by Sadie Moss
Stepping out onto the sidewalk again, I decided to walk home. I was restless and antsy, my thoughts too loud for me to go back to my silent, stifling apartment yet. It felt good to be outside, and besides, wasn’t I a creature of the night now? Shouldn’t the things that lurked in dark shadows fear me?
I set off at a quick pace down the sidewalk, testing out my new senses of hearing and smell as I walked. Odors occasionally became overwhelming, especially when I passed by a strip of bars with their doors propped open, but I found that I could dampen the sense if I needed to, bringing it down to nearly human levels.
My sense of hearing was the same. Almost like I had a little volume dial in my brain I could turn up or down. If I turned the knob as far as it would go, I could pick up every footstep of the people walking near me, even on the other side of the street. I could hear glasses clinking inside the bars I passed. And dozens of overlapping conversations around me.
It was like a mega-dose of humanity, served directly into my eardrums. Thankfully, before it could completely overwhelm me, I passed into a quieter neighborhood.
Now I picked up different sounds. Trash can lids banging, small rodents skittering through dark alleys, leaves rustling, and…
Footsteps?
My pace slowed as my heart rate picked up. I pricked my ears, listening intently.
A few blocks from my apartment, a familiar scent hit my nose. Smoke and cloves. I recognized that smell; it belonged to one of the vampires who’d turned me. He was following me. I was sure of it.
Swinging around, I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to look cocky and annoyed rather than slightly relieved.
“Hey! You can come out!” I called, craning my neck to peer into the shadows. “I know you’re there.”
Half a block away, a figure emerged from the darkness.
But it wasn’t a vampire.
14
Willow
“Oh shit…”
The words fell from my lips as my muscles bunched in fear.
Another shadow creature lurched toward me, barely visible in the dim light. Was it the same one that had attacked me a week ago? I couldn’t tell, and there were no distinguishing marks on the mass of darkness and sharp claws.
Something tickled my gums, and I realized my fangs had dropped—my vampiric fight-or-flight impulse kicking in.
It hadn’t gone well last time I’d chosen “fight,” but this time I was no longer a weak and helpless human. I was a supernatural creature with enhanced senses and abilities. I may not look like much, but I was faster and stronger than I’d been then. And now was my chance to exact revenge on this thing for ruining my life.
Or die trying.
Not giving myself too long to linger on that dark thought, or my full motivations for acting so recklessly, I lunged to my left.
A discarded length of two-by-four lay on the sidewalk. I snatched it up and pivoted, swinging the piece of wood like a club.
It collided with the shade’s shoulder, the blow so strong it cracked the wood in half and made the creature stumble.
Before it could regain its footing, I darted forward again. Blood rushed in my ears, and my lips curled back in a mask of rage as I rammed the jagged end of the wood into the monster’s midsection.
It gave an echoing screech and shuffled backward, something black and thick oozing from its middle.
I dodged easily when it lunged at me, then I darted forward to land another strike on what looked like its arm. Its appearance was so dark and ephemeral, it was hard to tell.
Yep. It’s an arm.
The claw tipped hand attached to that arm whipped out, punching me in the sternum and sending me flying backward. I skidded on the sidewalk, my chest burning where the claws had nicked me, and the back of my legs and arms stinging with road rash.
I’d managed to keep hold of my weapon, at least, and I leapt forward again, charging toward the shade faster than I ever could’ve run as a human.
Not that it did much good.
I swung for the creature, landing what should’ve been a direct hit. But this time, my chunk of two-by-four passed through its body as if the thing really was made of smoke.
What the hell? No wonder I’d thought the thing had no mass the first time I saw it. It could become incorporeal.
Whatever trick the shade had pulled, it didn’t last long. The momentum of my swing pulled me off balance, and as I spun around, a very solid hand grabbed my upper arm from behind. The shade drove me forward, slamming me into the wall of an empty office building. Its other hand pressed against the side of my head, mashing my cheek into the rough brick.
Puffs of fetid air blew into my face, and I swung wildly with my makeshift club, but I couldn’t hit anything from this angle.
Another scent hit my nose. Smoke and cloves. I hadn’t imagined it before.
Leather and musk wafted through the air too, followed by something warm and spicy.
The shade’s claws pierced the skin at the back of my neck just as movement flashed in the corner of my vision.
The tall, cranky man stepped from the shadows. “Let her go, shade. I won’t warn you again.”
The creature hissed, turning away from me but keeping my body pressed against the wall. I craned my neck to glance behind me as Jerrett and Sol appeared from opposite ends of the street.
“What the fuck, Mal?” Jerrett called. “I knew you were fucking following her!”
The shade hissed, drawing the men’s attention again. Malcolm lunged toward it, moving so fast he was nearly a blur. He grabbed the creature and spun it away from me, hurling it to the ground.
“Me?” he shouted at Jerrett as they both leapt after the shade. They landed in a crouch, and Jerrett pulled a silver dagger from his boot while the tall man—Mal?—pinned the creature down. “What are you doing here? You just happened to be out for a stroll in this neighborhood?”
“Yeah, maybe I fucking did! You don’t know my life!”
