Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
What the fuck?
How has this kid evaded me twice now?
“I just want to talk,” I say into the darkness, my gut telling me she’s around here somewhere. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
I stand in the middle of the road, my hands outstretched as if to show my intentions, but I suspect this kid has done more than her fair share of research on me. She knows exactly what I’m capable of, and just how quickly I can make it happen, so it’s up to her to decide if she’s capable of trusting my intentions.
I don’t move an inch for well over five minutes, sensing her around me somewhere, and just when I’m about to give up and walk away, Shadow emerges from the darkness, striding right into the center of the deserted street, staring at me just as I stare at her.
She doesn’t speak, simply waits to figure out what the hell I’ve waited here for, and honestly, I haven’t got a clue what I should be asking her.
“How?” I ask, that simple word covering just about everything I need to know.
“How what?” she throws back, making sure to keep a distance.
“How are you capable of evading me?”
Shadow holds my stare and shrugs her shoulders as though it’s no big deal. “Same way you’re capable of evading everyone else, I guess. I was trained that way.”
“I’ve trained myself over the past fifteen years, perfecting my skills and pushing myself to be the best. I have been tortured, been through excruciating training, been shot at, and pushed myself until I bled. I have died and come back more times than I can count. Nobody at this level is capable of achieving what I have achieved without years of brutal training and significant trauma. You are a child, nothing more than a twelve-year-old girl. You shouldn’t be capable of evading me, yet here we are.”
“First off, I’m thirteen. And yes, it is entirely possible for me to evade you if you consider that perhaps you are not the best in your field. I am.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“And how did you possibly become that way? People like us don’t just get to be the best without going through hell first.”
Shadow scoffs. “What? Like taking a stroll through hell is hard? I call that a normal Tuesday.”
My brow arches, and I take a slight step toward her, watching as her sharp stare tracks me. She backs up, her hands preparing to grab a weapon.
“Don’t do it,” I warn her. “Like I said, I don’t want to hurt you, but if you make a move, I’ll have no choice but to retaliate, and I don’t think that right here in the middle of some deserted street is really where you want to test whose reflexes are faster.”
The slightest flash of unease appears in her blue eyes, and it’s enough to have her backing up again, her steps filled with hesitation. She’s uncomfortable, unsure of what she should do or what move to make, and while she might possibly be the best, she’s also still just a kid.
Her gaze shifts, checking our surroundings, and when I inch toward her again, she looks ready to bolt. “Do you have somewhere safe to stay? Food? Water? A bed?”
Shadow scowls at me. “I know how to look after myself. I’m not a child.”
“Answer the question.”
She clenches her jaw, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s being snappy with me because I’m questioning her ability to care for herself or if this is standard thirteen-year-old-girl behavior. I’m going to guess option number two.
“Why do you keep stalking that Siren girl like some kind of creeper? You’ve gotten close more than enough times to take her out, but you never do. Why?”
I arch my brow. “Have you been watching me that much?”
“I watch everybody.”
I stare back at her, and the silence begins to grow heavy when I finally respond, figuring if I were to show a little vulnerability, then she’ll be willing to be honest in return. “First of all, Siren is not a girl. She’s a woman. And as for why I haven’t eliminated her yet, that’s complicated.”
“You like her or something?”
“Or something,” I agree. “Now, don’t act as though your little change of topic didn’t go unnoticed. Do you have somewhere safe to stay and are you capable of feeding yourself?”
She clenches her jaw again, and this time, I don’t wait for her to change the topic or throw teenage bullshit my way. I dig into my pocket and pull out my wallet before fishing out a couple hundred dollars. “Hotels are expensive and you’ll burn through this in days,” I tell her, placing the cash on the ground in front of me, knowing damn well she’s not going to try and get any closer. “There’s a lot of holiday homes down near the lake. Try and find one of them instead—an empty one, preferably with no security system. Once you’ve secured a home, take yourself grocery shopping. Bread, milk, cereal. All the necessities.”