Six paragraphs from MALEVOLENT INTENT, Noir Fairy Tales, Book 2
1. “Next thing I know, Morrie is yelling for Eugene to come check out the two fairies who had passed out on the bar. At least, he thought they’d passed out.” She lowered her head, and her thick black hair fell over her forehead, partially obscuring her face. Again, Rich was hit with the need to reach out and brush it away. Instead, he gripped his pencil and notepad tighter.
2. She sat up and finally moved over the table, closer to him. “Listen. I run a respectable business, Detective Florian, whether you believe me or not. I don’t water down my drinks, and my games are fair and square. As for my stepmother, we’ve never gotten along. Hell, everybody in town knows about our long-standing feud. But I swear to you, that poisoning was purely accidental. What would we gain by doing it, anyway?” Her voice hitched slightly, and she continued in a softer voice. “My heart aches for those creatures’ families. If we’d known the beer was tainted…”
3. Reaching the bottom floor, she practically floated over to him, a polite smile pasted on her face as she extended her hand. “You wanted to see me, Detective?” Her eyes darted over him, judging him, sizing him up, and probably wondering how well she’d be able to chew him up before spitting him out.
4. He stared at her in shock. Barely a handful of people in the force knew his secret. Other than them, there was no one else. Neither did he have family living in town who would make his ability known. He wondered if she really knew the truth, or if she’d simply made an educated guess, when the woman gave a little snort.
5. The man’s right hand and arm lashed out at her before she was aware of it. His fist caught the side of her jaw, and the world flashed white with pain. Rose felt her head snap sideways, sending it slamming against the passenger side window.
6. Unable to stop himself, Rich let out a roar of pain and anger. His next reaction was purely involuntary at this point. Even if it hadn’t been, he would have changed anyway. His clothes began to shred at the seams as his body enlarged, morphed, and he took on the shape of his other self. The one he took such great care not to reveal. But circumstances had forced his hand. His life, and more importantly, Rose’s life, demanded he shift in order to protect her. To save them both.
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