Read The Seduction of Phaeton Black for Free Online Page A

friends.”
    Dodging pedestrians and a bustle of carriage traffic, he followed after a dark figure that appeared to alternate between genuine flesh and illusion. Wisps of cloud cover drifted across the moon, darkening the street ahead. Gas lamps flickered and shadows danced beneath the dim light. There, up ahead, footsteps echoed against cobblestone. Phaeton picked up the pace. He couldn’t risk losing the man for the second time in so many days.
    Yes, he was quite sure the elusive silhouette he chased after would turn out to be the rooftop phantom that had frightened off the snow harpy, or whatever the odd apparition had been.
    A few cobbled lanes and alleyways separated the wide thoroughfare of Strand from the Embankment along the river. He was back in familiar territory. It pained him to think this small enclave south of the theatre district had become a place of terror and death, not unlike those fifteen square blocks of Whitechapel. He needed to get to the bottom of this riddle posthaste. Catch the fiend, stop the murders, and try to keep the press out of it.
    His pulse accelerated at the very idea of chimera chasing. He caught a slim glimpse of an opera cape vanishing around a bend in the lane and hastened his step.
    The race was on. Each time Phaeton quickened his pace, the man ahead seemed to pull farther away. Frustrated, Phaeton sprinted down one row after another, able to catch nothing more than an occasional glimpse of a shadowed figure. He turned into a narrow passageway and ran straight into a dead end.
    Certain that he had followed correctly, he scrutinized the brick wall in front of him. He pivoted slowly, scanning rooftops to each side of the alley.
    “I am here.”
    Phaeton jumped back. The man stood just a few paces away. Odd, he had not seen or detected the stranger’s presence. “Yes, you are.”
    “Why do you follow me?”
    He cleared his throat, hardly knowing where to begin. “I believe we have met twice before. Our first encounter was at Cambridge, eight years ago. Just outside The Green Dragon, I was accosted by a dangerous sort of creature with fangs and claws. Something between a dog and a wolf, but man-sized. I had more than a few pints in me, too bladdered to resist.”
    Could that be a glimmer of recognition? Phaeton couldn’t be sure. “You came along and tossed the hairy beast off me as if it was a child’s toy.”
    A faint, twisted smirk appeared on an otherwise perfectly chiseled and largely inscrutable face.
    “I remember the incident.” The man cocked his head. “I take it you have the gift. Unusual abilities that are helpful in—what is your line of work, Mr.—?”
    “Black.” Phaeton reached inside his overcoat. The stranger stepped back. This time it was his turn to grin. Slowly, he pulled out his card. “Scotland Yard. Investigating several murders down here along the Strand.”
    The man grabbed him by the coat and flung him against the brick wall. Dazed, Phaeton shook off the ringing in his ears. “Very impressive.”
    “You will never track down or catch this killer, Mr. Black.”
    The stranger leaned in close—sniffing the ether. They each inhaled frosty air with the faint metallic scent of the other’s essence. “Yes, you have superior talents, but they are buried deep. A dangerous condition. You are both cunning and foolishly brave. These qualities attract the creature you seek, but you have not the experience to defend yourself nor the expertise to defeat her.”
    Phaeton smiled. “It is a female. An Empusa, perhaps?”
    The gleam in his rich, golden-green eyes narrowed. “I warn you once more, leave this to me. Continue to pursue this ancient Kemet goddess and you will be soon be dead. Another victim found along the Strand.”
    Phaeton quickly ticked off his options. If there was a chance to catch this demonic virago, he could use a chap like this. “We could work together.”
    He released his hold and backed off. “I do this alone.”
    Phaeton was