Jerrett slammed his blade down into the monster’s chest—or tried to, anyway. But the dagger passed right through it as it shifted into nothingness again.
The thing scrambled away while they grasped at it uselessly.
“Goddamnit!”
“Don’t let it get away!”
“Jerrett! Here!”
Sol’s voice drew my attention. I sucked in a terrified breath as Jerrett spun… and threw the dagger straight at him.
But the blond man didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even flinch. Snatching the blade out of the air, he slashed at the shade as it passed by him, gouging deep into its side. The creature shrieked again, a furious, pained sound.
“Hey, don’t think we’re not wondering why you’re here too, pretty boy!” Jerrett called, as he and Mal sprinted toward Sol and the injured shade.
Sol darted forward, ducking under the shade’s arm and lashing out with the dagger again. “Has it ever occurred to you that I was just following you two?”
“Not for one goddamned second,” Mal grunted.
He slammed into the shade and wrestled its thick arms behind its back, but the creature slipped into shadow again and slithered out of his grip. It spun and lashed out, catching Mal across the face. Three deep cuts opened up on his cheek.
“Fuck! Mal?” Jerrett called.
“It’s nothing. I’m all right!”
“Jerrett. It’s running!”
Sol’s cry pulled my focus from the blood on Mal’s face. I wasn’t sure how the blind man had known, but he was right. The creature was moving swiftly away into the night.
No way! You don’t get off that easy, you coward.
I pushed away from the wall, launching myself after the shade and throwing myself on its back. Either I caught it by surprise, or it didn’t think I was much of a threat, because it didn’t go incorporeal on me.
“Holy fuck! Damn, girl!”
Jerrett let out a low whistle and I heard someone else—the man called Mal, probably—curse under his breath.
The shade hurled me off its back just as the brothers reached us. For the second time in one evening, I skidded across rough cement like a baseball player sliding for home.
When I finally ground to a stop, I rolled over. A grotesque ripping sound filled the air, and a second later, Jerrett held one of the creature’s arms aloft.
A keening cry pierced the night. The shade went incorporeal and kept fading away until I could hardly see it. A faint, ghostly shadow flickered up the dimly lit street and vanished.
My gaze shot back to Jerrett, who held the shade’s thick, black arm in his hands. As I watched, the limb shriveled, losing mass and color. A moment later, it had become spindly and gray, almost resembling mummified flesh.
Jerrett slapped the dry, bony limb against his open palm. He looked up to meet his brothers’ eyes.
“Well. This is fucking great.”
15
Jerrett
Mal’s lips pressed into a harsh line as he stared at the desiccated arm I held.
Then he turned and extended a hand down to Willow. Her dress had ridden up a little when she skidded, exposing most of her smooth, lightly tanned thighs. Damn, she had killer legs. And had she fought the shade in those heels?
What do you know? Sexy and a badass.
But as soon as she was on her feet, Mal had both hands on her shoulders, pushing her against the wall of a tall building nearby. Her back hit the brick with a smack, and she stared up at him in shock.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” my brother raged. He put his face inches from hers, fear making his voice harsh. “Walking home alone again? Taking that thing on by yourself?” He shook her. “Do you have some kind of damn death wish? Vampires are immortal, not invincible. We can still die. Don’t you understand that?”
Willow blinked rapidly, her large hazel eyes glistening in the dim streetlights. A shadow of sadness flickered over her face, and my blood froze.
Shit. She knew exactly what the fuck she was doing.
Guilt slithered up my spine like a snake. We had turned her and then set her loose in the world, and she’d run toward death with open arms.
But the spark of life in her was too strong to be extinguished.
Her jaw took on a stubborn set. The glassiness in her eyes faded, and she smacked Mal in the chest with both hands. Hard.
“Why would I know that? You never told me anything! You just kicked me out and left me to fend for myself.”
“Because I thought you had more sense than to go looking for a fight with a goddamned undead supernatural!”
Willow strained against Mal’s grip, closing the distance between their faces and going nose-to-nose with him. “I didn’t ‘go looking’ for a fight! That thing followed me. And what the hell are you all doing following me anyway? I thought the whole point was that you never wanted to see me—” She stopped suddenly, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled deeply. Her voice was low when she spoke again. “Oh my God… It was you. At Osiris. I recognize that scent. You… you were there. You danced with me.”
Sol’s shoulder brushed mine as he came to stand beside me, cocking his head. “What’s this now?”
Mal shot a look at us, guilt flashing in his eyes.
Holy fuck. That sneaky motherfucker!
And here I thought I’d been breaking the rules by checking in on Willow occasionally. This dickhead was off creeping into bars and grinding up on her like a horny teenager.
My brother looked back at Willow but didn’t answer her question. “You should be glad we were all here tonight. Things could’ve gone very differently if we weren’t.”
She shoved him again. Damn, she was a fucking firecracker. “I didn’t ask for your help! So leave me alone! Haven’t you done enough?”
Mal’s chest heaved as he glared at her. “We saved your life.”
“You turned me into a vampire!”
“Hey! Shut the fuck up or I’m calling the cops! Do your weird-ass role-playing somewhere else!”
