it.
“That boy I altered last fall. Is he still alive?”
“Yes. I met him at the mall last week after he sneaked out of Dabyr. He’s still rebelling at the confines of that place and the rules of the Sentinels, but our control on him has held.”
“Good. I think it’s time for him to be of use.”
Zillah wrote instructions on a piece of paper and handed it to Canaranth. “Attach this to Beth before you send her out to meet Connal. Send her with three guards. I don’t want to leave Tori so close to the birth.”
Canaranth bowed his head. “As you wish.”
Chapter 4
M adoc didn’t bother digging the hole big enough to open the casket; he simply dug a hole wide enough so that he could stand in it, bashed his way through the top of the casket, collected one of the bones, and left the rest alone.
“Is this enough?” he asked, holding up a small femur for Nika to see.
She sat huddled inside his coat at the edge of the grave. She nodded, reaching out for the bone, which she tucked inside the coat, hugging it close, nestled between her breasts.
Lucky fucking bone.
She scanned the woods nearby, keeping watch for unwanted company. “Tynan said he will probably be able to tell if there’s any relation between the body this bone came from and our family.”
Madoc climbed out of the hole and started filling it back in again. He was covered in dirt from head to toe, sweaty despite the cold wind, and cranky. He hadn’t done nearly enough killing or fucking tonight to suit him, making the pain behind his eyes throb and swell until it shoved its way down his throat and made it hard to breathe.
“I’m sure they’ll tell you whatever you want to hear if you let them have your blood,” he said.
“I need their honesty.”
Madoc snorted. “Good luck with that.”
Dawn was only an hour or so away, and by the time it got here, Madoc needed to have them out of the cemetery before the human police came by and started asking questions. If he was lucky, he could drop Nika off at Dabyr and be plowing some whore before lunchtime. The white wig he paid his hookers to wear was in the back of his truck, ready to go.
“You believe me, don’t you?” she asked.
“Believe what?”
“That Tori is still alive.”
“I believe you believe it. Course, you’re fucked in the head, so what do you know?”
“She won’t let me in.”
Madoc tossed another shovelful of dirt into the grave. “She won’t let you in where?”
“Her thoughts. She’s keeping me out even though I know she’s afraid.” Nika looked up at him, her blue eyes bright with concern.
Something deep inside Madoc swelled as he watched her. It made him feel full and whole even as it threatened to make him burst apart. He had no idea what it was about her that did that, but it didn’t seem to go away.
He wished like hell he could find a way to make it stop, that he could find a way to fix what was broken inside her so he could stop worrying about her.
He couldn’t do either, so he offered the only explanation that came to mind. “Maybe she doesn’t want to scare you.”
Nika cocked her head to the side and her white hair fell forward, caressing her cheek. The urge to reach out and slide it back behind her ear was nearly overwhelming. Madoc had to grip the shovel tight to keep his dirty hands where they belonged.
“I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe you’re right. I’m going to talk to her about it.”
“How?” asked Madoc, but it was too late.
Nika lay down, and like a switch was flipped, she was gone. Her body went limp, her eyes rolled back into her head, and all the life slipped from her, leaving her looking fake and plastic, like a mannequin.
A surge of panic caught Madoc off guard, slamming into his gut until he couldn’t breathe. “Nika?”
She didn’t respond. She didn’t so much as twitch.
Madoc dropped the shovel and scrambled to get to her. He pressed his fingers to the side of her neck, frantic to feel a pulse. He
“That boy I altered last fall. Is he still alive?”
“Yes. I met him at the mall last week after he sneaked out of Dabyr. He’s still rebelling at the confines of that place and the rules of the Sentinels, but our control on him has held.”
“Good. I think it’s time for him to be of use.”
Zillah wrote instructions on a piece of paper and handed it to Canaranth. “Attach this to Beth before you send her out to meet Connal. Send her with three guards. I don’t want to leave Tori so close to the birth.”
Canaranth bowed his head. “As you wish.”
Chapter 4
M adoc didn’t bother digging the hole big enough to open the casket; he simply dug a hole wide enough so that he could stand in it, bashed his way through the top of the casket, collected one of the bones, and left the rest alone.
“Is this enough?” he asked, holding up a small femur for Nika to see.
She sat huddled inside his coat at the edge of the grave. She nodded, reaching out for the bone, which she tucked inside the coat, hugging it close, nestled between her breasts.
Lucky fucking bone.
She scanned the woods nearby, keeping watch for unwanted company. “Tynan said he will probably be able to tell if there’s any relation between the body this bone came from and our family.”
Madoc climbed out of the hole and started filling it back in again. He was covered in dirt from head to toe, sweaty despite the cold wind, and cranky. He hadn’t done nearly enough killing or fucking tonight to suit him, making the pain behind his eyes throb and swell until it shoved its way down his throat and made it hard to breathe.
“I’m sure they’ll tell you whatever you want to hear if you let them have your blood,” he said.
“I need their honesty.”
Madoc snorted. “Good luck with that.”
Dawn was only an hour or so away, and by the time it got here, Madoc needed to have them out of the cemetery before the human police came by and started asking questions. If he was lucky, he could drop Nika off at Dabyr and be plowing some whore before lunchtime. The white wig he paid his hookers to wear was in the back of his truck, ready to go.
“You believe me, don’t you?” she asked.
“Believe what?”
“That Tori is still alive.”
“I believe you believe it. Course, you’re fucked in the head, so what do you know?”
“She won’t let me in.”
Madoc tossed another shovelful of dirt into the grave. “She won’t let you in where?”
“Her thoughts. She’s keeping me out even though I know she’s afraid.” Nika looked up at him, her blue eyes bright with concern.
Something deep inside Madoc swelled as he watched her. It made him feel full and whole even as it threatened to make him burst apart. He had no idea what it was about her that did that, but it didn’t seem to go away.
He wished like hell he could find a way to make it stop, that he could find a way to fix what was broken inside her so he could stop worrying about her.
He couldn’t do either, so he offered the only explanation that came to mind. “Maybe she doesn’t want to scare you.”
Nika cocked her head to the side and her white hair fell forward, caressing her cheek. The urge to reach out and slide it back behind her ear was nearly overwhelming. Madoc had to grip the shovel tight to keep his dirty hands where they belonged.
“I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe you’re right. I’m going to talk to her about it.”
“How?” asked Madoc, but it was too late.
Nika lay down, and like a switch was flipped, she was gone. Her body went limp, her eyes rolled back into her head, and all the life slipped from her, leaving her looking fake and plastic, like a mannequin.
A surge of panic caught Madoc off guard, slamming into his gut until he couldn’t breathe. “Nika?”
She didn’t respond. She didn’t so much as twitch.
Madoc dropped the shovel and scrambled to get to her. He pressed his fingers to the side of her neck, frantic to feel a pulse. He
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