Heroes of Falledge Book One: Black Hellebore by Nicole Zoltack Page B

kissing Justina. At first, he had been, but then he knew who he was kissing, and he kept on kissing her...
    What a fool he was.
    With a groan, he started his bike and hightailed it out of there. He had long overstayed his welcome in Falledge. It was well past time he left.
    He zoomed along the roads, taking the turns sharper than was smart. The wind whipped at him, billowing his coat behind him like a cape. The needle on the speedometer kept climbing until he abruptly slammed on the brake.
    The laboratory.
    It was gone.
    Not a trace of it remained -- not a brick or beam or anything. It was as if it had never been there.
    How in the heck could that have happened?
    Only a large patch of dirt remained where the laboratory had sat. Not a blade of grass in sight. Something white caught Nicholas's eye, and he glanced over at the building he had jumped to. A white figure lurked nearby. At least he thought he saw someone or something, but when he blinked, it vanished.
    Too many weird things were going on lately. Too many questions. Zero answers. Even though he figured she already knew about the lab, and that she had no answers either, Nicholas turned around and headed back into Falledge. He was beginning to hate this town even more, a feat he never would have thought possible.
    By now, the sun was beginning to set. Already Falledge was like a ghost town. Most of the shops closed, and no one strolled on the sidewalks. It was quiet. Eerily quiet.
    A scream pierced the silence. Nicholas jerked his bike to a halt again. He was ruining the brakes, but he didn't care. He closed his eyes so he could concentrate on his hearing.
    Another scream.
    There, down the alley.
    He jumped off his bike and headed toward the distressed female. The scent of something foul filled his nose -- moldy milk, three-day-old meat, dirty diapers. He passed the closed dumpster and reached the next street in time to see a guy break the strap of Ginny's purse and run away.
    Damn robber. Couldn't have picked a sweeter old lady to steal from. Seriously -- who in this town didn't know Ginny?
    Rage filled him, and he tore after the guy. He was at his side a moment later. The robber glanced over, and his expression changed from one of elation to shock, then anger.
    The thief continued to run. Nicholas grabbed his shirt and yanked him backward. The guy shrieked, his head whipping forward as he flew back.
    "Drop it," Nicholas growled.
    "E-easy, man, I was just--"
    "I said, drop it."
    The guy dropped the purse onto the ground. Some of the contents spilled out.
    "Pick them up."
    The robber shook his head, some arrogance creeping back into his features. "I ain't gonna--"
    "Unless you want me to beat you into a bloody pulp..." His right hand fisted around the guy's shirt, Nicholas lifted him several inches above the ground.
    His face blanched. "F-fine, whatever you say."
    Nicholas released his hold. The robber dropped like a stone and landed on his back. He shoved most of the stuff back in, then stumbled away so fast he crawled at first before managing to get to his feet.
    Nicholas wanted to chase the guy down and beat him up, or at the very least turn him over to Julianna, but a blinding white light stole his attention away. When he blinked and regained his sight, the guy was gone.
    Ginny approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Nick."
    Nicholas patted her frail fingers before bending down and handing her the purse. "I'm sorry that bastard--"
    "Don't worry about it." Despite her brave words, her voice cracked, and Nicholas knew there was no way he could leave town tonight.
    "I know how you can repay me." He held out his arm.
    She hesitated before wrapping hers around it so she could hold her ruined purse with both hands. "How?"
    They started to walk at a slow pace. She leaned heavily against him, her feet shuffling, and it pained him to realize the thief had managed to steal something after all -- Ginny's peace of mind.
    "A place to crash for the night."
    "And