“You see,” he continued while pacing again, “the brother whose face you recognize…” He touched his own cheek with fascination. “He liked biology. Flesh. Mutation.”
His grin stretched wider. “But me?” He bowed theatrically. “I prefer enhancement.” So they were brothers, twin brothers.
His hand slid across the barrel of one of the fae weapons. “Improvement. Much like you Mr. Winstale.”
He patted the gun almost affectionately. “Humansdohave value,” he said softly. “Even if supes insist we’re lesser creatures.”
Then his eyes snapped toward me sharply. “But my master?” The devotion in his face bordered on terrifying. “He values only loyalty. Absolute loyalty. No matter what you are or what powers you behold. All are equal in his all-powerful eyes.”
He placed a hand against his chest again and looked at me with something almost resembling pity. “Truly, Calix…” He sighed wistfully. “I admire your work.”
My jaw tightened.
“FangTech machinery.” His eyes lit up wildly. “Your weapons. Your systems.”
He laughed under his breath. “The best on the market. None are as well made and built to last like yours.”
Then irritation flashed across his face. “But your security requirements aresotedious.”
One of the hooded figures moved toward a large cargo crate beside Olivia and tore the tarp away from it. My stomach dropped.
FangTech logos stared back at me from inside the crate, each stamped symbol twisting something ugly in my gut. My jaw locked so hard it ached.
None of this should’ve been possible.
He was right. Buying from FangTech wasn’t easy. I’d built those restrictions myself. Layers of approvals. Tracking systems. Purchase limits. Background checks.
So if these weapons were here, neatly stacked in front of me like trophies, then somebody inside FangTech had been bleeding inventory out slowly enough not to get caught. Small shipments.Tiny discrepancies. Just enough to disappear into the cracks until those cracks became a mountain sitting in front of me.
My teeth ground together at the thought of someone inside my company helping these psychopaths.
The human spread his arms proudly toward the crate like he expected applause. “You helped build this future.”
Suddenly, he turned and walked back toward Olivia. This time, she wasn’t struggling. She’d gone perfectly still, and I knew she was waiting.
Then his hand touched her face, and something inside me snapped instantly. A roar ripped out of me hard enough to shake the cavern walls.
Beside me, Rack exploded too. “DON’T TOUCH HER!”
The human turned his head toward us, smiling wider at the reaction, like this was entertainment for him.
“The only way to improve something,” he murmured while stroking Olivia’s cheek, “is through sacrifice.” His eyes drifted down toward her almost tenderly. “And what a beautiful sacrifice she’ll make.”
Cold horror slammed through me. The weapons. The ritualistic location. He was going to useherto infuse the FangTech weapons with that distorted fae magic.
Rack moved first. His roar turned savage as he violently thrust both hands outward. Air detonated through the cavern, and the gatling guns jerked sideways just as they opened fire.
Bullets ripped through several hooded figures instead of us. Blood sprayed across stone while screams erupted.
I lunged toward Olivia, but something cold and wet wrapped around my legs.
Black tar bubbled upward from the floor around my boots, rapidly swallowing my calves. I yanked hard, but my legs wouldn’t move an inch.
One hooded figure nearby held out both hands toward me, and I could smell the demon magic coming off them—smoke and sulfur.
I dropped down and started ripping at the tar with my bare hands, violently tearing chunks away, but it just kept growing back. Higher. Thicker. Hungrier.
My head snapped up just in time to see the human pulling a paper from inside his robes. Ancient symbols covered the page, and he started chanting.
