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The silence hit him. Thick and complete. With his arms still behind him, he looked up at the dancer. Dark skin. Long, supple limbs. Her eyes were on him. Studying. Watching.
Watching like all those others. Watching and laughing as he fell to the ground.
No one had helped him then. No one.
“We’ll kill the Born bitch.” Grim’s voice came out hoarse. He’d screamed that long ago night. Screamed until they took his breath and ripped his lungs out.
Blood eagle. No myth of Viking torture. Real. Real.
He would not die again. The vampiress coming would know the agony. Not him. Not again.
She’d die. He stepped forward. The dancer lifted her chin and asked, “Kill me…or change me?”
Humans were always wanting to live forever. He reached for her and didn’t answer.
Because he’d never wanted to be a liar.
Or a killer.
Such a pity he was both.
Chapter Thirteen
That day, Simon dreamed of agony. Of a snow-covered battlefield that turned from white to red beneath him. Simon twisted on the bed, jerking and shuddering, but he couldn’t make his eyes open. Couldn’t escape.
Hands caught his body. Held too tight. Two men. One on each side. Long braids surrounded their faces. Thick helmets sat on top of their heads and some kind of cape or cloak billowed behind them.
A scream burst from him as fiery pain pierced his back. Simon choked, struggling for breath. He heard a snap, as if a bone were breaking. Again?—
What the hell?
Pain, so much pain. Death would come. Death had to come. I will die with honor, I will not?—
“Wake up, vampire.”
His eyes flew open at the soft voice and he sprang up, breath heaving. His hands flew to his back. He expected to find the flesh torn open, his ribs ripped out and broken, to look like?—
“You dream of him.” Catalina eyed him and shook her head. “His link to you is growing once again.”
Fuck, no. Simon ran a trembling hand over his face.
She glanced toward the door. A cheap motel room door. They were on the Louisiana/Texas border. She’d come with him and Dee. Come with the demon and the Ignitor—the woman who could only sit and cry.
“If you don’t kill him soon, he’ll start to control you again.” No censure there. Catalina just seemed to be stating a fact.
Okay, she was stating a fact.
Simon climbed from the bed. When had the witch come in? “Where’s Dee?” He reached for his shirt. Good thing he still had his jeans on or Catalina would’ve gotten a show.
“With Zane. She wants him to take the human away.” Catalina blew out a hard breath. “He wants to stay by Dee’s side.”
He yanked the shirt over his head. “Do you know what’s going to happen?” He’d first gone to Catalina weeks before. He’d known she was close to the hunters at Night Watch. He’d told her about Grim and asked if she understood what would be coming.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” Her first response. “You’re the one who’s come for Dee.”
Her shoulders rolled and she glanced back at him. “I know if I go with you, I die.”
He blinked. “You been looking into the future?” There was a price for that. A heavy one. And looking forward took dark magic.
