Page 44 of Shades of Silver City

Spinning to face him, I quickly chop his throat with the side of an open hand, causing him to choke. I use the advantage to kick my foot out, sweeping his legs out from under him. He loses balance and slams into a table, releasing a strangled cry before rolling onto the ground.

I lean down, pressing a knee against his chest, holding him in place.

Then I smell it.

Death.

The scent is bitter, cloying.

The man beneath me gasps for air, holding his neck with one hand and beating on me with the other while making a slew of desperate noises.

Leaning forward, I inhale the sweet scent. It calls to me, stirring something inside of me. I lock the urge away, refusing to acknowledge it.

I growl, turning toward Tasia. “You need to get out of here.”

Despite the tears streaming down her face, she seems fine.

She rises to her feet. Inhaling deeply, she squares her shoulders, standing tall.

“No,” she says with a surprising calmness.

She shifts into a staggered stance and lifts her fists. I raise a brow. The sight of her—fierce and determined, not a victim, in spite of being attacked—unravels a sense of pride deep inside of me.

“Tasia,” my voice comes out raspy. I clear my throat and shake away the mesmerizing hold she has on me. Death’s scent calls to me, reminding me of our urgency. “You need to go. Now.”

“Fuck that. I’m not going anywhere.”

I sigh at her foul language and stubborn attitude, but I don’t have time to argue. It’s only a matter of time before the Reaper scents the deaths, too, and comes to reap these souls. Godric and I wanted to find him, but not like this. Not with Tasia here.

“Fine,” I say, going for option number two.

I jump up, leaving both men on the sticky bar floor. Gripping Tasia by the waist, I toss her over my shoulder.

“Hey, asshole!” she screams, pounding on my back as I bolt for the door. As we pass the table, she stretches out and swipes something off it, but I can’t tell what it is. “We can’t leave them like this!”

“We have to.”

“Their souls turned grey!”

I had a feeling that was the case. Pushing through the door, I exit and step onto Pub Path. “Exactly why we need to move. The Reaper will be here any second.”

“No!” she screeches in my ear. I exhale heavily and grit my teeth, picking up my pace. “That is exactly why we need to stay!”

When I don’t respond, she swings her arms and kicks her feet harder. I wince, gripping her tightly so she doesn’t wiggle loose.

Continuing to ignore her ruckus, I reach into my pocket with my free hand and pull out my phone. I quickly locate Godric’s name and press the dial button. I put the call on speaker, keeping my eyes forward as we navigate the street. Luckily it’s not as crowded as the evenings.

Part of me feels incredibly stupid to leave behind the dying men. The Reaper will be upon them soon, and I might’ve just given up the chance to gain insight into what’s going on around here. But my instinct was to get Tasia out of there.

Protect her.

I’m already responsible for the deaths of two women; I refuse to be responsible for another.

“What is it?” Godric’s voice rings out, crisp and urgent.

“Go back and save them!” Tasia yells, drawing eyes from a passerby.

Her little fist slams into my spine with much more force than I would have expected, and I grunt. She has more fight than both those men combined.

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