Free Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas by authors_sort Page A

an open mind.
    “Then let’s go.” He wrapped his arm around her. “I’ve got a flashlight in my car. This fog is real y thick.”
    “We won’t need a flashlight, Matthew. I have a couple of glow sticks. My sister El e makes them. They work very wel in the fog.” She pul ed several thin tubes from the inside pocket of her cape and handed him one. “Just shake it.”
    “I forgot about little El e and her chemistry set. She blew up more missiles on the beach than any other kid at Sea Haven. Didn’t she get a ful scholarship to Columbia or MIT or some other very prestigious school? One very brave to take her on?”
    Kate laughed, warmth spreading through her. “They were very brave, but fortunately they turned out a remarkable physicist able to do just about anything she wants to do. El e is a genius and utterly fearless. She’s not afraid to crawl around in caves looking at strange rock formations, and she’s not afraid of taking apart a bomb when she’s needed. Unlike me.”
    “What do you mean?” Matt tightened his fingers around hers.
    “My sisters do incredible things and people expect it of us, but I wouldn’t want you to think I’m capable of climbing mountains or jumping out of planes because you’ve heard of al of their exploits.” She was feeling her way in the fog rather than fol owing the glow stick. She lifted her face to the droplets of sea moisture, inhaling to try to catch the scent of something foul. “We have to cross the highway.”
    With the fog so thick there was virtual y no traffic. Matt moved with her across the coastal highway and took the shortcut that led to the center of town. She was so serious al of a sudden, so distant from him, that he was actual y beginning to believe she was on the trail of something evil. He could sense the stil ness in her, the gathering of energy.
    The survival instincts he’d honed during his years as a Ranger kicked in. His skin prickled as he went onto alert status. Adrenaline surged, and his senses grew keener. He felt the need for complete silence and wondered if he was beginning to believe in supernatural nonsense. Matt eased the glow stick inside his jacket without activating it. The fog muffled the sound of Kate’s footsteps. He was aware of her breathing, of the eerie feel of the fog itself, of everything.
    By mutual consent they were silent as they walked along the street. He became aware of a slight noise. A puffing. It was distant and hushed, barely audible in the murky blanket of mist. Matt found himself straining to listen. There was a rhythm to the sound, reminding him of a bul drawing air in and out of its lungs hard before a charge. Breathing. Someone was breathing, and the sound was moving, changing directions each time they changed directions.
    Matt pressed his lips to her ear. “There’s someone in the fog with us.” He was certain someone was watching them, someone quite close.
    Kate tipped her head back. “Some thing, not someone.”
    Kate turned toward the residential area. The town looked strange shrouded in the gray-white fog. Heavily decorated for Christmas, the multicolored lights on the stores and office buildings, the houses and trees gave off the peculiar glow of a fire in the strange vapor, giving the town a disturbing infernal appearance rather than a festive one. Matt wished he had brought a weapon with him. He was a good hand-to-hand fighter because he was a big man, strong, with quick reflexes and extensive training, but he had no idea what kind of adversary they faced.
    Something hit him in the back, skittered down his jeans, and fel to the street. Matt whirled around to face the enemy and found nothing but fog.
    “What is it?” Kate asked. Her voice was steady, but her hand, on the smal of his back, was shaking.

    Matt hunkered down to look at the object at his feet. “It’s a Christmas wreath, Kate. A damned Christmas wreath.” He looked around careful y, trying to penetrate the fog and see what was moving