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“Nox isn’t evil.” Luca lifted his chin.
“No, Cana, he isn’t. Otherwise, you wouldn’t love him so much. But the Anubis is.”
“No.” A tick jumped in Luca’s jaw.
“It destroyed my people. I saw the aftermath of the Cana it used until there was nothing left of him.”
“You’re wrong. You’re wrong about me being some sort of—” Luca flipped a hand. “Whatever, and you’re wrong about Nox. In fact, you don’t know anything about him or me.”
To Nash, Isaiah said, “You know I’m telling you the truth.”
He had to. The Anubis was inside him, and a creature that foul had no concept of secrets.
“Just shut the fuck up.” Luca stood. “Let’s go.”
Nash caught Luca by the wrist. “We need to listen to him.”
Luca stared at Nash like he didn’t know who he was. “You’re the one who didn’t want to come here.”
“I know.”
“So what? You’ve changed your mind because he’s trying to convince me you’ll hurt me?”
Nash dropped his gaze.
Luca twisted out of Nash’s grip. “I want to go back to the motel.” Luca headed to the van. “No, no, I don’t want to go back to the motel. I want to leave this damn state.” He yanked open the van door and climbed in.
Isiah followed. “Please, wait… I didn’t mean to offen—” The passenger door slammed shut.
Nash stood and started toward the van.
Isaiah cut him off. “Take him back to the motel, but I’m begging you not to leave. Not yet. There’s so muchyouneed to know.”
Nash rocked back on his heels. “About the Anubis?”
“About what it’s capable of.”
Nash’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down his thick neck.
“It’s obvious you love him, and your will may be strong, but if you don’t let us help you, the Anubis will eventually win.” Isaiah fueled his words with all of his fears. “It will destroy you, Nash. Then it will destroy Luca. Please, let us help you. Let us help him.”
Doubt returned to Nash’s expression. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because Luca is everything to us, just like he’s everything to you.”
* * *
Jonathan Dekker watched the recruits currently suffering their fifth round of one-hundred pushups. They’d started the exercise complaining about the cold, now rivers of sweat running off their bodies mixed with the snow.
They were lucky they trained while there was still sunlight. Those injected with the VrK often ran through basic training in the darkness when the temperatures dipped into the negative.
Before the VrK, the Mah were just the exiled descendants of Varu, faster, stronger, and with a higher constitution.
Unlike their domesticated counter parts, Mah excelled as soldiers, mercenaries, and even killers.
But they still had limitations and couldn’t avoid hypothermia.
After the VrK and when they manifested the Sarvari, they were almost indestructible.
