“I feel like… there has to be some way you could move around during the day,” he said. “Can’t you teleport through shadows?”
“I don’t teleport through them as much as hide in them,” said Rose. “I call it shadow walking. But no, there isn’t any easy way for me to do it when the sun’s out. I have to become visible again each time I reach the edge of a shadow.”
Malcolm thought about it for a second.
“What about hiding in the shadow of a person?” he asked.
“It’s too difficult,” said Rose. “If they make any sudden movements, I fall out of the shadow. Which is dangerous, for a spryte.”
“Okay, but if they knew you were in their shadow?” asked Malcolm. “I have an old cane. I could walk slowly, pretending I have a limp. Would that work?”
Rose blinked, as though she’d never thought of it before.
“It… just might,” she said. “As long as nobody shines a flashlight over the shadow. Yeah, we could try it.”
After breakfast, they gave it a shot. Rose stood just inside Malcolm’s apartment, wearing one of his t-shirts and her yoga pants. She looked nervous as Malcolm stepped out into the hallway, using the cane and carefully positioning his shadow so she could easily step into it.
“Alright,” said Rose. “Here goes.”
It was interesting, watching her hide inside of shadows with the bright sun overhead. Rose seemed to melt away like her tendrils did when they disappeared into the darkness. Malcolm carefully closed the door behind him, feeling a bit apprehensive about their endeavor.
“This is by far the weirdest date I’ve ever been on,” he whispered.
“It was your idea,” came Rose’s reply, from floor level. “And there had better be a movie involved if you’re going to call this a date.”
Malcolm grinned down at her.
It wasn’t as hard as he’d expected it to be. The sun was bright and there were few clouds in the sky, which left Malcolm with a well-defined shadow. He walked slowly, turning with the speed of a tank in order to give Rose time to change directions with him.
He stopped by the grocery store first. Malcolm wasn’t sure what Rose had in mind for dinner, so he made a show of pulling out his phone and talking into it to disguise their conversation.
“I forgot the list, honey,” he said. “What did you say you wanted again? Pork chops?”
“Let’s do chicken,” said Rose, keeping her voice low. “Chicken stir fry. I’ll help you pick out vegetables.”
He smiled, and together they gathered vegetables and a few other items Rose insisted he needed. They paid for the food, brought it back to the apartment, and then, at Malcolm’s insistence, set out again.
“I’m not going to be able to do this forever, you know,” said Rose. “At least not without getting a recharge from my focus activity.”
Which is sex.
“I love it when you talk dirty,” said Malcolm. “And don’t worry, we won’t be too much longer.”
He headed downtown, and then into a woman’s clothing store. It was surprisingly busy, and nobody paid much attention to him as he started down one of the aisles.
“So,” he said, with his phone out again. “What’s your style?”
“You… want to buy me clothes?” asked Rose.
“Feel free to reject my generosity if you can’t handle it,” said Malcolm. “Just thought you might be more comfortable in something other than ratty yoga pants and a boy’s t-shirt.”
“I mean… that’s really sweet,” said Rose. “I’m just surprised. It’s been a while since anyone has been nice to me like that. From what little I can remember.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.” Malcolm winked at his shadow.
He slowly walked through the aisles, stopping now and then and thumbing through the clothing racks. Rose took longer than he ever would have imagined to decide, and he was almost beginning to regret his offer when she finally told him to bring the clothes to the dressing room.
Malcolm glanced around the shop, waiting until nobody was looking before stepping into the dressing room. Rose materialized out of his shadow with a cute, appreciative smile on her face.
“Let me try these on and see what fits,” she said.
“Right.”
Malcolm waited just outside, feeling a little awkward. It didn’t seem like anybody cared all that much about him being there, but it was still a little hard to feel comfortable in the feminine space.
“Alright,” she whispered. “You can come back in.”
