Burning in a Memory by Constance Sharper Page B

outside either. Most of the street was blissfully empty.
                  “I don’t know,” she said after second, hoping he didn’t hear the lie in her tone. She suspected the shades had been in the area, but never expected for him to really notice. She found the handle and opened the door before he could interject. Right when her shoes hit the puddle, the shade struck her. Her body slammed back into the Jeep. Pain radiated up her spine and her world flashed back. She struggled to her feet. Head on a pivot, she searched for sight of her attacker. She didn’t spot the shade when he initially hit her and she struggled to find it now. Aura magic thick in the air disoriented her senses.
                  Adelaide needed to move. Driven by instinct, she pushed herself away from the car and rushed for the house. A hand snatched her before she made it halfway there and she was yanked into Adam’s chest. She thrashed at first until her brain caught up to her actions.
                  “Stay with me!” he ordered, dragging her inside. The door might have been locked, but he forced it open with ease. Together they bulldozed into the house, Adam’s guiding hand staying on her elbow.
                  “What’s going on?” she yelped.
                  “Shades,” Adam said as if it was the final explanation.
                  They slid to a stop in the living room and Adam’s head spun.
                  “Damn it, I can feel them all over here now. I knew I should have believed my initial feeling.”
                  “What are you thinking? We need to go!”
    Contrary to popular belief, drawing shades into a closed environment wasn’t necessarily for the best. They would break through walls if they wanted. Adam held out his hand to still her and she reluctantly stayed put. The shades rushed into the room.
    In a sudden flux of his aura, Adam threw the living room table. The wooden table smacked two of them and threw them from their feet. The third was still standing, but backpedaled. Adam chased him and engaged him directly. He moved startling quick, almost quicker than the shade. He beat him back into the corner, but she redirected her attention on the other two. One bolted for the open door. The other sized her up where she stood alone. Panic raced through her and she raised her hands. If she tapped her aura, her gig would be up. But then she suddenly considered it in lieu of being jumped by the shade.
                  She readied herself, but in a flash, Adam blasted that one too. He shriveled into the corner with an earsplitting scream. Adam’s hand found hers again and he tugged. She ran with him blindly and they escaped through the door.
                  Her shoes slipped on the slick pavement, and her head whirled on a pivot. There were more shades outside. Adelaide and Adam ran for the car. She slipped by the askew door and slid into her seat. The Jeep had been dented badly from the first attack, and her door wouldn’t shut completely. Adam didn’t care. He slammed the gas down and the car peeled out with a screeching start. They flew around the corner and she clung to the seat to stay in place. He kept driving.
                  Adam didn’t let off the gas pedal until twenty minutes later on the highway. Much like her, he studied the rearview mirror for any sign of followers. She saw no one following them and only gave up her search after a few minutes.
                  “Son of a bitch!” he cursed. “I just put on a show for your whole neighborhood.”
                  She focused instead on peeling her fingernails out of the dashboard. Then she clutched her hands together in her lap. Her face likely held no color, but she at least controlled her shaking.
                  “Adelaide,” he said and glanced toward her, despite the rapid speeds, “I’m