Part 404 – Falling For An Extraordinary’s Tricks

The man pulled his hat lower and ran faster. His heart was racing.

He would be discovered.

He would be found.

He would be caught.

They would take him away.

He ran into a dark alley.

He bumped into a box that was once home to a new stove. A cat screeched and ran out in a dark gray streak.

The man kept running all the way to the end.

There was nowhere else to run.

He spread his hands on the gritty brick wall and struggled to catch his breath.

Something in the air changed.

He raised his head and listened for footsteps

Heard none.

But he sensed that he was no longer alone. “Who…who’s there?”

“Only a ghost, sir.”

He turned quickly.

Just in time to see a man with asymmetrical black hair and black-maroon eyes step out of the shadows. His white gloves almost glowed in the alley’s gloom.

“Who?”

“My name doesn’t matter, sir.” He stopped in front of him and smiled, baring sharp fangs. “Neither does yours.”

“Fangs. You have…”

The vampire unzipped the man’s coat.

The man was too stunned to stop him.

He dropped the coat in the dirt and rubbish and snow. “There.” He gently stroked the man’s face.

The man closed his eyes. A small part of his mind knew that he should run, fight back, do something.  But he couldn’t resist. He turned his head to the side.

“Much better, sir.”

The pain took him by surprise. He opened his eyes and stared unseeingly as the vampire stole his life away.

***

Raven pulled out his linen and lace handkerchief and dabbed the blood off his lips.

His energy dipped.

He looked up at the night sky.

“Dawn.”

Must return home before dawn fully arrives.

He refolded his handkerchief and put it inside his coat pocket.

But first.

He crouched beside his victim and gave him a careful look-over.

Dirty, sweat-stained shirt. No.

No rings.

No necklace.

Raven searched the dead man’s pockets.

“ah. What’s this?”

He pulled it out.

It was a golden dagger decorated from tip to hilt with jewels and beauty. “I doubt that this belongs to you, sir.” He pulled the dagger out of its sheath. The blade shined like a river’s reflection. “Yes. This does not belong to a gutter rat like you.”

“Nor does it belong to a bleeder like you.”

He quickly rose to his feet and glanced around. “Who’s there?”

A woman appeared out of nowhere.

The dagger fell out of his hands.

“May Ro…I mean, Miss Farlington?”

She sashayed over to him.

He shook his head. “No. Miss Farlington never walked like that. She was a lady.”

“James.”

The sound of her voice drove him down to his knees.

She curled her hand under his chin. “What did I say before?”

His words came out in short gasps. “Your name is…May…May Rose…May Rose.”

She smiled. “See? You can say it.”

“But…it can’t…you can’t…it’s…it’s…”

She leaned forward and kissed him.

He fell back onto his hands from the shock of it.

She laughed. “Oh, I could do this forever.”

“What?”

“Stringing you along like this. You don’t know how fun it is to play love when you can’t feel any.”

He stared at her in wordless shock.

“But I get so impatient. I know I shouldn’t get impatient. Impatience is a pesky human emotion.” She transformed into a fey with ivory colored wings. “As you can see, I am not a human.”