The shout from a nearby apartment building drew all of our attention. A window slammed shut on the third floor.
“We need to get out of here,” Sol murmured.
I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Right. Jesus.”
We were never this sloppy on a hunt. Willow had us all completely off our game.
“Yeah, Mal,” I drawled. “Do your kinky role-playing somewhere else.”
He took a step back, keeping his voice at a low volume this time. “He said ‘weird,’ not ‘kinky.’”
The second she had a little more space, Willow sucked in a deep breath. As she released it, the anger and tension drained from her body, and she reached tentatively toward Mal. One side of his face was covered in blood.
“Are you… all right?”
Mal’s expression softened. “Yes. I’m fine. We heal quickly.” He wiped his forearm over his cheek, showing her the already closed wounds. “Are you all right?”
Willow nodded slowly, her eyes going out of focus like she was doing an internal check of her injuries. “Yeah. Some scrapes and bruises, and—”
She glanced down. The front of her dress had several long claw marks across it. The tears in the fabric didn’t expose anything too risqué, but she put her hand over them anyway.
“I’m fine.”
A smirk tilted my lips. The little black dress hugged her curves in an understated but sexy way. I didn’t mind the rips in it either, although I hated how she’d gotten them.
Mal’s face darkened with concern, and he skimmed his hands lightly down her arms.
He really is a sneaky motherfucker. First with the dancing, now with the checking her for wounds?
I cleared my throat loudly.
“Much as I hate to interrupt your foreplay”—I held up the arm I’d torn from the shade, making it wave at them—“there are a few important things we need to discuss.”
Sol reached over to take the arm from me. His fingers traced over the dried-out skin, and he frowned. “There are markings on this.”
“Really?” I looked at the gray-skinned arm again as Mal and Willow came closer to peer over my shoulder.
On closer inspection, I realized Sol was right. The arm was decorated with a pattern of scars.
“Runes of some sort,” my youngest brother added.
Mal’s brow furrowed. “Like the ones the shade was trying to carve into Willow the night we saved her?”
“It seems likely.”
“So this second attack on her wasn’t a coincidence.”
“What? What does that mean?” Willow’s gaze darted among the three of us.
“We’ve been hunting this thing for a while,” I explained, catching Mal’s gaze. “It’s a shade, an undead creature. And actually, I should say we’ve been hunting these things, plural—because there are definitely more than one.”
“Okay. But what about the runes?”
I bit my lip ring. “This hunt has been difficult because we couldn’t figure out what these things were after or why they were in the city. But I’m starting to get a pretty clear idea of what they want.”
“And?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly. “What are they looking for?”
She was smart enough to know the answer before I said it, but I knew she needed to hear it out loud.
“You.”
Willow’s pupils dilated, and her throat worked as she swallowed. “What? Why? I’m just an ordinary human! At least, I was when it attacked me the first time. I’m a nobody from Ohio. Why would it want me?”
I tipped my head, eyeing her. “Yeah, you were human. But I don’t think you were ever ordinary.”
Grabbing the shade’s limb back from Sol, I stepped toward Willow. I grasped her upper arm and raised it slightly. Her skin was soft as silk under my touch, and a riot of goose bumps broke out on her flesh at my touch. I heard her breath hitch and had to fight not to tighten my grip on her. She smelled just as fucking good as I remembered.
Willow winced as I placed the shade�
��s severed arm next to hers for comparison. The faint white scars on her arm stood out in the dim light—and they were nearly identical to the markings on the gray, dried skin of the shade.
“See?” I looked up into her eyes, twin green-gold pools that shone in the darkness. “You should’ve healed completely when we turned you, but these scars remained. Those wounds had some kind of magical property. You’ve been marked.”
Sol stepped forward. “And it wasn’t a coincidence you were attacked twice. You were being targeted. But the good news is, now that we know, we can use it to our advantage. You can help us discover exactly what these shades are and what they want with you.”
Mal and I both nodded, but the spark of anger lit in Willow’s eyes again.
“Help you? Why would I do that? Didn’t we just establish that you pretty much wrecked my life?”
“We can help you too, Willow.”
Sol’s voice was soothing, and I rolled my eyes. You don’t soothe a firecracker into not exploding.
“No!” Willow held her hands up. “I’m sorry, but no! I’m done with all of this. I want off this insane ride. I just want to go back to whatever job I have left, keep my head down, and try to rebuild some semblance of a life for myself.”
Mal glowered at her. “Do you truly think you can fight off the shades yourself? You are being hunted. Stalked by undead supernaturals. They’re going to keep attacking you, maybe as a group next time. What will you do then? This one nearly killed you, and he was alone. I told you. Just because you’re stronger now, that doesn’t make you invincible.”
Her sweet face paled, but her chin lifted. “I’ll figure something out. I don’t want your help!”
Mal opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off with a look. She wasn’t stupid. She’d make the right choice. She just needed a minute to come to terms with it.
The best way to handle a firecracker is to get to a safe distance and let it combust on its own.
“You heard her, brothers.” I dipped my head at Willow in a mock bow. “The lady wants to be left alone. Let’s go.”