Little Red Shadow (A Talented Fairy Tale Book 2), page 25
“I’m sure you’re right, zaika,” Nora commented, intentionally not bringing up the myriad of blisters caused by the heels her sister had picked out. “The museum board decides what departments get funding solely based on how much they want to sleep with the person presenting the pitch. Now I understand why the paleontology department always gets all the money. I mean, have you seen Bert?”
Odelle snorted in an unladylike manner. “Of course, big gray tufts of ear hair have always been my greatest turn-on.”
Nora smiled as she polished off the wing in her hand and licked the sauce from between her fingers.
“In all seriousness, though, thank you for your help with the presentation. Getting to restore these artifacts all but guarantees I’ll get that department head promotion I’ve been gunning for. I mean seriously, Leo keeps trash-talking me to the board, saying I’m too young for the position, but he hasn’t made any contributions this big since he ran that mummy through an MRI machine almost five years ago!”
“Okay, okay,” Odelle cut in. “Now is not the time to start in on all the drama. If I let you vent about department politics, I’ll be here until I have grey ear tufts of my own.”
Nora bit back her retort, knowing her sister had listened to her go on about the dramas of academia enough in the past. Besides, she had promised her sister that tonight would be a celebration, and she wouldn’t spend the entire time talking about work, as much as she would prefer to be thinking about work these days. Instead, she asked, “Did you have to wear the tall prosthetics plus the shoes? Isn’t that a touch redundant?”
Tonight, Odelle had chosen to wear the pair of sculpted prosthetic legs that made her six feet tall, then proceeded to add a pair of killer heels to the ensemble. The finished product had the effect of making Odelle look like a veritable Amazon.
“What’s the point of having feet made of carbon fiber if I don’t take advantage of it by wearing fantastic shoes? Besides, I like feeling as if I could eat men alive.”
Nora nodded over her drink. “Speaking of which, that one over there looks as if he wouldn’t mind being eaten alive.”
Odelle glanced over her shoulder at the tanned Ken doll of a man who eyed her from a few feet away. Seeing her looking, he approached and slid himself onto the empty bar stool next to them.
Nora smiled and took another sip of her drink, suppressing a grimace again at the overpowering sweetness as Odelle struck up a conversation. Nora caught the bartender’s eye and waved him over to order herself a dirty martini as her sister continued to flirt.
Just as the bartender arrived with her drink, Nora’s phone vibrated in her back pocket. She fished it out of her jeans and frowned at the illuminated screen.
Even as she read the message from the emergency notification system at work, her phone buzzed in her hand again, with several new texts popping up on the screen from coworkers. They immediately began arguing about whose job it was to go in and check on things. Nora didn’t hesitate before typing a message of her own.
As soon as it was sent, she turned back to Odelle to explain that she had to leave, but her sister was still otherwise occupied. Odelle had leaned in towards her admirer and he was reaching out to put a hand on her knee, just below the hem of her short black dress. He clearly hadn’t noticed that she had hinges instead of knees in the dim light of the bar, too distracted by Odelle’s coy smile. Nora smirked despite herself when the man jumped as his hand encountered cool carbon fiber instead of warm skin. He raised his eyebrows a fraction, but Odelle gave him a wicked grin and continued their conversation.
Nora tapped Odelle on the shoulder to get her attention.
“Hey zaika, I have to go. There is a security breach at work, and I need to go deal with it,” Nora explained, already slipping on her leather jacket.
“Girl, you do not know how to take a break. It’s supposed to be your night off!”
“Comes with the territory of getting promoted,” Nora countered as she grabbed a few crumpled bills out of her purse and put them on the bar. “I’ve got to show people I can handle the responsibilities. You stay and enjoy yourself. It looks like you aren’t quite done breaking that poor man’s heart.”
Indeed, Odelle’s admirer was obviously appreciating the fit of Odelle’s dress as the women spoke.
“Oh, I’m not,” Odelle admitted, “but he can wait. I’m coming to the museum with you to make sure you don’t stay too late.”
Odelle fished a pen out of her purse and grabbed the man’s wrist. His brows drew together in puzzlement before he smirked at the realization that she was scribbling her number on the back of his hand. Nora sighed. If she knew Odelle, she would lead this man on for the next two weeks before realizing he didn’t have the brains to keep up with her, then she’d leave him hanging.
“All right, let’s get out of here,” Odelle said as she grabbed Nora’s elbow to start weaving towards the exit. Just before they slipped into the crowd, Odelle looked over her shoulder and shot a wink at the enamored man whose gaze still followed them.
Nora chuckled as they pushed towards the door.
“That poor man. He’s not going to know what hit him.”
As the cab pulled up outside the museum, Nora’s stomach clenched with unease. Red and blue flashing lights filtered in through the car windows. She threw open the door and pushed her way into the chilly air as Odelle handled paying the driver.
