Page 63 (2/2)

TWENTY-FOUR

14 HOURS, 22 MINUTES

"I WANT MY whip back"

Drake’s head had h there was a definite red line, likewell, like surgery had been done and not quite healed

Alex’s own head, now a fleshless, tongueless, and elad you have a body at all," Gaia snarled

"I a to sound obsequious "But I can’t fight beside you like this" He pointed with his re hand at the stump of his other arain"

Gaia seeoddess, Drake thought But then Gaia herself was strange for what she was He knew better than to take the beautiful, olive-skinned, blue-eyed face at face value He kneas still looking at the creature forreen particles But she was a beautiful girl now, ale by all appearances

As beautiful as Diana had been before starvation took its toll As beautiful as Astrid and just as sant

It confused hies came to his mind and shocked hiood idea to lust after a god Even worse to i down on her--

No, he ordered hi like them She was still it She was still the Darkness Still the evil that had welcoiven hi to push on this point at least because without his whip hand he eak Without his whip hand, eapon did he have? Without it he was just Drake, not Drake Whip Hand

"Why do you want it so badly?" Gaia asked "What would you use it for?"

"To fight beside you, defend you, protectTo"

Her face was blank, but her eyes bored into him "Tell ht here, right no uess? He had to answer Truth or lie "Diana first," Drake hissed "Astrid more slowly"

Gaia shook her head "Later If"

"If?"

"If you bring me the Healer," Gaia said "She isShe resists me She looks for a way to depriveher thoughts to hi her to me Then you can do what you like"

She put her hand on the sturow," she said