Rebeka staggered to her feet, hand closing protectively around Daniel’s to pull him up with her. The shadows unfurled into a vaguely animal shape—limbs stretching, skin slick and viscous. But there were gaping sockets where there should have been eyes, a red fire smoldering deep within them. It crouched on all fours, but even so, it was eye level with Rebeka. It stared through her, and she felt—felt, like a shard of glass—the thing’s slow smile.

Liiiiiii-ammmmmm, the thing purred, its voice hanging in the air like putrid mist. The thing crept forward on limbs with too many joints, its claws cracking deep into the slate floor. We’ve been looking for youuuuuuu.

Liam’s breath hitched beside her as he stood, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off the creature. She took another step back, pushing her brother and Liam behind her. The monster’s head swiveled from side to side; more beasts gathered behind it. Some had snouts like wolves; others, tails that swished like hungry panthers. But their laughter, their insidious grins, their fiery eyes and dark intent were nothing of this world. The closest one pressed in toward Rebeka, and its snout scraped the length of her body with one long, mournful sniff.

Rebeka stared into its eyes, and the creature cocked its head at her. There was something beautiful, something graceful in its movement. Rebeka found herself leaning forward, desperate to reach out—

Then there were more screams in German as the beasts turned on the guards.

Bullets whizzed through the air, pocking the plaster of the music hall. They couldn’t aim at the monsters through the smoke. The creature in front of Rebeka whirled around with a snarl and sprinted toward the gunfire, laughing as if it were all some game.

Rebeka slung her arms around the boys and steered them away.

The vortex had burst out the windows along the courtyard side of the music hall. They raced through the shelving, glass crunching underfoot, then tumbled over a windowsill. Another bullet zipped past as they fell, embedding itself in the plaster walls. Dry, dead bushes snapped beneath her and raked through her hair and across her face as she fought her way back to her feet, the pain vivid in the bitter twilight cold.

Liam wrenched himself up beside her with haunted eyes. Blood flowed from his shoulder where he’d been shot, but there was no time for babying if they meant to make it out alive.

“This way,” Rebeka hissed, and charged toward a covered walkway that ran the length of the courtyard. If she was remembering the map correctly, they could circle back around to the truck bay. But she couldn’t blink away the glow of the creature’s eyes, seeing through her.

Behind them, screams continued as jaws snapped and unearthly howls rang out.

“Did you mean to summon those—whatever they are?” Rebeka asked.