Page 49 of Shattered Veil (The Dark Ascendant #2)

The Morrigan glided down the center of the street, her feet soundless against the cracked asphalt.

As she passed, car alarms shrieked to life before falling abruptly silent. Dogs howled in the distance, their cries cutting off mid-bark as if their voices had been stolen. The night seemed to deepen, stars winking out one by one until only a blood-red moon hung low in the sky.

Her raven-black hair billowed around her, defying the stillness of the air. With each breath she exhaled, tendrils of mist curled from her lips, seeping into storm drains and creeping under doorways. The scent of damp earth and smoke filled the street.

Shop windows rattled in their frames as she passed. Neon signs sputtered and died. A stray cat yowled and darted into an alley, hackles raised.

Her eyes, once Brigid ’ s soft gray, now shone with a silver light as they swept over the shabby storefronts and buildings.

A small smile played at the corners of her full lips as she passed a sign, the words painted bright white against a green background..

‘ Welcome to Newton, pop. 2518 ’