Excerpt from A DEAL WITH DARKNESS, Alexis L. Menard, City Owl Press © 2022 , Used by permission.   Prologue   My internal clock ticked away precious seconds. I didn’t usually give my target this much of a head start, but tonight I was feeling generous. I took a deep breath, scenting the trail of my prey in the darkness cloaking the forest. The Grimm Wood usually smelled like fresh earth and pine, but tonight the hint of copper masked the natural aroma. Nothing stirred in the trees—no sound carried on the breeze blowing east. The wind was my ally, revealing the panicked paces of the man fleeing from my attack. I could have finished him off before he escaped, but the truth was I let him go. The reaping was more gratifying when I had to work for it, more delicious when it was earned. This lowlife was a fighter, a despicable coward, and a runner. And I really liked it when they ran. I reached down next to his abandoned cot still unrolled by the fire, speckled with blood from the warning slice I made down his forearm. Snatching a half-empty bottle by the neck, I took a…