Night Falls on the Wicked - By Sharie Kohler Page 0,4

hands laced together. They walked close, leaning into each other. The woman dropped her head against his shoulder as if she couldn’t resist, as if she had to touch him, had to be close. He turned and pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. She smiled and stretched her hand out in front of her, wriggling her fingers, admiring the modest wedding ring, and Darby guessed they’d just tied the knot in the courthouse.

Something tightened in her chest, a familiar pang at the sight of what she could never have, what could never be hers. Damn it. She was maudlin lately.

She turned her gaze away and increased her pace, avoiding the sight of them as if that would shield her from the sad state of her own life and what it was always destined to be. Her mother had known what awaited her, had whispered it in her ear as she brushed her hair every night at bedtime.

There are worse things than being alone, Darby. Never forget that. Mommy won’t be here for you forever. Someday you’ll be alone. If you’re smart, you’ll learn to accept it. Don’t be weak and stupid like me and let a man sweet-talk his way into your life. The last thing you need is a baby.

Hard stuff for an eight-year-old to hear at bedtime. Only she hadn’t realized it. At age eight, it didn’t occur to her to be insulted. She’d simply nodded and agreed. Yes, Mommy.

She didn’t understand then what she knew now—that her mother regretted her father … that she regretted Darby. Now that she knew that, now that she was alone just as her mother had predicted, it was her mother’s voice she constantly heard in her head. That voice kept her strong, kept her on track.

Always remember, Darby, that there are real-life monsters out there, ready to gobble you up, possess you, turn you into the same horrible monsters they are. Just like your aunt Lena.

Aunt Lena made nationwide news when she burned down her office building, killing three and injuring several more. She’d disappeared before she could be apprehended. Law enforcement assumed she’d headed for Mexico, but Darby’s family knew she was headed for cooler climes. Someplace where she could wrest some control from the demon possessing her, the entity that was pure evil and forcing her to do terrible things. Like burn down buildings. And kill.

As soon as it started to get bad for Darby, once the demons came for her almost nightly, plaguing her constantly, she took her mother’s advice.

Better sooner than later. She wasn’t going to wait until a demon possessed her and forced her to kill somebody. Three years ago the demons had become particularly bothersome, invading her dreams, terrorizing her at every turn.

Just as they had done with her mother.

So as her mother recommended, Darby chose the path that didn’t just keep her safe, it kept the world safe.

It was as simple as that.

Across the street, Maggie stepped out of the hardware store. She waved widely and called out. Darby stared straight ahead, deliberately avoiding her, snuggling deeper into her parka, sealing herself inside herself.

And sealing the world out.

TWO

Niklas pulled up in front of the small B&B, the only lodging available in the small town where he’d tracked his prey.

He grimaced at the two-story, whitewashed house with its picket fence. In bigger cities he had the benefit of anonymity. By the end of the night everyone would know about the lone man in their midst. There would be stares, prying questions—none of which he would answer. Even if he did, no one would believe him.

At least the house sat directly on Main Street, where he could see most everything going on in the town. With this heartening thought, he stepped out of the vehicle and sucked in a bracing breath at the sudden cold, unexpected even though he’d been chasing his quarry through Canada for the last two months now.

The air cut into him and he shivered and burrowed deeper into his coat and wondered why the bastards had to pick the Great White North as their newest area to terrorize. He inhaled deeply, sniffing the air, searching for any lingering scent of them, hoping they were still here. His skin prickled and tightened in that familiar way that told him they were here. Close.

He stared down the two-lane street. A truck approached, driving slowly through the curling white air that seemed to float everywhere. A big, thick-furred dog hopped around the back, jumping