Page 80 of Visions of Darkness

Inhuman.

Most dropped their gazes. Unable to look me in the eyes. Turned away. Crossed the street when they saw me coming.

Others seemed drawn to it, feeding off the morbid curiosity and the fear that spiked their blood with a heady rush of adrenaline when I got into their space.

No matter their reaction, they all knew I was dangerous, but none of them had a clue what the fuck that really meant.

I scanned the store. It basically stocked a little bit of everything. Housewares and toiletries, cleaning supplies, some packaged food. Clothing and shoes ran along the far side.

I moved quickly down the aisles. There wasn’t much of a selection, but I grabbed whatever I could. Based on the way Aria swam in my shirt, on the way I knew her, the way she was so much the same and so goddamn different than she was in Tearsith, I surmised she wore a small.

She was close to being too skinny.

Like this reality had worn her thin.

Even though every part of her radiated with a bridled strength. Like here, her ferocity had remained untapped, but it might come ripping out at any moment.

I found some leggings and tees, underwear, some copycat Vans, and a package of fuzzy socks. Two sweatshirts. Then I headed to the toiletries section and piled whatever shit I could get into my arms, and on myway to the register, I snagged a green duffel printed withYou’ve got a friend in Pennsylvaniafrom an endcap.

Doubtful.

I could feel the stare of the cashier tracking me the whole time, and she eased back from the counter as I strode her way. I dumped the pile onto the counter. The whole time, I kept looking over my shoulder, out the panes of glass to the motel across the street, ready to go flying in that direction if the energy shifted even a fraction.

“Will that be everything?” The woman’s voice shook as she eyed the items.

“Yeah.”

She kept fumbling and trembling as she scanned everything while I stood there itching like a beast, the urge to get back to Aria close to overwhelming.

“Your total is $173.57.” She basically issued it to her feet, the discomfort seeping from her so thick that I felt sorry for her.

But what the fuck was I going to say?

Spit out that I wasn’t going to hurt her?

That it was my job to protect her?

Digging into my back pocket, I pulled out my wallet and counted out $200 worth of twenties. I tossed them on the counter before I grabbed the plastic bags she’d filled and strode for the door.

Surprise echoed from behind me, and finally she called when I got to the door, “Don’t you want your change?”

“Keep it,” I threw out, voice rough, pushing out and heading for the motel. Needing to get to Aria.

The dull hum I’d always felt somewhere at the back of my brain screamed.

It was the same one that had led me to her in Albany.

A compass that existed somewhere in my spirit.

One that promised there wasn’t a place she could go that I wouldn’t find her.

I’d always thought that it’d been another messed-up consequence of being who I was. Human but ... not. The constant noise in my head that so often had made me feel like I was losing it.

Now I got that it was Aria.

She was the sound.

The drum.

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