Wrapping her scarf around her neck to combat the cold night air, Nora made her way over to the nearest squad car.
“Excuse me, sir?” Nora asked. “What’s going on here? I work at the museum and I got an alert about a security breach.”
The police officer looked rather uninterested as he answered. “A bunch of security alarms went off in an office on the lower level, called in the emergency services automatically. We’ve searched the whole area, but there’s nobody around.” The officer shrugged as he continued. “Must have been a glitch in the system.”
“Well, I work in an office on the lower level. Can I at least go in and make sure that nothing was damaged or stolen? We store a lot of priceless artifacts down there.”
“That would be perfect, actually.” The officer’s tone turned grateful. “We need somebody to confirm that nothing was taken before we can leave the scene. You can go inside and take stock.”
Nora dug through her purse for her office keys as she wove her way through the parked squad cars to the main entrance. Before she could make it to the bottom of the museum steps, Odelle strode up behind her and grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing?”
“Going inside to make sure nothing was damaged, of course.”
Odelle looked at her like she had grown a third arm. “You can’t go in there. What if the burglar is still inside?”
“Um, yes I can,” Nora said, turning and continuing her march up the steps. “Besides, the police said they swept the area and it was empty.”
Odelle continued to follow her. “Well, then I’m coming with you.”
Nora sighed but did not slow her walking. “You’re just coming with so you can be the first reporter on the scene. Get the inside scoop on any big news before anybody else gets wind of it.”
“Well, maybe,” Odelle admitted, not sounding the least bit contrite. “But somebody also has to protect you. You may specialize in ancient weaponry, but you would be useless in actual combat.”
“And you plan on fighting off a burglar in those shoes?”
Odelle seemed unconcerned. “If Wonder Woman can figure it out, then so can I.”
Nora chuckled as she led them into the darkened museum.
“You know,” she commented as they passed the looming Tyrannosaurus Rex in the main entrance, which looked haunting in the dim lighting, “I’ve always wanted to come in here at night. See if the dinosaurs and mummies come alive when we aren’t looking.”
“Stop joking around,” Odelle scolded her without venom, the click of her heels echoing as they made their way down the steps to the basement. “This is a crime scene.”
“It’s not a crime scene; it’s just the scene of a glitch in the security system.”
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Nora grew warm and was forced to loosen the scarf around her neck. Even then, a bead of moisture trickled down the small of her back.
As if she had heard her thoughts, Odelle asked, “Is it just me or is it really hot down here?”
“It’s not just you.” Nora unzipped her jacket.
“Maybe there’s some sort of problem with the boiler. That might have tripped the security system.”
“Is that even possible?” Nora asked as they reached the door to her office. Just as she moved to unlock it, a slight shuffle at the other end of the hallway grabbed her attention.
She whirled towards the sound, eyes straining to see any movement in the darkness. Just as she was about to turn back to her office door, scolding herself for being skittish, a dark shape shifted, moving towards the loading docks.
Nora froze once more, her hand snaking out to grab Odelle’s wrist. Understanding the unspoken message, she remained silent. There was a tense moment where both the intruder and Nora seemed to acknowledge their awareness of the other’s presence. The hot air was preternaturally still, as if the whole world was watching to see who would break the silence first.
Then, the intruder bolted. Nora took off after him without a second thought, dashing down the hallway, all the blisters on her feet forgotten in the adrenaline of the moment. She barreled after him, combat boots pounding against the concrete floor. He was heading toward the loading docks, where there was a back door he could use as an escape.
The figure was tall and lean, with long legs that allowed him to run faster than Nora, but her familiarity with the basement hallways allowed her to keep up. She skidded around several corners, trying to keep him in her line of sight. The intruder crashed out through the back door, Nora following behind. In the open ground of the moonlit back alley, the man was able to gain speed, and it became clear she wasn’t going to be able to catch up.
Before she could think through the stupidity of her actions, Nora shouted, “Stop!” The word came out a little breathless from her sprint.
To her eternal surprise, the man froze, and Nora was taken off guard enough that she skidded to a halt behind him, the soles of her boots scraping against the asphalt. The man’s shoulders were tense, as if he were fighting some internal battle. He turned his head as if to look behind him but stopped halfway. The moment stretched on, but Nora remained frozen, unsure of what to do now that she was no longer chasing the man.
As suddenly as he had stopped, the man took off again at a breakneck speed. Nora was about to bolt after him once more when Odelle flew through the door behind her and grabbed her arm, halting her.
“Zolotse, are you crazy?” Odelle’s voice was breathless, too, but Nora hardly registered it as she watched the man’s lanky figure disappear around the corner and into the night.
Odelle stepped in front of her, getting her attention.
“You just bolted away from me! What’s gotten into you?”
“The man…didn’t you see him?”
