember the previous arrangement, in any case. I'll assume that means, for the immediate future, you see the benefit of continuing that arrangement."

My eyebrows went up, taking note of her choice of the word 'immediate.'

She noted my note, and said, "Yes, see, your situation seems…" she began pouring on the sexual charm. "… Temporary. While mine is somewhat more… I guess we would say, Permanent.

I reeled. The influence was more powerful than before, maybe because she now knew my gender. It was all I could do to keep up the illusion. I heard Mouse let out a more ferocious growl, just before he bodily left the ground, flying straight at her. He can be scary.

Lara caught Mouse mid flight and tossed him behind her several dozen feet.

But the action must have demanded her attention as her influence over me eased. I took that as my cue. I gathered my will and muttered "Kamikaze." I sent the rune I had secreted in my palm straight at the table beside Lara with the strongest burst of wind I could manage, and completely covered by a veil. I had preceded the motion with an effort of will that sent dazzling light around the periphery of the club. That way no one would pay too much attention to Mouse as he tore them limb from limb. I just managed to get out a string of gibberish (and this time it really was just gibberish) and raise my left hand for effect when the rune blew. Lara's entire right half suddenly went up in flames and the blast knocked everyone nearby, including myself, a good few feet back onto the floor.

I had to act quickly, before anyone recovered from the shock. "Don't move!" I hissed, pointing the drumstick at the thickening crowd of vampires. They didn't. Mouse came trotting drunkenly back over to my side.

"If I recall our previous arrangement correctly," I said turning to Lara, who was pulling herself up from the floor and growling almost as loudly as Mouse. "it was something along the line of 'you stay out of my way, and I won't blow you to smithereens." I let my own anger seethe through into the illusion. I resisted the urge to fortify my resolve with the dark power that I knew was within my reach. Boy it was tempting. "For whatever else may have changed since then, that simple fact hasn't. Consider that," I said, indicating the spot where the table had been, "as your final warning."

The flesh had literally been seared from the limbs on her left half, leaving bits of charred muscle and skin behind. I was worried she might suddenly be too hungry to feel the apprehension she ought to be experiencing right about now. You can't really bluff a crazy person into submission.

She came at me with inhuman speed. I nudged mouse indicating run, reached into my pocket and pulled out two runes, then dropped them straight down at my feet, timing it, hopefully, so one would hit the ground a split second before the other. I hoped I had enough sense to remember which one was which.

The first impact hit the waxed concrete floor as her arms were closing around me. The most incredible burst of kinetic energy I had ever felt propelled me straight up into the air. The second impact left Laura entirely consumed in a ball of flame much like the table had been in moments before.

It must have been an incredible thing to look at: Harry Dresden sailing up into the air, followed and partially surrounded by a plume of smoke and fire, seemingly untouched –While the daughter to the King of the White Court followed slightly behind, arching out to the side, entirely surrounded by smoke and fire, and very much touched.

The only thing I hadn't considered was coming back down. I poured everything I had into throwing up a veil and sending the illusion of Harry floating back down to the ground. I tried to call up a cushion of wind to soften my landing but had little success as I landed on (and collapsed) another table. The illusion flickered briefly, but I kept my wits enough the keep the magic pumping.

I rolled off the table, then hurried back into the image of Harry Dresden. I steadied and dropped the veil, letting the illusion conceal me once more. "Anyone else?" I boomed.

The place had nearly cleared and there was a clean path to the door. No one seemed interested in getting between it and me. I stormed out from the flames gathering behind me and tried not to notice the charred contortion of flesh that was obscenely devouring a thrall. When this was over, Lara was gonna be major pissed.

Butters was there when I stepped outside, holding his bag over his head like a flail, looking like he was debating coming in, and shaking in terror at the thought.

"This way!" I snapped. And we marched down the street and away from the hottest party in town.

A few moments later, I realized we were not so much marching, but rather, Butters was marching and more or less dragging me along. I was drained. At least Mouse seemed to be feeling pretty well. "Keep going, I need a few."

