Shadows (Ultrahumans Book 2) by Niall Teasdale Page A

taken Andy’s death well and the grey hair had come on as a result. However, Audrey smiled broadly as her daughter walked in and started through the tables where a scattering of tourists and a few locals were enjoying their drinks.
    ‘It’s not that bright out,’ Audrey commented, raising her eyebrows and flicking a glance at the glasses. Despite the grey hair, she was still a young-looking, attractive woman with the same sort of dusky skin as her daughter and the same brown eyes as Andrea had, until recently. The hair was grey, but still had a vibrant quality to it and her figure was holding up well, despite her cooking, which was excellent.
    ‘I’m having some trouble with my eyes,’ Andrea replied. It was not even a lie.
    ‘Nothing too bad, I hope?’
    ‘I’ll tell you about it later. I don’t want to have to explain it twice. Where’s Dad?’
    ‘Upstairs, making your room ready. Go on up.’
    Nodding, Andrea went through the kitchen at the back of the shop to the stairs which led to the house above. It was on three floors, with a lounge and kitchen, then main bedroom and bathroom, and finally two guest rooms. One of those was where she found her father, Marcus.
    He was a slightly rough figure of Irish stock. People would occasionally wonder how he had managed to woo Audrey Neroni since she was by far the more attractive of the two. She said it was his sense of humour which had attracted her and he did have a wonderfully bright smile. He was greying at the temples now, but he was pushing fifty. She had got her dark hair from him, but his eyes were blue and tended to sparkle. The worst thing about Andy’s death had been seeing her father’s eyes go dull and she hoped she was not going to see that again this weekend.
    ‘Hey, kid,’ he said as she wheeled her case in. ‘Been out on the booze?’
    ‘I’ll explain the glasses later, when I don’t have to do it twice.’
    He gave a shrug. ‘Fair enough. Well, the room’s sorted. I’d better get back downstairs. Get yourself settled in.’ He slipped his muscled form past her. Andy had got his frame from his father. Andrea had favoured her mother more, which Marcus had viewed as no bad thing.
    Andrea closed the door and took the couple of steps needed to get her to the bed where she fell, face first, onto the blankets and began, once again, to work out what she was going to say to them.
    ~~~
    Audrey had cooked enough food to keep a battalion happy, as was her habit whenever her daughter came home. When it had been Andy as well there had been enough for an army, so she was learning to cut back. Andrea had decided to wait until after they had eaten to say anything, and it almost worked. They had finished most of the food and were sitting back with a glass of wine each when Marcus spoke.
    ‘So, what’s the bad news?’ he said, though his eyes were still bright.
    ‘Bad news?’ Andrea replied.
    ‘Dark glasses, and you’ve been jittery since you got here. Some guy knocked you up?’
    ‘Marcus,’ Audrey chided.
    ‘Well, I have got a boyfriend…’
    ‘But that’s not why you’re wearing sunglasses indoors,’ Audrey said. ‘Unless he’s hitting you–’
    ‘He isn’t. He’s a UID agent. He’s nice. Big, strong… His name’s Jacob. And this is sort of to do with him.’ She frowned, trying to work out how to continue. ‘Something happened. To both of us, but…’
    ‘Out with it,’ Marcus encouraged her. ‘You’re making your mother nervous and delaying isn’t going to help.’
    ‘Yeah…’ Reaching up, Andrea lifted her glasses off, looking out at them through her dark eyes. Her mother gasped, but her father looked less surprised than she might have expected.
    ‘You’re Twilight,’ Marcus stated. ‘That girl who’s been in the news with that new heroine in New Millennium.’
    ‘Cygnus,’ Andrea supplied absently, her eyes wide.
    ‘That’s the one. Of course, they hardly ever get a picture of her partner, but the figure was