My gaze was drawn, with a visceral tug, to the right. Down the block, almost inconspicuous amongst the sparse crowd that lingered between dinner and a night on the town, I saw a man with his shoulders hunched against the rain. There was no such thing as coincidence for the gods. I was meant to be here at the same time as this man. I felt fate’s heavy hand on my shoulder and could do nothing but obey. It was this instinct that drew me toward him, and I changed mydirection, following at a distance. It was too dark to make out much beyond a lean figure in a navy hoodie, but I swore there was a strange aura coming off him. His outline was distorted, like heatwaves coming off the road on a hot summer day. No one else seemed to notice, but I sure as shit did. As I drew closer, though, I could make out what appeared to be tendrils of black smoke, almost like it was seeping from his pores.
Who—orwhat—was this guy? Certainly not human.
I decided to follow and see where he went, hoping he might lead me to an answer, but almost as if he sensed that he was being followed, he picked up the pace. So, I walked faster to keep up, glad for the rain to disguise my footsteps on the sidewalk. We wound through the blocks with no clear destination, almost as if he were trying to lose me. The crowds tapered off, until we were alone. This was my chance to approach him, with no witnesses. I swore the guy stiffened as I got closer, and he glanced over his shoulder. I caught sight of dark eyes, before he took off at a near jog. Maybe he was just trying to escape the rain, but I had a feeling it was more than that. He ran like someone who had something to hide.
I couldn’t just run after him, so I did what I did best—I blended in. Instead of trying to look like a beautiful woman or someone down on their luck, I let my form go soft, darkness wrapping around me until I was nothing more than a shadow. When the man next looked behind him and found no one on his tail, I’d expected him to stop running, but instead, he looked directly at me, as if he could see straight through my disguise.
But that’s impossible… isn’t it?
There was no mistaking his panic as he bolted, sneakers slapping against the pavement, arms pumping.
Well, if that didn’t scream guilt, I didn’t know what did. “Dammit. All I wanted was some dinner,” I grumbled to myself before I gave chase. The man clearly knew something, and I would do whatever it took to find out what it was.
Chapter 4
Ulysses
Mybreathwastoofast, too loud, chest unbearably tight as I fought to make my body function through the sluggish weight of the toxic sin I’d eaten. Ever tried running a marathon after scarfing down a mounding plate of fettucine Alfredo, and maybe an entire basket of that free garlic bread? Of course not, because nobody was that stupid. My legs were numb and tingly, too heavy and clumsy, like running through molasses, and a cramp pinched at my left side, threatening to make me stumble. Sweat poured down my face, and my stomach roiled like I might just bend over and purge that oily sin right here on the sidewalk. If only it worked like that.
I knew I should’ve just retired when I had the chance. If I had, I wouldn’t be running from whatever that thing was stalking me. I’d never seen anything like it before. Some sort of shapeshifter, maybe a demon. The second its attention was on me, I’d felt it, much like I could sense people’s sins. This thing was pure evil, I just knew it. Why else would its presence run its fingers down my spine like a temptingcaress? Whatever it was, all I knew was that if I stopped running, that thing would surely consume me—the ultimate karmic retribution for the life I’d lived, the extra years I’d stolen through the sins I’d eaten, and it was time for me to pay up. Well, too bad, because there was no way I was going down without a fight.
As I built up speed, I briefly hoped I could outrun the… thehorror, maybe lose it in the park behind the museum, but I could feel it there, catching up. Turned out weird, evil shadow monsters could run pretty fast. Go figure.
For lack of a better plan, I cut straight across the street and vaulted over the low wrought-iron fence that bordered the museum’s rose garden. The coarse gravel path crunched underfoot, and I ran straight through the fountain to save a few seconds, hoping to lose the creature in the trees. Wheezing, I zigzagged through the park, but if anything, this was worse than the open street because it was drenched in shadows, and that seemed to be this thing’s mode of transport. What I needed was… light!
My eyes zeroed in on the bright light ahead, cutting through the park, and I made a beeline straight for it, putting on a final burst of speed, soaked pants chafing. I couldn’t keep this up much longer, but desperation could make even the most average person superhuman. Stumbling from the shadows, I cut across another street and into a parking lot lit up by burning-white LED lights. Halfway across, I heard a rough growl of frustration behind me, and against my better judgment, I slowed to a stop and looked over my shoulder. Would the light burn him, like Dracula in the sun?
