Page 3 of Shades of Silver City

“I know.”

The hand on my arm gives a reassuring squeeze, and in the fading light, I notice ink on the back of the hand: a dark skull with a worm crawling out of one of the eye sockets.

A damn Nightcrawler.

Yanking free of the stranger, I swallow the thick ball of fear in my throat. “I have to go.”

When I glance back at the man, he’s looking past me, at the dead girl. His eyes widen before narrowing into angry slits.

I spin around, ready to bolt, but the sight of a tall, shadowy creature hovering over the girl roots me in place.

My heart clenches, and for a moment, I stop breathing.

It’s happening again.

Just like with my parents.

The mysterious figure, hidden beneath a cloak, releases a chilling, gut-wrenching moan that echoes through the air as it leans over the young girl. As its hands hover over her, a sense of dread permeates the atmosphere. It inhales deeply, its raspy breathing filling the silence. Slowly, deliberately, it draws the girl’s foggy grey aura into its mouth.

Shivers trail down my spine.

I glance behind me, pondering my next move. Bolt past the Nightcrawler or past the creature devouring the girl’s soul?

Behind me, the Nightcrawler watches the scene, remaining quiet and motionless.

“You see him, too?” I whisper.

The Nightcrawler shifts his attention to me, then reaches out, abruptly yanking me against him as he covers my mouth. He jerks me into the shadows of the alleyway, out of sight of the thing consuming the girl’s soul.

Not a thing.

Fae.

With his own twisted magic.

“Don’t let him see you,” the man whispers in my ear.

The city’s roar fades to an eerie murmur. My heartbeat pounds in my head while we stand there breathing heavily.

The gangster’s muscular body presses into me from behind. He keeps one hand over my mouth, and his rings bite into my skin. His other arm wraps around my waist in a protective gesture.

I struggle against his grip, trying to pry his palm from my mouth.

He clutches me tighter, whispering for me to stop moving.

My low back presses into something hard, and my eyes widen as I reach between us, my finger brushing against metal.

A gun.

Of course this gangster has an illegal weapon on him.

A few beats pass while I consider my next move. For the love of Gods, I only want to get to work, but I really don’t want to go past the monster and the dead girl. As sad as the situation is, it’s better if I stay out of it. Especially if she was tied up with these two—a fae with magic and a gangster with a gun.

I need to get out of here before someone notices something amiss and calls the Silver Scouts. Their orders to protect the city mean nothing to me. I don’t trust them.

The seconds tick by as I sweat.

Finally, the gangster’s arm drops from my waist. I jerk away.

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