He stepped through the curtain, and his jaw dropped as he looked at her. She’d had him grab a set of expensive, black lingerie that was a little out of his price range. She was wearing them, the see-through garments tight and suggestive against her pale purple skin.
She was also wearing fishnet stockings, complete with a garter belt. Her nipples were visible through the material of the bra, and her hair fell loose across shoulders. She grinned at him and spun in a circle.
“Well?” she asked. “What do you think?”
“It’s… I mean… wow.” Malcolm blinked, trying to focus enough to form a thought.
“I just thought I’d try them on,” she said. “You know, to see what you thought.”
What I think is that the temperature in this tiny dressing room just went up ten degrees.
“The fabric looks soft,” said Malcolm.
“Here,” said Rose. “Feel it.”
She took his hand and pulled it to her breast. Malcolm stepped in a little closer. Rose licked her lips and kissed him, one of her legs lifting slightly as she pushed her crotch into his.
“Excuse me?” A shrill voice came from just outside the dressing room. “Sir?”
Malcolm swore under his breath, turning around just as the curtain opened. Rose was gone in time to not be seen, but one of the store employees was gesturing for him to leave the dressing room, clearly displeased.
“Sorry,” he said.
“Our policy doesn’t allow for anyone to bring more than one article of clothing into the… dressing room?” The employee glanced at him, and then behind him. Malcolm realized what had happened after a couple of seconds.
Rose brought the clothes into the shadow with her. Clever girl.
“I didn’t,” he said. “I don’t have any clothes that don’t belong to me. You can strip search me if you want.”
The saleswoman flicked her eyes down, and Malcolm realized that he was still excited from seeing Rose in the lingerie.
“I think you should leave,” said the saleswoman.
Malcolm grinned at his shadow as soon as he was outside of the store. He waited until he’d passed by a crowd on the sidewalk before whispering down to her.
“That was amazing,” he said.
“You just turned me into a shoplifter,” said Rose. “Just because I’m a spryte doesn’t mean I don’t have morals!”
Malcolm laughed, but her words gave him a moment of pause.
Rose does have morals. And empathy. And a sense of right and wrong.
“Bring me back to your apartment,” she said. “It’s hard for me to use my powers like this. The extra clothes were tricky to bring into the shadow.”
“Right away,” said Malcolm. “Though I think it makes me an accessory to a robbery, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, you just wait,” said Rose. “I’m going to get you back for this.”
CHAPTER 26
“Hold on a second,” said Rose.
They’d been walking for a couple of minutes, maintaining the slow pace the ruse required. Malcolm glanced down at his shadow on the sidewalk, and then around the area.
“What is it?” he asked.
“That bar over there,” said Rose. “I remember something about it.”
The sign out front was made of painted wood and read “Terri’s Tavern”. Two lantern lights were placed on either side of a staircase that led down to the entrance below. Malcolm frowned, trying to think of whether he’d heard of the plac
e before.
It’s not one of the popular spots in town. Though, I still can’t legally drink yet, so I’m not exactly the most up to date on something like this.
“What can you remember?” asked Malcolm.
“It’s related to sprytes and demons,” said Rose. “I know it is. I’m not sure how, though. It’s just… fuzzy when I try to think about it.”
She sighed, and for an instant, Malcolm’s shadow flickered as though she was losing her form. He glanced around nervously.
“Let’s get you home,” he said. “I think we’ve overdone it a little for today.”
They made it back to his apartment about a half hour later. Rose hopped out of Malcolm’s shadow once they were inside, still wearing the lingerie, arms full of clothing. She changed into a much more practical outfit consisting of jeans and a loose black blouse, and the two of them sat together on the couch.
“Do you think it might lead me to the monster I’m looking for?” asked Malcolm.
Rose frowned at him.
“Maybe,” she said. “Though, I feel like you shouldn’t use that word around other sprytes and demons. I don’t mind it, but… it’s not the word they would choose for themselves.”
Malcolm nodded slowly.