Odelle’s eyes narrowed, and she looked towards the end of the alley where Nora was gesturing. “A man?”
Nora nodded.
“Nora…I didn’t see anything.”
Nora’s mouth fell open.
“It was probably just too dark for you to see, but I swear there was a man. He ran out here!”
Odelle shook the arm she was still holding. “And you ran after him? He could have had a gun… He could have hurt you!”
Nora had the sense to look contrite. “I didn’t even think of that.”
Odelle clapped a hand to her forehead. “Why am I not surprised by that answer? Come on, let’s go find the cops. Maybe they can still catch him.”
Nora did her best to give the police a description of the man, but she had only seen him from the back, and it had been dark. The officer listened to her story, but Nora got the distinct impression that he had pinned her as a frightened female whose nerves had gotten the better of her. The police informed her they would continue to monitor the area, but the monotone in which he said it convinced Nora he was just repeating the approved party line for her benefit. He made a point of telling her before she left that she should in fact run away from imaginary burglars and not towards them. Odelle looked at her meaningfully, clearly intimating an I told you so before dragging her off to hail a cab.
Odelle chattered in the cab about how Nora owed her a proper night out and speculated aloud about the man she had met at the bar. Nora nodded along, too tired to protest, her mind replaying the moment in the back alley on repeat. It seemed impossible that she had imagined him, but Odelle was observant, and it wasn’t like her to miss things. Still, she couldn’t help picturing the tense set of the man’s shoulders before he had bolted. Nora told herself that her heart only hammered at the image from the adrenaline of the chase, but something in her was drawn to the stranger. She forced herself not to think about who the man might be or where she could find him as she fell into bed.
Don’t stop now. Keep reading with your copy of SPEARS AND SHADOWS available now.
And Join S.C. Grayson’s reader group and more at https://linktr.ee/scgrayson
Don’t miss book three of the The Talented series coming soon and find from S. C. Grayson with SPEARS AND SHADOWS available now.
Nora struggled with work-life balance even before an immortal sorcerer showed up and turned her career-and her love life, upside down.
Historian Nora Zvezda is gunning for a promotion at The Chicago Field Museum. The discovery of two ancient Greek weapons unlike any she's seen before might be her big break-but the artifacts are more than they seem.
Trying to uncover their secrets, Nora enlists the help of professor of ancient languages, Dr. Adam Scott, an undeniably handsome man of intrigue. Nora has been too busy to worry about romance, but Adam seems to be overflowing with charm-and secrets, the biggest being his rank among the Eteria, a secret society of powerful sorcerers who've been in hiding since the days of the Greek empire.
When Nora's work with the ancient and mystical weapons draws the attention of the Shadow, a powerful force that feeds off fear and negative emotions, she finds herself thrust in the middle of a perilous, age-old war between good and evil.
To protect herself, she must join the Eteria in their fight, all while struggling not to sacrifice the life she's worked so hard for. Complicating things further is her undeniable desire for Adam and the feeling that he may be hiding more than his status as an immortal sorcerer.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It’s always a Herculean task to thank everybody responsible for making this book possible in a few short paragraphs, but as always, I will do my best.
First and foremost, I’d like to thank my family. Rhys, you’re my rock and my wings and everything in between. Mom and Dad, thank you for taking me to the library so much as a kid, even if it took me in a direction you maybe didn’t expect at first. Amanda, you fanned the spark of my love of reading into the flame that got me where I am today.
Of course, the team of people who made this possible deserve a round of applause. Lisa is my book fairy godmother, and Tina and Yelena make everything possible. I would also like to give an extra special shout out to the amazing community of authors that keep me going when things get rough. Sierra, you’re the most amazing author bestie a girl could want. Emily, Megan, Alexis, and Leslie, you are all absolute treasures.
Last but not least, thank you so much to my readers. You’re my cheerleaders and my motivation. None of this would happen without you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S. C. GRAYSON has been reading fantasy novels since she was a little girl stealing books from her older sister’s shelves, and that has developed into a love of writing and storytelling. Her writing is currently focused on fantasy and paranormal romance. When she is not sitting in a local coffee shop writing and consuming an iced americano, Grayson is a nurse working towards a PhD in nursing with a focus on breast cancer genetics. She lives in Pittsburgh with her loving husband and their two cats, who enjoy contributing to her work by walking across her keyboard at inopportune moments (the cats, not the husband).
www.scgrayson.com
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
City Owl Press is a cutting edge indie publishing company, bringing the world of romance and speculative fiction to discerning readers.
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ADDITIONAL BOOKS
A NIGHT OF WINGS AND STARLIGHT
By: Alexis L. Menard
Breaking the curse will risk her heart, her life, and the future she never thought possible.
BOND BITTEN
By: Christie Clayton
When a vampire bonds to a human, the consequences can be catastrophic.
BURN
By: Joanna Morgan