I considered my evening as we moved on, while doing my best to help Butters keep me going. So far, I've been nearly killed at least twice, I've made certain a few powerful figures have a good reason to hold a long-term personal grudge, and, judging from the distant sounds of sirens, I may have managed to burn at least one building to the ground. And that's not even considering that just about everything I've done has been a complete disaster. I'd say my illusion of Harry Dresden has reached perfection.

A couple of dozen blocks later, and around the corner in an alley, I pulled away from Butters and sank to the ground, dropping the illusion as I did. With a breath, I mumbled "Meinaini" and pulled a veil up around us. It was exhausting work and almost failed. I had never before used so much magic and sustained it for so long. I nearly lost consciousness for the effort.

"I take it the talk didn't go well?" Butters asked.

I ignored him and inspected the state of my wardrobe. The bottoms of my knee-high combat boots had mostly melted and the sides were warped and blistered from the heat. That really pissed me off. The sole of one boot was flopping uselessly, mostly separated from the rest of the shoe. At least my legs seemed to have been spared from the worst, though the hem of my skirt had singed to a few inches above my soot-covered knees. I pulled the boots off and wiggled my toes, relieved to see the little piggies had not turned to roast beef.

Butters regarded the bareness of my feet. "Bad day not to wear socks?"

I socked him in the thigh. "There is no good day to wear socks."

He rubbed his thigh and sank back against the wall beside me. "So what now, oh wizened one?"

The joke brought a smile to my face. "The name fits right now more than you might think, sidekick."

Mouse let out a snort, and, I swear to God, rolled his eyes.

"Now," I said with a dramatic pause, "we wait."

The wait lasted all of maybe five seconds before we saw a figure glide effortlessly around the corner and past our hiding place.

"Let's move!" I hissed, and began pulling Mouse and Butters towards the alley's entrance that we had just come through. The pain I experienced with that effort almost made me cry out and lose concentration on the only thing that was keeping us from getting eaten alive. But with Butter's help I soldiered on, careful to avoid any sharp obstacles along the way. We made our way across the street and waited, veiled under a broken streetlamp.

"What's happening?" Butter's whispered as we watched the two vampires meet half-way down the alley. They began walking back the way they had come, looking carefully and prodding into every dark nook.

"That one that went past us," I indicated, "saw us go into the alley. The other one didn't see us go out the other side."

The look Butters gave me said 'I don't follow, but you're cute, so I'll play along.'

I gave an overly exasperated sigh. "Even if Laura knew anything about who was after me, It's not like I thought she would just come out with it. Especially not if she was the one responsible." Ok, I had hoped Lara would give me something, but Butters didn't need to know that.

I got a look from mouse that was similar to the one I was still getting from my valiant chauffer. Minus the cute part.

"Look. The spell that came at me had White Court written all over it. The plan was for me to go in there, attract their attention, and get Whoever to follow me out to finish what they started."

The look morphed into a cross between amusement and terror. "With all the authority of Polka behind me," Butters started, "I feel it safe to say there is a fairly thin line between those who are wise, and those who are just plain on-their-ass crazy."

Mouse huffed in agreement.

I sighed daintily and leaned heavily against the pole. "Language, my dear."

"Speaking with the authority of Polka, darling, grants some liberties."

Mouse seemed to agree with that, too. He limped up to Butters and nuzzled his head under his hand.

I was preparing my next attempt at a witty comeback when Butters cut me off. "I know I'm a little slow catching up to your oh-so-daft plans, dude, but I suppose you had hoped to maybe follow those creatures after they gave up looking for you?"

Oops. The vampires were currently walking around a corner with my devastated boots in hand. Undoubtedly to report back to whoever was pulling the strings, and I hadn't even noticed them going. Nice one, rookie.

"They've got your boots. So they likely know you were you, and not Harry. More of the plan, I take it?"

"A last minute adjustment, actually," I said, holding up a shoe lace and dropping the veil, both exhausted and relieved. "Plan A was to follow them like the invisible man."

I went straight to preparing the tracking spell. By which, I mean I collapsed onto the ground, and nearly passed out.