Part 41 (1/2)

He was in charge now, taking her along for the ride.

Zillah smiled in victory, and Nika felt that smile wiggle through her like some kind of parasite. He was going to kill Madoc, and not only was she going to watcha”he was going to make her help.

Chapter 28.

Maura landed under a leafless tree. Her parents were dead. She'd known for years that this day would come, but she hadn't known until now just how much it would hurt.

She shouldn't have cared. She hadn't needed them for years. They hated what she'd become.

That hate had always allowed Maura to hold herself at a distance. Why should she care what they thought? Why should she bother to be something she wasn't? It wasn't her fault she had no soul of her own. Gilda had done that to her. Angus had allowed it. They deserved what they got.

And yet, there was this odd hollow s.p.a.ce inside Maura she couldn't explain, as if an important part of her had been ripped out.

They'd said they loved her. Their words had seemed genuine, like she remembered from when she was young and foolish. How could they love her when there was no soul inside her to love? How could they have given up their lives for her if they didn't love her? They certainly hadn't feared her.

Maura had no answers. She didn't even know where she was or how far away Gilda had flung her. She needed to get moving. It was too cold to lie here and stare up at the sky, searching for answers that would never come.

She needed to see what she should do, where she should go, so she opened up that part of her that could see the future. It was, after all, her turn. Sibyl had used their power last.

But when Maura reached for her power, it was gonea”only an empty, gaping spot remained where it should have been. It was as if she'd never even had the power.

Panic set in hard and fast. Without her power, she was nothinga”just a child no one would listen to. No one would fear.

Maybe it was temporarya”some kind of trauma Gilda had caused tonight. Maybe her power would return. She didn't need to panic.

At least not yet.

But she couldn't go back to Zillah now. He'd kill her as soon as he knew the truth. She was of no use to him.

She was of no use to anyone.

The Sentinels would kill her if they found her. Her parents had shown mercy, but she knew better than to think anyone else would.

She was on her own. Alone.

Instincts had her reaching for Sibyl before she could stop herself, but all that greeted her was blackness. Silent, yawning blackness.

Was Sibyl dead, too?

Maura began to panic. She'd never been alone before. She didn't know where to go or what to do. She couldn't be around people. What if one of them touched her? She didn't want to see anyone else die tonight.

A light came on through the trees, and now that it did, Maura could see there was a farmhouse there. She heard a m.u.f.fled slam of a screen door shutting, and then saw movement.

Someone was coming toward hera”probably some hapless human who saw light spilling from the portal.

Whoever he was, she didn't deserve his help, and she couldn't risk his touching her. She had to run. Get away.

Maura turned in the opposite direction and ran.

Jackie held her breath as she watched the mouth of the cave for the dark-eyed man who'd gone after the children.

There were several people here, milling about, checking on those prisoners they'd helped free. A pretty woman with braids held one of the children in her arms, rocking him. Beside her, a watchful man stood, the blade of his sword gleaming at his side. There were other armed men, tooa”enough of them that Jackie felt like she could draw in a full breath for the first time in a long, long time.

The man with the scarred face walked up to her. He gave her a rea.s.suring smile that puckered his skin. His eyes were a brilliant, laser blue as he looked down at her. ”I'm Nicholas,” he said.

”Jackie Patton.” Years of boardroom meetings had her thrusting her hand out to shake his. Her skin was dirty; her too-long, broken fingernails were caked with filth. She pulled her hand back, but not fast enough. Nicholas took it in a gentle grip.

Her skin began to warm and a slight buzzing sensation slid up her arm. Nicholas's eyes widened and a hopeful, reverent sort of look crossed his scarred face.

”You're that Jackie,” he whispered. ”The one we've been looking for.”

Jackie pulled her hand away, scared as h.e.l.l by the way he was staring at her. She'd seen that same look of hunger on the faces of too many not-quite-human monsters right before they bit her to ever want to see it again.

She backed away and b.u.mped into the door of a car. ”Please. Stay back.”

A hand went to her neck, where she could feel the ridges of countless bite marks. Covering her throat was an unconscious gesture, and until she'd done it, she hadn't realized she'd given away her fear.

”I'm not going to bite you.”

She couldn't pull any of her boardroom calm around her now. She was too shaken. First the man with the dark eyes had made her feel odd, and now this man.

Another man with light brown skin and matching eyes hurried across the cold ground. ”What's going on here, Nicholas? Did you spook the girl?”

”More like the other way around. Watch.” Nicholas reached for her. Jackie flinched away, b.u.mping into the newcomer.

Instantly, her skin began to buzz where her bare arm brushed his. He held out his hand. The odd, iridescent ring he wore swirled in a ma.s.s of colors so bright she could see them even in the dim light.

The new man grinned, smiling at her like she was the answer to a puzzle he'd been unable to solve. ”Well, love. Looks like we should get to know each other. I'm Morgan.”

”She's compatible with both of us,” said Nicholas, clearly stunned.

”Guess we'll just have to let her pick. May the best man win,” said Morgan.

”Stop,” said Jackie before this . . . whatever it was could get out of hand. ”Both of you stay back.” She slid away from them.

There were a lot of big men here, and it was hard to avoid them. She could feel both Nicholas and Morgan watching her, so she veered away, keeping the group in sight. She'd rather deal with both of them than be dragged back into that cave by something lurking behind a tree.

Behind her, she heard a noise coming from the winter-dead brush. She froze in place as fear locked down her muscles. She tried to scream for help, but her throat was closed tight.

She couldn't go back into that cave. She couldn't let those things feed from her any longer. She wasn't sure how she'd survived it for as long as she had. If it weren't for the children looking to her for strength, she didn't think she would have made it.

And now it was all going to happen again and she couldn't even call for help from any of the sword-wielding men nearby.

A rough hand grabbed her arm and she was shoved behind a broad back. Heat poured off of him, and it was all she could do not to snuggle against that warmth.

”Do you see anything, Iain?” asked Nicholas from behind her.