I’d have held my breath if I weren’t greedily sucking back oxygen like it was going out of style. I hoped against all hope that this was the end of our little evening jog, but instead, the creature behind me was forced to step out of the shadows, and my stomach dropped.The thing was definitely otherworldly. Black leather boots came first, followed by thick thighs clad in black jeans, a black t-shirt stretched across a beefy chest, then way, waaaaay up, well over six feet tall, was a scowling face whose full lips seemed in contrast to the sneer they currently wore. It was impossible to guess his age—young, his skin smooth and unblemished, but somehow ancient at the same time. He had tangled red hair almost to his shoulders and a surprisingly fashionable beard and clover-green eyes. Under normal circumstances, I probably would’ve been tempted by his looks, but he seemed to be wearing a cloak made of shadows, the wispy material drifting around him in a phantom breeze, giving him a dangerous ethereal aura.
He held his hands out as if to show he wasn’t armed. “Stop running, little mouse. I just want to talk.” Damn, he had a sexy accent too. Why were the worst ones always so hot?
Feeling braver than I had any right to, I snorted. “Yeah, right. Says the monster made of shadows chasing me through the streets. Fat chance.” I tilted my chin up in cocky defiance. “I hope you’re in good shape, because I could run all night.” That was a dirty, dirty lie, but I hoped he wouldn’t call my bluff.
His stupid plush lips twitched in a ghost of a smile, no doubt taking in my heaving chest and sweat-soaked hair, and then he took a slow step across the parking lot toward me. “Then let’s play, shall we?”
I bit down on my whine as I turned and resumed fleeing. His boots clomped loudly on the pavement as he gave chase. Somehow, that sound was even more disconcerting than when he’d been nothing more than a soundless shadow.
Yep, I should've retired. Now it looked like the only way out of this was death.
Think… think!What I needed were witnesses. Surely that would make him hesitate to murder me in cold blood. Just down the blockfrom the parking lot was a club called The Spotlight. “Help!” I screamed at the bouncer guarding the door. The guard straightened from his slouch, fists immediately balling at his sides, the ultimate protective alpha. I nearly ran straight into his hard chest. “Help, please! That man is chasing me!” I bent at the waist, panting to catch my breath, pointing wildly behind me.
The bouncer looked around behind me, frowning, as he scanned for a threat. “What man?”
It was at that moment I realized the heavy footsteps had vanished. I looked behind me and saw no sign of my pursuer, just an elderly woman with steel-gray curls walking her little chihuahua, the two of them wearing matching raincoats. She was looking at me with motherly concern, and I knew, justknew, that she wasn’t a woman at all.
“That’s him!” I shouted, pointing a finger at the sweet little grandma, who picked up her tiny dog protectively and looked scandalized. “Call the police! Beat him up!”
Instead of pounding his fists into the frail senior who was actually a shadow monster, the bouncer stood right where he was, staring down at me in confusion. “Are you feeling okay, sir? Maybe I can call someone for you.”
Shit, I probably looked like a raving lunatic. I was all alone in this. The police would never be able to protect me, especially if the creature could take the form of whomever—orwhatever—it wanted to.
I looked once more at the woman, and her mask slipped, just for a second, her sweet concern melting into a menacing leer. Whimpering, I forced my way past the bouncer into the club. “Hey!” he called behind me. “There’s a ten-dollar cover charge!”
Flashing lights and music assaulted my senses as I weaved around tables. It almost made me stumble when I caught sight of a glittery drag queen up on the stage, performing Cher’s “Believe.”
“Oh,” I gasped. They were actually pretty good. I gave them a thumbs-up on the way by, before ducking through a doorway that led backstage. There was a flurry of sequins and wigs, followed by shouts from security, and I waved in apology. “Sorry! Just passing through!” I called, before bursting out the emergency exit at the back and into a dark alley. The door closed behind me with a comforting slam.
I had no idea if the shadow man/old lady was still following or not, but I wasn’t about to slow down now. Not when I was just hitting my stride. The surge of adrenaline from the chase had sped up the digestion process. The sin I’d eaten had finally passed into my bloodstream, flooding my body with an unnatural euphoria. Colors were brighter, and my body moved faster, my strides smooth as I took off down the street, heart settling into an easy rhythm as the panic fled. I could outrun the wind. Hell, I could probably fly!
