Chapter 44: Blood magic
The wight looked nothing like the man who’d died in the cemetery. His skin was pale as moonlight, almost translucent. His fingers had elongated into claws that gleamed in the streetlight. But it was those eyes that made Kaine’s blood freeze—they glowed with a dull red light, like coals in a dying fire.
Chad’s attention was fixed entirely on the robbers, his head tilted at an unnatural angle as he studied them. When he smiled, his teeth were sharp and far too numerous.
"Oh, fuck," Kaine whispered.
The robbers took one look at the creature and scattered like roaches when the lights came on. Their leader stumbled backward, his gun forgotten as he tripped over his own feet in his haste to get away. The others followed, their coordinated swagger replaced by pure animal terror.
Smart move.
Chad watched them flee with obvious disappointment, his head swiveling to track their movements. For a moment, he seemed to consider pursuit. Then his glowing eyes fixed on Kaine, and something like recognition flickered across his transformed features.
Neither of them moved. The alley had gone silent except for the distant sound of the robbers’ footsteps echoing off brick walls.
’Come on, Chad. Let’s talk about this like civilized monsters. There’s no need to run away from home,’
Instead, Chad bolted.
The wight moved like a shadow given form, sprinting toward the far end of the alley with inhuman speed. His claws scraped against the brick walls as he took the corner, the sound like nails on a chalkboard.
"Son of a bitch," Kaine muttered, breaking into a run. "Marcus, with me!"