Shadow City by Francesca Flores

Author:Francesca Flores
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

20

Teo stared at her for a long moment, his eyes widening. She didn’t even blink as she stared back, willing him to understand, to forgive her.

“You went back to him,” he finally said, his voice nearly lost on the wind.

“No, Teo, I—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Ryuu moved. He took Teo’s gun and, eyes blazing, fired.

Aina ducked, but a sharp intake of breath behind her told her Kohl had been hit. He strode past her in one smooth movement and his fist flew at Ryuu’s face.

Ryuu fell, one hand going to his jaw. Lunging to Ryuu’s side, Aina looked up as Kohl stood over them both.

“You put up much more of a fight than your brother,” Kohl said, paying no mind to the bullet wound on his shoulder and the blood that leaked down his chest.

“Get out of here,” Aina yelled, grabbing the gun Ryuu had dropped and standing to aim it at Kohl. “Leave.”

Kohl turned to Aina with curiosity lighting his eyes. Now that she’d saved his life, did he see her as a coward? Weak? The word played over and over in her mind, infecting her with how true it might be. She lifted her chin, clearing her expression of any emotion, any hint of what she might be thinking.

Let him think she’d saved him on purpose, that it was part of her plan. She wouldn’t let him realize that saving him had been a spur-of-the-moment decision she could hardly explain to herself.

Without another word, he turned and left, his blood trailing a path down the roof of the train.

As he walked past her, Tannis shot a disgusted look at Kohl and said, “I’d say it’s nice to see you, but I’m trying not to hide my real feelings anymore.”

Teo and Ryuu left soon after, neither of them sparing Aina a glance as they did. Raurie and Lill followed, and Ryuu stopped to help Lill walk. A smear of blood was left behind on the roof where Lill had been.

The train barreled on toward Kosín and the air turned colder, making Aina shiver where she stood on the roof. The city grew closer in the distance, all bronze and gold in the midday sun and so different from the grassy landscapes around them. It seemed completely at odds with how bleak the day had become.

Tannis approached her then, disappointment etched on her features as the wind pushed her blue hair in waves around her shoulder. But at least she didn’t look like she wanted to shove Aina off the side of the train.

“Tannis, I—”

“I lied to you last month about my work with Kohl,” Tannis said in a soft tone. “Though we weren’t running a business together then. I want to hear what your reasons are, but let’s join the others first.”

They left together and moved down the ladder on the side of the train. The inside of the compartment was starkly calm and quiet after the roar of the wind above. The passengers in this compartment cast her an anxious glance, tensing when she entered the room.

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