“Just how much do you remember?” he asked. “Has more been coming back to you over the past few days?”
“Bits and pieces,” said Rose. “I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s like trying to remember a dream. I just get these flashes. Some of them… aren’t fun to think about.”
Malcolm reached over and set his hand on top of hers.
“Would it help to talk about it?” he asked. “I don’t want to force you if you don’t feel comfortable.”
Rose closed her eyes. It was becoming harder and harder for Malcolm to see her as something dangerous. She was expressive and sensitive, and it was impossible to reconcile that view with the Champion Authority’s mandate on monsters.
“I was someone, before all of this,” said Rose. “I was a confident woman. Some type of professional, a doctor, or a scientist, maybe. I think… I was happy. Really happy.”
She shook her head and sighed as though the toll of trying to remember was too much for her.
“Never mind,” she said. “How about I get started on our dinner?”
“I’ll help you,” said Malcolm. “We’ll cook together. As a team.”
A slow smile spread across Rose’s face, and she gave a small nod.
The dinner they made was incredible, either through their teamwork or Rose’s precise ingredient selection. Malcolm found himself staring at her afterward, the two of them eating side by side on the couch, the only place available to sit in his spartan, bachelor apartment.
“What?” asked Rose. “Why do you have that look on your face?”
Malcolm chuckled and shook his head.
“No reason,” he said.
That seemed to satisfy her, even though it shouldn’t have. She smiled back at him and seemed to think for a moment.
“I want to take you out,” she said. “To the bar we saw before. I want to help you find your… monster.”
Malcolm felt a small spark of excitement.
“Tonight?” he asked.
“Right now. If the lead doesn’t end up panning out, we can at least have some drinks, and maybe some fun.”
Malcolm hesitated.
“…Alright,” he said. “But I am kind of, well, technically under the drinking age.”
Rose frowned a little at him.
“I figured you were younger than me, but I didn’t realize that you were that young,” she said.
“I’m 19,” said Malcolm. “Why? How old are you…?”
He trailed off, realizing not only that it was rude to ask for a woman’s age, but that he’d already been through this once before with Tapestry.
“28,” said Rose, grinning. “And I used to have a thing for younger guys in college.”
She winked at him. Malcolm was both insanely turned on and curious. She’d remembered both the fact of her age and that she’d once gone to college, apparently without even noticing on her part.
How much more will she remember? And will it change her when she does?
They left the apartment and headed back toward the bar they’d seen earlier. It was a cloudy night, and some of the fog had descended to ground level. Rose wore a baggy hooded sweatshirt and kept the hood up and her hands in her pockets, concealing her skin everywhere but her face.
At Rose’s advice, Malcolm wore a long sleeve t-shirt with sleeves baggy enough to keep his stabilizer concealed. He hadn’t considered how a monster bar would react to a champion showing up uninvited. There was also the risk that one of them might recognize his face from the media coverage, but there wasn’t much either of them could do about that.
Malcolm slowed to a stop as they neared the bar, trying to get a sense of the place from what they could see outside. Terri’s Tavern had a single bored looking bouncer, a big black man with rippling muscles. He was wearing sunglasses at night, and Malcolm knew that it wasn’t in solidarity with the 80s hit song.
“Come on,” he said to Rose. “Let’s give this a try.”
He walked across the street confidently. Rose had her arm looped through his, but she kept her face angled diagonally toward the ground. Malcolm nodded to the bouncer as he drew near and acted as though he had every right to head straight down the stairs.
“Hold up,” said the bouncer, in an impossibly deep voice. “Members only.”
“Uh…” Malcolm fumbled for an excuse. Rose lifted her head up and pulled back the hood, and the man’s expression changed instantly.
“Oh,” said the bouncer. He brought his sunglasses down slightly, and Malcolm saw glowing red irises behind them. “Never mind. He’s with you?”
“Yeah,” said Rose.
