Page 4 of Awakened Ash and Alchemy

So, of course, she didn’t.

Zarek’s expression flickered with alarm before he looked away.

“What—” she croaked, then swallowed, wincing at the hot, angry welts around her throat. “What was that?”

Zarek’s gaze snapped back to her. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“No kidding.” Angela coughed, using the wall to help her stand as her knees trembled. “That thing—he—whatever that was, hurt that man.”

The injured man was still sprawled on the floor, breathing deeper than Angela could through her tender throat.

Zarek crouched beside the male victim, pressing two gloved fingers to the man’s temple. A faint shimmer moved beneath his fingertips, and the injured man’s eyelids fluttered.

Angela wasn’t sure if it was some new CPR technique, a pressure point trick, or literally anything that belonged to the world she understood. But clearly her eyes, teary from the pepper spray, were doing a terrible job of seeing what was real. Especially when Zarek lifted his gloved hand over the victim’s head, and the man’s face slackened, as if he’d fallen asleep.

“What did you do to him?” Why wasn’t anyone calling the police? Ambulance? And where was her handbag?

Zarek stood, turning to face her. “He won’t remember.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Zarek lifted his hand toward her.

“Don’t.” Angela flinched. Her arm came up to shield her as her back pressed against the brick wall. “Don’t come any closer. Please.”

With his gloved palm half-raised, his fingers lightly curled back under. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Then what are you trying to do?” Her voice shook as badly as her legs.

“I’m trying to help you. You shouldn’t remember this.”

“That would be nice.” She let out a short, breathless laugh that held no humor at all. Her gaze flicked to the scattered ash at his feet, then to the empty space where the black-cloaked thing had been standing moments ago.

None of this was real, expecting to wake up any minute now. But the ache in her throat, and a shopping list of pain wracking her body, that as ugly as it was, she’d never been more awake in her life.

“I don’t think my brain is ever going to make sense of that… this… you…”

The man, dressed like some warrior from another time, narrowed his eyes at her. His head tilted, making his angular cheekbones stand out against his strong jawline. Of course he had to be handsome.

“I can make you forget.”

Surprisingly, the way he said it wasn’t threatening.

“I wish I could forget…” She licked her dry lips. “Or this is the worst mugging in the history of muggings.” Her car was just down the alley, near the lights, and the restaurant was just on the other side. This was supposed to be a simple shortcut. That’s all.

Zarek’s brow creased as he studied her. “You’re not reacting the way you should.”

“Seriously? I just watched a man turn into fire, stone, and ash. I think I’m allowed some flexibility in my reactions. I don’t think there are any textbooks for this, are there?”

“You should not be able to see me.”

“Oh, really?” Angela arched her eyebrow at him. “That’s exactly what the black-cloaked thing said. Are you two doing some cosplay drama and forgot to tell the extras what was happening?”

“They’re called Black Cloaks.”

“Right.”

“Mortals don’t see us unless—”