to let her out in

e side without question. Mircea met her eyes in the rearview mirror

l," he sai

r bag over her shoul

like a watchful finger against the sky. A few shops ringed the space-a butcher, a grocer, a narrow storefront with faded

una

Full

, catching on stone and glass. It should have

, it fe

was the wind moving through the narrow stree

ame aware

d. A door cracked open and then shut again. She felt the collective attention like a p

lders ti

ded for

heavy with the smell of stew, bread, and beer. Human scent la

inside die

floor and then stilled. Akari stood just inside the doorway, her ha

curi

ess

f to breathe and

arms like carved stone. He wiped a glass with a rag

" he

oice sounding too loud in the silence.

glass down, and turned t

f fli

tried to remember the name of the solicitor's office, the

tender

ed to the name

na

drained fr

g the edge of the bar as if for balance.

fee. No

owned. "

. out," h

etween them, t

ne met her eyes now. A man at a nearby table muttered som

t tightened.

ot about

ed away, dismissin

at alone. She was wrapped in a black shawl, her

not look

tely, the woman

while folding the others down, the gesture

ips m

rco

into Akari's b

ewo

ec

ing no

g together until she couldn't tell them apart. She took a

en and stumbled

hut behind her w

rsation resumed, low and ur

the cold air burning her lungs. She pressed her

a

rom the pub, keeping her head high as

it past the church, past shuttered windows and narrow alleys. The town

er shop c

metal hooks, skinned and clean, pale flesh marbled wi

wave of sce

esh. Me

oo

r stomach clenched-not in revuls

back, a hand fly

wrong

ulse quicken, her senses narrow and sharpen. For a terrifying heartbeat, she imagine

wled, loud in t

eathing hard, horrified by t

had rej

nside her was a