Page 99 of Vervain

To the right, a man chokes on his own blood. Olivia has his head pulled to the side, biting into his neck, while his blank eyes stare at me. The other two are in pieces, black smoke draining them until they’re leather-wrapped bone.

“Serun,” I gasp. Reaching up, I take his offered hand, and he lifts me to my feet. There’s a hollow look in his eyes, as if he’s not all there. My hand goes to his cheek where blood smears across his jaw and drips down his chin.

Olivia chokes out, “Can’t…stay…awake.” Then she collapses beside the body.

To Serun, I say, “The sun is still up. You both need to go back into the darkness, okay?”

Shadows wrap around Olivia’s arm, and Penumbra drags her to the back of the building. Serun, though, is unwavering. He stares into my eyes, but there’s no warmth. No smile. Nothing sweet about him.

I’m looking into the eyes of the Nightwalker Lord. Emotionless. Cold.

A killer.

“Come,” I say, taking hold of his clawed hand. “Now, Serun.”

He doesn’t talk. I’m not sure he can, but he follows me into the room where Penumbra took Olivia. I take him to the darkest corner and away from the two bodies, then go back to push some boxes against the exit to keep it from swinging open on its broken hinges. This will have to do until nightfall, when Serun is more alert.

Once I am finished fortifying the entrance, I go to check on Serun and suddenly find myself in his lap. Shadows pull me to him, and he takes my arm, pressing his lips tenderly against each cut.

“Serun,” I murmur.

“I’m breaking the treaty,” he breathes, his voice barely above a whisper. “I will slaughter every slayer in Naylen.”

Exhaustion rolls through my body, and I struggle to keep my eyes open. “Not for me, Serun. We will find Cole, and your brother and his wife, and we will never go topside again. We will stay in the Undercity.”

“I’m going to kill them all,” he says, his voice sending an icy chill down my spine. He doesn’t elaborate, and falls asleep while there is still daylight left.

Except I can’t, and as I anxiously watch the door, my mind whirls with waking nightmares of being experimented on by this Dr Hill.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

PREDATION

Serun, Lord of the Undercity

They are parasites, the lot of them.

To make sure Saya is safe here in Sancliff while she slumbers, still recovering from yesterday’s ordeal at the fuel station, Serun decides to cleanse the city of slayers.

“Do you think vervain grows out here in the fucking sand?” a slayer with a whiny, nasally voice says.

Serun’s ear flicks at the irritating sound, but he waits, lurking in the shadows.

“I mean, the last place was in the fucking woods. Why are we out here, where nothing grows, while Leon and his team are sitting cosy by the oasis in Yornshire?”

Serun grimaces. Sancliff is a desolate city. Nothing grows, and he doubts anything has grown in some time. Humans don’t come here anymore, according to Zack. But now, they’re here to hunt for vervain.

“Enough complaining. At least we aren’t in the Mount Royal group. Nightwalkers are a pain to deal with, especially since we are trying to be cautious. Now shut up and focus.” A woman with short blond hair rolls her blue eyes at the man who can’t stop damn complaining.

Serun reaches out to his sister through their bond. “Send your lover to Mount Royal, Maeve. Slayers have crossed the border and are looking for vervain. I’d rather not have them get any closer to the Undercity.”

“Done, brother. He will get there as fast as he can.”

The slayer mutters another complaint, his flashlight piercing dead streets filled with newspapers, broken glass, and sand in every fissure it can find. Windows are boarded shut, the wind whispering through the dark, empty buildings.

“Fuck, I need to piss,” another slayer speaking for the first time says as he directs his flashlight down an alleyway. “Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”

Serun’s finger twitches, and lines of shadow rip away, following their prey. Then, he looks up at the others, unsuspecting fools ready for slaughter. They should never have touched his kamai.