shivered.
“Maybe you should go rest in the back for a
little bit,” Lyla said, her face creased with worry.
“Something’s really got you shaken up.”
“You really don’t feel that?” I
asked. “That darkness?”
She shook her head, the smile fading from her
face. “I’ve been surrounded by so much darkness my whole
life, it’s the only thing I know how to feel.”
Lyla patted my shoulder and made her way toward
her spot on the dance floor, leaving me with an overwhelming feeling
of sadness.
More Than You
I wasn’t sure I could face another three
hours in that cage.
Not with someone evil watching me. What did he
want with me, whoever he was? Was he the one who had sent the black
roses? I wished he would just show himself. Tell me what he wanted. I
couldn’t take the not-knowing of it.
I should find Rend. He’d told me to find him
if anything happened. I looked toward the bar again, but there was no
sign of him.
I glanced toward the black curtain. I could just
walk back there with a confident smile on my face and tell him I
needed to see him for a second. No one would know I was a mess on the
inside. He would be able to tell me if I was in danger or if this was
all in my head. And if I was in danger, he would be able to help me.
I hoped.
I made it more than halfway to the curtain when a
tall, thin man stepped in front of me out of nowhere. I knew him by
the look in his eyes and the shadows that seemed to ooze from him
like dark smoke.
I stopped cold, my chest constricting.
“I’ve been watching you,” he
said. His voice was oily.
“I know.”
He tilted his chin and smiled a thin, papery
smile. “Beautiful and intuitive.”
“Are you the one who sent the roses?”
I asked.
“Roses?” He lifted a long finger to
his lips. “Perhaps.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. What kind of an answer
was that?
“I was not aware of any roses, but perhaps
my associate sent them,” he said. “You see, my associate
is very interested in you, Franki.”
His voice sent a shudder of disgust through me.
“Your associate?”
“He sent me here to get a look at you,”
the dark man said.
“Who is he?” My voice hitched on my
fear. If this guy was just some lackey, how dark was the man he
worked for? And what the hell did he want with me?
“You’ll find out in due time,”
he said. “For now, it’s good your eyes have finally been
opened to this world.” He moved a step closer to me and I
fought to stand my ground, no matter how badly I wanted to turn and
run. “You belong in this world. You always have. Too bad you
will soon have to leave it.”
“I don’t know what you or your boss
want with me, but I’m not interested,” I said. I sounded
a lot more confident than I felt.
He laughed and the sound grated on my insides.
Even his laughter sounded ominous and devoid of joy. “How
cute,” he said. “You think your opinion matters.”
I swallowed down my terror. I didn’t like
the fact that he talked about me as if I was already part of
someone’s plan. I didn’t like for anyone to talk about me
as if my life was out of my own control.
“You look so much like your mother,”
he said, lifting his bony finger to my cheek.
I pulled away, barely restraining myself from
slapping his hand away. “What do you know about my mother?”
“More than you, my dear. So much more than
you,” he said.
Anger flared within me, amplified by the potion
still working its way through my veins. A sudden breeze blew across
my skin and the man’s eyes widened.
“So much power inside that heart of yours.
So much passion,” he said. “It’s a shame you’ll
never really have the chance to explore all that talent.”
My heart thundered in my chest. I clenched my
teeth and tried to force deep breaths. The last thing I needed to do
was start a tornado with all these people in here. I squashed my
anger as best I could, but it took everything I had just to keep my
power from ripping this place
“Maybe you should go rest in the back for a
little bit,” Lyla said, her face creased with worry.
“Something’s really got you shaken up.”
“You really don’t feel that?” I
asked. “That darkness?”
She shook her head, the smile fading from her
face. “I’ve been surrounded by so much darkness my whole
life, it’s the only thing I know how to feel.”
Lyla patted my shoulder and made her way toward
her spot on the dance floor, leaving me with an overwhelming feeling
of sadness.
More Than You
I wasn’t sure I could face another three
hours in that cage.
Not with someone evil watching me. What did he
want with me, whoever he was? Was he the one who had sent the black
roses? I wished he would just show himself. Tell me what he wanted. I
couldn’t take the not-knowing of it.
I should find Rend. He’d told me to find him
if anything happened. I looked toward the bar again, but there was no
sign of him.
I glanced toward the black curtain. I could just
walk back there with a confident smile on my face and tell him I
needed to see him for a second. No one would know I was a mess on the
inside. He would be able to tell me if I was in danger or if this was
all in my head. And if I was in danger, he would be able to help me.
I hoped.
I made it more than halfway to the curtain when a
tall, thin man stepped in front of me out of nowhere. I knew him by
the look in his eyes and the shadows that seemed to ooze from him
like dark smoke.
I stopped cold, my chest constricting.
“I’ve been watching you,” he
said. His voice was oily.
“I know.”
He tilted his chin and smiled a thin, papery
smile. “Beautiful and intuitive.”
“Are you the one who sent the roses?”
I asked.
“Roses?” He lifted a long finger to
his lips. “Perhaps.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. What kind of an answer
was that?
“I was not aware of any roses, but perhaps
my associate sent them,” he said. “You see, my associate
is very interested in you, Franki.”
His voice sent a shudder of disgust through me.
“Your associate?”
“He sent me here to get a look at you,”
the dark man said.
“Who is he?” My voice hitched on my
fear. If this guy was just some lackey, how dark was the man he
worked for? And what the hell did he want with me?
“You’ll find out in due time,”
he said. “For now, it’s good your eyes have finally been
opened to this world.” He moved a step closer to me and I
fought to stand my ground, no matter how badly I wanted to turn and
run. “You belong in this world. You always have. Too bad you
will soon have to leave it.”
“I don’t know what you or your boss
want with me, but I’m not interested,” I said. I sounded
a lot more confident than I felt.
He laughed and the sound grated on my insides.
Even his laughter sounded ominous and devoid of joy. “How
cute,” he said. “You think your opinion matters.”
I swallowed down my terror. I didn’t like
the fact that he talked about me as if I was already part of
someone’s plan. I didn’t like for anyone to talk about me
as if my life was out of my own control.
“You look so much like your mother,”
he said, lifting his bony finger to my cheek.
I pulled away, barely restraining myself from
slapping his hand away. “What do you know about my mother?”
“More than you, my dear. So much more than
you,” he said.
Anger flared within me, amplified by the potion
still working its way through my veins. A sudden breeze blew across
my skin and the man’s eyes widened.
“So much power inside that heart of yours.
So much passion,” he said. “It’s a shame you’ll
never really have the chance to explore all that talent.”
My heart thundered in my chest. I clenched my
teeth and tried to force deep breaths. The last thing I needed to do
was start a tornado with all these people in here. I squashed my
anger as best I could, but it took everything I had just to keep my
power from ripping this place
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