Page 20

She wondered on many occasions before how it had happened. Probably from slamming a piece of furniture during a move, she’d concluded, though she loved to make up fantastical stories about other ways it came to be.

As she focused on it, her mind concocting another fantastical tale, a dark shadow slid down the wall. She squashed her eyebrows together and twisted to glance out the window.

Across the room, Dickens darted toward the bed, his tail wide and full like a bottle brush as he growled and hissed.

“What was that, Dickens?” Paige inquired, propping herself up on an elbow as she studied the window.

The light outside flickered. A low growl emanated from under the bed.

Paige tossed back the sheets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her bare feet touched the area rug, the fibers pressing between her toes as she slid off the lumpy mattress. With a hard swallow, she took a step toward the window.

Another hiss emerged from under the bed. She glanced over her shoulder, a lock of her red hair falling forward as she scanned for any sign of her furry friend.

“It’s all right, Dickens,” she assured him.

The large black shadow slid past again, blackening the light reflected on her wall. She caught her breath as she spun back to face the window. With a lick of her lips, she took another step forward.

Her toes curled as they touched the cold hardwood. She approached the large window, her fingers wrapping around the shabby lace curtain and tugging it away for a clear view.

She scanned the street below near the street lamp, finding nothing of interest. A shriek broke the night’s silence, and her gaze flicked upward toward the sky. The moon peeked in and out of dark clouds.

Paige chewed her lower lip as she recalled the noise she’d heard when she’d opened the lower level of the library. Had it been the same wail? It sounded again, and she searched for the source, eying building tops and studying the clouds above.

A black shadow shot past her window as she scoured the area. She stumbled back a step, losing her hold on the lace window covering. It slipped back into place as the window darkened again.

Paige gasped at the sight. Whatever flew around outside seemed large. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, like a moth flying close to a flame and appearing to blot it out. Whatever it was, she’d never seen it in the night sky before. Nor had she ever heard its cries.

Paige approached the window again, tugging the curtain away. She scanned the outside in search of anything that could have flitted past the window. Her gaze fell to the ground below.

She pulled her eyebrows together as she studied a dark object across from the street lamp. A shadow moved, shrouded in darkness. She squinted into the night, desperately trying to make out what stood three stories below.

The thing moved, lumbering as though it struggled to walk upright. Paige pressed her fingertips against the cool glass. Drops of the evening’s earlier rainstorm still clung to its outside. Her forehead smashed against the hard surface as she struggled to make out the creature below her.

As the thing shuffled around the alley below, the street lamp flickered before the white bulb burst in a bright flash. The sound of glass littering the sidewalk crackled in the air.

In the dim moonlight, the creature still milled around in the alley. Paige caught glimpses of it as moonlight shone off its back.

Her breath fogged the window. She wiped at it, a squeak resounding.

The creature’s head snapped up, searching above it for the source of the slight sound. Red eyes glowed in the night.

Paige shrank away from the window again as it scanned the sky above. With her nostrils flaring, she swept back the sheer curtain again with a trembling hand and lowered her gaze to the street below. Her breath caught as she found the alleyway empty.

Her lips parted, and she sucked in a breath as she searched the surrounding area. Another shriek filled the air, drawing her attention upward.

She eyed the dark clouds. They parted, and the crescent moon peeked from behind them. Paige focused on it.

A loud clap sounded, and a shadow obliterated the moon from her view. She leapt back from the window as the hulking creature she sought filled her view.

Her heart pounded against her ribs as red eyes glowed, staring in at her. At this short distance, Paige made out two massive wings poking from the dark creature’s back. Long claws, filed to points, tipped human-like hands. Webbed feet slapped against the stone sill outside.

Hot breath huffed against the window, fogging it. Paige raced to her nightstand and grabbed her cell phone, ripping the charging cord away as her trembling fingers toggled it on. She fiddled with it to open the keypad and dial 9-1-1.

Before she tapped the send button, the creature shrieked again. The cell phone clattered to the floor as Paige clapped her hands over her ears. Tears slid down her cheeks. A smashing crash sounded moments later. The window shattered, scattering glass across the hardwood.

The winged creature huffed again, puffing out a breath like an angry bull. Paige scrambled back into her bathroom, slamming the wooden door shut and flicking the lock into place.

She retreated backward, her eyes trained on the white door. A towel hung from a hook, swinging from the force she’d used to slam it.