Cursed creatures.
He spun in a quick circle, scanning the darkness. “Are you just going to hide in the shadows all night? Because this feels like an enormous waste of everyone’s time.”
A low, hummed lullaby floated out from the fog, and a shape appeared a moment later, resolving into a thin man. A smooth metal mask covered half his face and a top hat sat off-kilter on his head.
There we go.
Felix poured his will into a single word. “Stop.”
The man did.
“Solach,” August cursed as he scrambled to his feet.
Felix kept his focus on the creature. His compulsion required his undivided attention and could only affect one person at a time. He’d have to be fast. And quiet. Gunshots would draw more in.
“Walk away,” Felix ordered.
The man’s head tipped curiously to the side, but this time, he didn’t obey.
Felix huffed in frustration. The creatures were terrible at following instructions. He wasn’t sure how they were able to fight his compulsion, but it irritated him to no end.
A gunshot rang out through the park, and the impact sent Felix staggering back. Pain followed close behind, sharp and searing.
He gritted his teeth and clasped a hand over the wound.
August swore again, the word more of a panicked breath this time, and retreated a step.
Felix redirected his magic, turning it on him.
“Don’t move, Aesling,” he growled, forcing him to a stop. “We arenotdone.”
Warm blood leaked between his fingers. Too much. He should’ve waited for Marlow.
The thin man lumbered closer, shoulders hunched, fists clenched at his sides.
No gun. Where had the shot come from, then?
“I can hear it,” the creature warbled. “Thump-thump. Cut you open, take a bite.”
“As fun as that sounds,” Felix said, lifting his flintlock, “I’m going to pass.” He fired a round into the creature’s chest. It managed another step, then crumpled.
An eerie whine of a laugh echoed around him, the direction impossible to pin down.
“Well, come on then!” he shouted, tucking the spent pistol into his cross-holster and plucking the loaded one from the other side. “I’m right here!”
The second figure was in a full sprint when it emerged from the fog—a woman, skirt torn off at the knees and feet bare.
Felix fired—
And missed.
He cursed as he fumbled backward, dropping the gun and drawing a dagger. Metal jarred against stone as his leg landed too hard and set him off balance.
He swung the blade, but she ducked beneath it and tackled him to the ground, spilling the breath from his lungs and leaving him gasping for air.
Felix jammed the blade into the creature’s side. She screeched like an animal, clawing at his face, nails digging deep into his skin and tearing down his cheek.
Groaning against the white-hot pain, he tugged his blade loose, pushed her to arm’s length, and stabbed her again, this time through the throat.
