Page 4 of Shadowkissed

The alley’s a dead end. No sign of the rogue. No sign of the fae. I scan the rooftops out of habit, then step back inside through the fire door she left cracked.

The hallway smells like cheap perfume, hairspray, and something sharp underneath. Blood magic, faint and old. My boots echo as I walk, and the bass from the club throbs back to life as I push through the black curtain.

Bodies pulse and sway like nothing happened.

Of course they don’t notice. Mundanes rarely do. The Veil’s cracked, not shattered. They may think they are aware of it all, but not fully. Not even close.

I weave through the crowd, eyes scanning for familiar signs—shifter scent, blood crusted under fingernails, magic discharge. Anything that might tell me the rogue is still here.

Nothing.

Just sweat and smoke and flashing lights.

The trail ends here. Bastard’s either clever or got help.

Either way, I’m stuck.

Might as well make use of it.

I head toward the bar, throw a few crumpled bills down, and catch the attention of the guy drying a glass with a rag that’s way past clean.

“Who’s the dancer?” I ask, nodding toward the empty platform she was on.

The bartender gives me a once-over. He’s stocky, human, probably thinks he’s seen it all. He hasn’t.

“Which one?”

“Dark hair. Violet eyes. Tattoos. Moves like she owns the air.”

He snorts. “Oh.Her.” Then he leans in, lowers his voice. “We just call her Nightshade.”

“Real name?”

He shrugs. “Don’t ask, don’t get turned into a frog. That’s how I run this joint.”

Cute.

“She always disappear like that?”

He frowns. “Only when assholes go sniffing too close. You followin’ her?”

“Looking for someone. Rogue. Came in here tonight night. Big guy, beard, wild eyes. Might’ve smelled like wet dog and bad choices.”

The bartender raises a brow. “That description fits half the guys in here, but yeah. Think I saw one like that. Caused a stir, back door’s still dented.”

“Where is he now?”

“No idea. Security chased him into the alley earlier. He vanished.”

So he’s gone. Dammit.

My jaw tightens. I hate loose ends. But if that’s all I’ve got… maybe the fae saw something.

“Nightshade,” I say again. “She around?”

“She just finished her last set,” the bartender says. “Probably getting her stuff. If you wanna chat, you’ll have to catch her before she ghosts.”

I nod, already turning toward the hallway.

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