armstrong-james·:
James looked over from the corners of his eyes at Reid. Reid, a man who had been in Shadow Falls longer than James had been alive, who knew his family and their legacy. Dianna had always warned him that Reid was savvy, the type to find things out one way or the other and it was better to not make an enemy of him. The Armstrongs had been wary of vampires ever since Atticusâ untimely and unsavory death, but James knew his mother hadnât rejected the silent partner of Saints & Sinners entirely.
âMaybe itâs Maybelline. Or the other conglomerate equivalent,â James retorted, cocking an eyebrow at Reid. For once, someone wasnât raging at him for leaving. Someone wasnât looking at him like he was a ghost. While he acknowledged all of those feelings as valid, James found he didnât love this attention. All those months locked away, fantasizing about even the most trivial things of freedom (the burnt coffee at Procaffeination, the smell of the dewey grass in the park, the crowded farmersâ market in the summer time) he simply wanted to slide back into his old life, no questions asked. Things were never so simple.
âI took part in a clinical study that cured me of my supernatural ailments,â he said stiffly, reciting the lines his case manager had drilled into his mind. James hadnât been free long, and he wasnât about to sacrifice everything for the sake of truth. He took another bite of ice cream, the taste seeming more bitter than sweet now. âWhat did I miss?â
âHmm,â Reid hummed, eyebrows raised ever so slightly as if only in mild interest. Since Murphyâs sudden arrival into town and the trouble sheâd found herself in, heâd been keeping tabs on the goings on in Shadow Falls. And as compelling as this new development was, it was also a very unexpected one. Heâd heard about the cure, sure, but he hadnât actually expected it to be a real thing. Least of all did he believe that the Armstrong boy had been a voluntary participant.Â
He chuckled a little at the dry joke, the hint of a smile fading the moment he began to speak again. His suspicions were all but confirmed with that bullshit drivel he regurgitated and Reid clenched his jaw. So he supposed that was where Kim had gone. Who would be next?Â
âWhere do I even begin? Shadow Falls is full of nonstop action, as you well know. There is the matter of the... suspiciously disappearing members of the supernatural community. I donât suppose you know anything about that considering youâve only just returned home.â















