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putting his boot on the raised ledge as he surveys the city.
    How did he not see me?
    My heart thumps in my chest, and I take in my setting once more. From here, I can’t even tell what city this is. I just know it’s not Arizona, not with this humidity.
    The man adjusts his stance, catching my attention once again. He’s tall and very handsome. He’s wearing tight black pants, a white shirt. His long dark hair is fastened with a band low on his neck. But as attractive as he is . . . I take a step back. It’s like I’m repelled by him.
    The door opens once again, a figure standing there as she’s lit from the lights behind her. I can’t make out her features, but I notice her long blond hair as it cascades over her black jacket. The spiked heels of her leather boots.
    â€œRodney,” she calls, her voice holding the slightest hint of a Russian accent.
    The man on the roof tilts his head toward her, a smile on his face. “My beauty,” he says. “What brings you back here so soon?”
    When neither of them notices me, I know that this is a dream. Only this time, it doesn’t belong to me. I’m inside someone else’s head.
    â€œYou said you could help,” the woman whispers. “That you could stop this. How? Tell me what I have to do!”
    Rodney laughs, finally turning fully to her. His dark eyes and chiseled jaw are stunning, his arms outspread as if for a hug. “Just come to me, Onika,” he says simply. “I can make it all go away. All you have to do is take my hand. It’s your decision.”
    The woman hesitates, choking as if holding back a cry. She casts one more glance behind her before moving slowly forward. Halfway across the roof, she breaks into a jog. She runs into Rodney’s arms, sobbing the moment he wraps them around her.
    Rodney’s mouth twists into a sinister grin; his skin cracks. I want to scream for Onika to run. That something is wrong. But before I can, Rodney leans to her ear, his lips touching the skin there and turning it gray.
    â€œShh . . .” he whispers as she begins to struggle. “Welcome to the Shadows, my beauty.”
    Â 
    * * *
    Â 
    My eyes fly open, the ceiling fan spinning slowly above me as the chain clinks against it rhythmically. For a second I don’t move, only process. The Shadows . . .
    â€œDid I wake you?”
    I jump, finding Lucy standing in my doorway, holding a cup of coffee. “I thought I heard you talking,” she says, “and I wanted to make sure you were all right.” She takes a long sip.
    I push my sweaty hair off my forehead. “I was having a nightmare.”
    Her blue eyes narrow. “About?”
    â€œIt was—” I pause as the dream starts to slip away. “There was a building, a man . . . no, a woman.” I exhale when the rest evaporates. “I don’t remember.”
    â€œI hate when that happens.” Lucy fights back a yawn, then takes a big gulp of her coffee.
    â€œDid you just get home?” I ask, glancing at the clock. It’s after five. How did she get in without my help?
    â€œYep. Out with a friend.”
    â€œThe same friend from yesterday? A guy?”
    â€œEw, are you Dad right now?”
    â€œNo. It’s just weird that you’re not telling me about it. You usually overshare.”
    â€œWeird like getting attacked in the parking lot of Santo’s? That kind of weird?” She takes another drink from her cup. I wince, not used to Lucy sounding so mean-spirited. Her shoulders slump.
    â€œSorry,” she says. “That was jerky. I heard you talking to Dad last night. I’m just really tired, I guess. You know I’ll hunt down any old lady who tries to mess with my sister.”
    I tell her I understand, although the sting from her comment still lingers.
    â€œAnd yes,” she adds. “It was a guy. A