The bouncer eyed Rose up and down, trying and failing to be subtle about checking out her body.
“Yeah, er, you both can go right on ahead, then,” he said.
The bouncer grinned, and Rose pulled Malcolm forward. They headed down the stairs and through the door at the bottom.
CHAPTER 27
Terri’s Tavern was a cozy place, and a little larger than it looked from the outside. The floor was polished wood, and lightbulbs hung from the roof in imitation lanterns. There was a bar, several sitting tables, a pool table, and a jukebox. And about a dozen monsters milling about.
Rose pulled off her sweatshirt and hung it on the coat rack. No sooner than it had left her shoulders did someone whistle from off in the corner.
“Oh, who is this?” called a man’s voice from the corner. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”
Malcolm tried to keep his anger in check as he saw Rose scanning the room for the offender. It was a demon sitting at one of the tables. His hair was an odd shade of orange, almost the color of cheese whiz, and he had a more impressive physique than any human Malcolm had ever seen.
It wasn’t just that the demon had bigger muscles than an ordinary man, but it was that he had more of them. They were stretched over one another, as though instead of growing, another layer had been added. The demon wore an A-shirt for good measure, and waved to Rose with one of his powerful arms.
I could totally take him.
Rose shrugged and raised an eyebrow at Malcolm.
“It’s as good of a place to start as any,” she said. “At least we know he’s willing to talk.”
“I somehow doubt he knows anything that’s going to help us,” said Malcolm.
“We don’t know that for sure,” she said. “Come on.”
She took him by the arm and led him over to the muscle demon’s table. The demon was far less subtle about checking Rose out than the bouncer had been, making appreciative noises as she drew closer.
“Where have you been all my life?” asked the muscle head.
“Right.” Rose rolled her eyes. “I’m Black Rose, this is my friend Malco
lm. Can we ask you a couple of questions?”
“Bicep,” said the demon, his attention completely on Rose. “You can. But you’ll have to let me buy you a drink first.”
Urge to kill… rising.
“Hey, buddy, that’s the oldest line in the book,” said Malcolm. “We’re just here looking for somebody. Do you mind being cooperative?”
Bicep stood up, smiling as though he’d been hoping for a fight that night. Rose cleared her throat, set a hand on Malcolm’s shoulder, and leaned in close enough to be heard at a whisper.
“Let me handle this. Go hang out at the bar for a little bit. This guy is clearly drunk. I’ll be able to get him talking easier if I’m by myself.”
Malcolm gritted his teeth. He knew that she was right, and forced himself to keep in mind why they were there.
“Alright,” he said. “Just… be careful.”
Bicep saluted him as he walked away. Malcolm sat down at the bar, fighting the urge to stare at Rose and the muscle demon openly.
She knows what she’s doing. I’m being ridiculous.
Someone sat down in the stool next to Malcolm. He glanced over and saw a woman who looked like she’d stepped out of another century. She wore a huge, frilly pink dress, low cut enough to expose a generous amount of cleavage. Her blonde hair was long enough to be unwieldy, and hung in a long braid over one shoulder.
“Hi,” she said. “Buy me a drink?”
“Uh…” Malcolm shrugged. “Sure.”
He waved to the bartender, a short, chubby brunette with glasses. She hurried over, smiling as she pulled mugs down to set in front of them. Malcolm wasn’t sure if he was surprised by the fact that she didn’t card him.
“What’s your name?” asked the woman.
“Malcolm,” he said. “What’s yours?”
She reached over and poked him in the shoulder. Malcolm felt a sudden surge of power. He looked down at himself and saw that he was now dressed in a full suit of armor, though he couldn’t feel the weight of it.
“Fantasy,” said the woman. “Do you want to save the princess tonight, Malcolm?”
His shock must have been fully evident on his face. Fantasy grinned back at him, and the bartender let out a few chuckles from where she stood nearby.
Wind Runner (Vanderbrook Champions Book 1) Page 12
