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Plus, what if they looked and never found her? He couldn’t trap the the world looking for a sister she ht never find, unable to stop even if she wanted to

"No," he told her in a low voice "I can’t do that"

"See I knew it The luceria was right You do want to cage me"

"It’s not that We don’t even know if Tori is alive"

"I do I know it"

Nika had known a lot of things that seeenerally, Madoc illing to take a risk on his own behalf, believing her But not if Nika was at stake, too He refused to risk her in any way

"I believe that you believe she’s alive," he said carefully, not wanting to insult her by calling her a liar "But I also know that your ht was planted in you somehow by the Synestryn that took your blood? What if it’s a trick to get you to come to them the way they tried to do with Andra?"

"She’s alive," stated Nika, confidence ringing in her tone "And I’ to prove it to you"

With that, she stepped forward, grabbed Madoc’s hand, and lifted it to her throat until the ether

That contact strengthened the flow of power froht possible

As energy sparked through their link, Madoc felt the pressure he’d been living with for centuries begin to ease

A long, slow breath hissed out froan to fail Bright spots of glohite formed in his eyes until he was co with the rush of energy Nika took from him

"Look," she ordered him "See what I see"

With that, Madoc felt his body fall away and hisspeed

Joseph stood on the hilltop as the sun rose Beside hier, stood Chris

A deep sense of grief threatened to s Joseph whole, but he knew he couldn’t let it sway him from this path

Chris had to die before he could kill the people Joseph and the others were sworn to protect The vow Chris had ateway had bound hi as his soul lived, but now that it was dead, no promise could hold hi the Slayers would conant war that separated their races Duty came first Always

A man Joseph had never met before strode up the hill In his jeans and T-shirt, he looked like any other htly pointed ears, which one had to be looking for to even notice The brown leather jacket he wore hung open, as if the chill didn’t bother him

Usually, the Slayers came in a pack, but this th in nu his hand out to Joseph

Shocked by thethe unnatural warrandfather says you’re a man of honor"

"Is that so?"

Andreas nodded, his tawny eyes going to Chris’s lifee of the Slayers now"

"What happened to the previous leader?" asked Joseph

His eyes went to Joseph’s, and the iaze hit Joseph hard "I ripped his throat out with my teeth"

Clearly, this was not a , Joseph Rayd," said the Slayer "Many ofworse"

Joseph looked at the ht red with rage, and if it hadn’t been for the ically enhanced bonds that held him, Joseph knew the ree on that much," said Joseph

"I’ve heard ru the country"

Joseph wasn’t sure how much to share with a man who, despite how he appeared, was his eneerated You kno rumors are"

Andreas smiled slowly "I can smell a lie, you know But I understand You and I aren’t friends Yet"

With that enigrabbed Chris’s arm and hauled him down the hill Over his shoulder, he said, "I’ll deliver his body to you when it’s done"

Joseph stood there for a long ti as he could The next time he saw Chris, he’d be dead He wanted to remember the man for who he had been rather than what he’d become

But even more than that, he wanted this to be the very last time he ever had to stand at the top of this hill and sentence another one of his men to death

They had to find more women Fast And it was his responsibility to see that it happened

Joseph walked back down the hill, feeling a century older than he had on the way up

Nika was desperate to find Tori and prove to Madoc she was still alive The man was so stubborn, she knew that unless he saw her with his own eyes, he’d never believe

Not that he actually had eyes in this state Neither of them did, but they’d be able to use Tori’s

If Nika could reach her