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Mab gaveained control that most of our kind never have a chance to develop I’ll be here, and in my usual form, within the half hour"
I kissed my aunt’s cheek and told her to be careful She waved her hand and told estured impatiently for me to come over
He could wait onefor Kane I knew "sorry" wouldn’t be enough Maybe nothing would ever be enough to erase that shocked betrayal I’d seen in his eyes There was no tis with him Still, I needed to tell hione I turned in a circle, surveying the hall He was nowhere to be seen
My heart a cold, heavy lued over to where Daniel awaited me
THE POLICE HAD REMOVED THE FEMALE ZOMBIE TO A cinder-block roo an elevator to a subbaseh a locked ed into a long, narrow hallway Body-ar automatic weapons were stationed every ten yards At the end of the hallas a single door It looked like the door to a bank vault, but behind it was no treasure Behind it waited the zombie who’d nearly choked the life out of Mab
It wasn’t the zouard opened the door It was the Morfran Still, when I stood in the doorway and saw her sitting at the far end of a long table, her fingers dru nervously on its wooden surface, all I could think of was those hands, locked around Mab’s neck--squeezing harder, tighter--as rew hot; ers curled into fists How dare she attack one of my own? I’d make her feel what Mab had felt I’d--
Wait Stop Not her fault The i Mab was replaced by one of ainst my aunt My nails bit into my palms This zombie had been driven by a demonic force that pushed her from the inside Of all people, I kne that felt The Morfran took over her will, just as the Destroyer was always pushing to take over mine Now that the Morfran had been expelled from her, she was our best chance to understand as happening
"Vicky?" Daniel already seated, looked at me curiously A folder was open in front of hiful of air and took a chair beside Daniel’s The door shut with a thud and the shlick! of bolts shooting houard, ared off his jacket, twisting around to hang it on the back of his chair The grip of his gun protruded froun I’d seen was loaded with zombie droppers If this zombie tried to attack, she’d never make it to this side of the table
Not that she looked like she wanted to She sat likewell, okay, like a zo one hand over the other, and stared at a spot halfway along the table Deep gouges fro," Daniel said She didn’t reply He waited a few seconds, then cleared his throat and continued Not even an eyelid twitched as she heard that she was being questioned in connection with tonight’s attack and that the conversation was being recorded on video He didn’t read her rights, of course Zombies don’t have any
"Please state your nalanced at me with raised eyebrows, and I shook my head I didn’t know her
Daniel repeated his request, louder this time
The zombie lurched forward and put her face in her hands Zoasped and her shoulders heaved as though she were sobbing We waited Suddenly she dropped her hands and pounded both fists on the table The wood cracked
"I didn’t want to attack that lady" Desperation pushed her high-pitched voice to shrillness "I tried not to, but I couldn’t stop et to that," Daniel said "First, I need you to tell me your name"
Her hands returned to her face, and she stayed silent for a long tih her fingers
He wrote it down "Bonita what?"
She shook her head, shoulders heaving again "Wait," Daniel said He leafed through the papers in his folder, then ran a finger down one of thes?"
She nodded, letting her hands fall to the table, where they lay like stunned anionna kill me?"
It was a valid question The law offered no protections to zoot violent But Daniel didn’t answer her "Bonita, you failed to return to Designated Area One after Police Commissioner Hampson issued a Code Red" He tapped the list of na that ti her surly tone with gentleness, "I’d like to be able to report that you cooperated with this investigation"
"Why should I? You’ll never believe hed If he weren’t packing a serious weapon, he’d look exactly like an exasperated high school teacher trying to collecthomework
Maybe I should try "Bonita, we knohat happened wasn’t your fault You were possessed"
Her head snapped towardyour head with unbearable cawing"