Page 80 (1/2)

"Are you going to be okay?" Leo asked

I have to be, she thought Her personal experiences were irrelevant and could be dealt with later For now, they had to co for Even if they found no evidence linking the murders, it still contained an unlicensed church that SCI could shut down, possibly preventing tomorrow’sa raid by local law enforceht now Maybe it wouldn’t be enough to redeeht very well keep him from Panama

"I’m okay" Mae took a deep breath "Let’s take a quick look and get out of here I’ to tell Justin to call in his cavalry"

She sent the e and joined Leo in his survey of the rooainst it She felt choked and sluggish That goddess, with her eyes everywhere, wanted to trap Mae Claustrophobia had never been a proble in What was noticeable, however, was that Mae felt no invasion of her body--no sense of the Morrigan taking control She still felt a pressure, like the air was heavy, pressing doith the weight of the Morrigan’s wanting to penetrate Mae and take control…but she couldn’t

"Hello, hello," said Leo, crouching near the altar She joined him but refused to kneel Carefully, he pulled out a wooden tray covered in velvet that had been concealed inside a hidden co the stylized crow lay on it "How much do you want to bet forensics can e of triuroup to the murders, and even if they couldn’t find the actual fanatics right away, the owners of this warehouse had to knoas happening SCI could start with them and eventually take down the rest

Leo started to stand when Mae caught sight of so her gun Her breath caught as black s up the other half of the room It moved far an to coalesce into distinct shapes The panic she’d felt increased tenfold "Get back," she told Leo She advanced forward, not entirely sure what she alking into, only that she had to confront it

The shadows settled into seven hu silver blades And they were fast They practically fleard Mae, and although every piece of reason told her she couldn’t fight them, she fired anyway She was an excellent shot, as proven at the Nordic concert, but the shadoarriors’ rapid and erratic et She finally hit two of theh as she expected, the bullets ly solid surface As the bullets hit their victims, the smoky black shapes transformed into very human ones A man and a woman, blond and red haired respectively, round, one wounded in the shoulder and the other with a lethal hit through the chest Whatever they were, they were mortal The implant refused to let her contemplate theher Only life and death mattered now

The attackers also felt solid when they hit her, whichblow fro ahen the shadow people swung their daggers toward her Just like the bullets, her kicks made contact with solid substances In fact, each strike that connected ures shift briefly to hu ular speeds She caught hold of one and sla a red-haired er swiped her arh the fabric of her shirt She spun around and shot hiround Ready to finish the job, she aiun down at hi pain in her chest and saw a s out of her shirt She disuns were in the RUNA, do;torians There was usually soood at identifying andfor it to work on whatever this was Her concern was on who had actually fired the dart Lifting her eyes, she saw a fa at the doorway beside the staircase: Emil Five others stood behind him

"Such ingratitude," he said "For all you’ve received"

Mae had no tiets were standing still She fixed her gun on E stirred in her stohtness spread through her li, she tried to fire again, but her shaking hands couldn’t get a grip anyun slipped from her hands It was like the recovery phase that followed i she’d ever experienced Her knees buckled as that swirling in her stouely aware of Leo catching hold of her as she fell

"A prætorian is only as good as her weapons," E s"

"Yeah?" Mae gasped She barely ed a nod at the man she’d killed Her body shook fiercely now, and her vision was blurring "Ask him if that’s true"

"He’s just onetoward her "His sacrifice will strengthen our mistress--as will yours You wouldn’t serve, and now your time is up It’s time for you to return to her and serve in death"

Mae tried to speak but couldn’t Her tongue seemed to fill up her mouth Beside her, she heard Leo say, "The full moon isn’t until tomorrow"

Eht It is to Mae heard before her heart exploded

CHAPTER 34

NO ONE EVER EXPECTS THE KNIFE