Page 67 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

“Why would they be coming for us?” Hazel tossed another shade-light into the back seat. “They aren’t going after any of the houses.”

“Maybe they don’t want us moving around,” Sebastian guessed.

James turned on the other light. “There’s too many to risk getting out.” He seemed to be ignoring the discussion, only focusing on being unable to reach Eli and Parker.

The ear-piercing screech of claws on metal came from above their heads.

“Fuck.” Sebastian held tight to James.

Parker’s high beams flicked on in front of them. Shades scattered, but one that was obviously immune to the brightness stayed where it was. The car surged forward, colliding with the beast. It burst into shadow, only to resolidify once Parker’s car was through it.

Hazel followed suit, smashing into the same shade, sending it back into shadow form. As she moved forward, more beasts rammed the vehicles from either side.

“We need to drive into a garage at someone’s house. Get inside somewhere with stronger wards,” Hazel said as she continued to follow Parker.

They didn’t make it far.

Three shades blocked the road ahead, hovering shoulder to shoulder. A pool of shadow seemed to form beneath them. Parker didn’t slow down, even when his lights did nothing to scatter the shades. He drove right into them, hitting them with a loud crunch.

The shades didn’t burst or abandon their solid form as the others had. They withstood the collision, stopping Parker’s car in the street.

“Shit.” Hazel slammed on her brakes so she wouldn’t rear-end Parker.

The shades didn’t move away from Parker’s car. They seemed unharmed. The one in the middle leaned forward, slamming its clawed hands into the hood, denting it.

James’s grip on Sebastian’s hand tightened.

Parker’s car shut off, lights going out. More shades surrounded both vehicles, swooping and scratching the windows, making it hard to see what was happening outside.

James surged forward in his seat. “Drive up alongside them.”

Hazel didn’t need to be told twice. She pulled out onto the wrong side of the road, going slow so a collision with any shades that didn’t dissipate wouldn’t damage the van. As she pulled up, she left enough space for Parker and Eli to get their doors open.

Sebastian could just make out Eli scrambling into the back seat so he would be on the side of the car closest to Hazel, but before he could open the door, shades flooded the space between the vehicles.

Shit. How were Parker and Eli going to get across to the van?

The shade that had dented Parker’s hood slithered up to the windshield. It raised clenched fists like it meant to smash the glass.

Sebastian, James, and Hazel all yelled in useless warning.

The glass smashed at the same time James threw the van’s back door open and sent sparks at the shades blocking him from his brother. Sebastian scrambled to help, sending his own sparks. Shades burst, banished to Beyond, but more filled their place. James lunged out of the van and yanked the back door of Parker’s car open. Sebastian tried his best to set the shades grabbing at them on fire, but there were too many. It was chaos.

James grabbed Eli from the backseat as Parker climbed out of the driver’s door, blood running down cuts on his arms. A path cleared to Eli and James, and Sebastian seized it, pulling Eli into the van, but James didn’t follow.

Shades converged on Parker like they had been ordered to strike him. In an instant, Parker disappeared, engulfed by a writhing black mass of ghostly forms.

“Parker!” James shouted.

Eli screamed. He tried to lunge around Sebastian, back out of the van, but Sebastian grabbed him in time. Hazel leaned across the front and threw the passenger door open for Parker, sending sparks flying. Sebastian did his best to send his own sparks while clinging to Eli. Getting out wouldn’t help, and he had to keep Eli safe.

The sparks weren’t doing enough. Every shade that burst into flame had two more to replace it.

“What are we going to do?” Eli wailed.

Before Sebastian could think of a response, James threw himself into the swirling shades, and Eli went deathly still in Sebastian’s arms.

“Fuck,” Hazel swore in a panicked whisper.

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