Page 102 of Stone Cold Touch

Beside me, the shadow grew tall and slender, taking the form of a faceless figure made of dark smoke. The shadow raised its arms high in the air and bent to the side, lifting one leg up. The heavy fog retreated, as if it didn’t want to touch the abomination. Slowly, the shadow twirled around like the prima ballerina on the jewelry box that I never used.

Crap.

It was a shade—a demonic spirit. The kind that could possess weak humans and cause a whole lot of trouble.

A chilly laugh seemed to come from the shade, from the pavement and the buildings all at once. It surrounded me, raising the tiny hairs all over my body. I took a step back.

The shade stopped, lowering its leg to the ground. It placed smoky arms on what I assumed was its hips and did a happy little jig. Then it bowed, holding out a see-through hand to me. Flimsy fingers wiggled an invitation to dance.

More shades came to join the bizarre dance. Twirling and dipping around me, breaking up thick plumes of fog. They continued at dizzying speeds, beckoning me to join the melee. It reminded me of the twins and the moments I caught sight of fleshless faces in the club.

I so didn’t have time for this.

“Go away,” I urged. “I don’t want any of what you’re offering.”

They stopped, misty heads tipped to the side, except the original shade. It became thicker and more solid as the seconds passed, body solidifying. Specks of ash began to fall from the sky, landing on my hands and in my hair, smelling of burnt flesh and evil.

“But we have time for you,” it said in a hoarse voice. “We know what you seek.”

Every instinct in me screamed to get away from these things, but I held my ground. “You do?”

The shade nodded and smoke wafted into the air. “You seek the Lilin but you do not seek it in the right place.”

“Gee, thanks for the clarification.”

It laughed and the sound shook the windows of the building behind us. “You seek too far. You need to look closer. Closer,” it cajoled. “The truth is far stranger than your wildest imaginings.”

Against my will, I leaned in, drawn by the smoky voice.

The misty face before me took form, two eyes burning red. A face full of squirming, round little things appeared. Maggots.

Screaming, I jerked back and then took off, my feet pounding along the sidewalk. The shades gave chase, running alongside me, laughing as I desperately tried to put distance between us. I could see street people, homeless who’d probably seen just about everything, scuttle back against the walls and the building, trying to make themselves as small as possible.

The shade with the maggot face pulled back, spinning into the sky above me. Air rushed over me as another shot forth. In the center of a smoky face, features melted together as though the face had been made out of dripping candle wax. They kept switching out, each reveal more disturbing than the last until the one who was nearly solid looked back at me with my own face.

I stumbled to a stop.

My own round eyes stared back at me, but they were different. The gray was split down the middle, like a cat’s eye—like my eyes did when I had shifted. My face hissed at me, revealing a mouth with no teeth, just maggots—more maggots.

Horrified, I couldn’t look away.

The maggots wiggled free, hitting the pavement with small little smacks. The shade with my face spoke. “In time you’ll see, you’re just like us, and we will all be free.”

The shade with my face floated back and I snapped out of it. Turning, I ran as fast I could.

The streets were empty. I darted across, daring a look back.

I slowed down, turning around. Sweat poured off me, stinging in the damp, cold air and my stomach twisted. There were no dancing shades. I looked down at my hand. Ash covered it.

Hastily, I wiped it off on my jeans as I lifted my gaze.

The shade had shown my face.

My face.

Pressure clamped down on my chest as I drew in a deep breath and flagged down an approaching white taxi.

I yanked open the back door, sparing the streets one more glance as I slid into the seat.

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