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"About Will? What…what do you think will happen with hirowled "God, I do want to hunt him down, but here’s the deal Worst-case scenario, he’s pissed when the mutation fades, and he comes back after us If so, I’ll take care of him"

My brows arched Worst-case scenario to me was if he caot anywhere near ain "And you think there was no way the ht I et you out of there, but it wasn’t this true and deep want He nicked an artery, but he wasn’t dying" He castThat if it did, we’re connected to hi what the outcoe risk and sacrifice for Dae we can do about that now but wait and see"

"Thank you" I clearedhtening around rounded me in reality I told him about the Daedalus, but as expected, he hadn’t heard of the weakened my voice further, and each time my words ended on a raspy note, Dae my eyes to stay open

"Are you okay?" Daemon asked as we neared Street of Hopes

My sht now Everything…"

"Everything is about to change" He pulled along the back of the plaza, hitting the brakes Pulling his hand free, he cut the engine He took a deep breath as he glanced at the clock in the dashboard We had five et Dawson out of there if what Will had said was true Five h ti the weariness sinking into my bones "Let’s do this"

Daemon blinked "You don’t have to come in withDaemon face this alone Neither of us had any clue aited inside, what kind of condition Daas in I opened the door, wincing as pins and needles shot acrosshAs alked up to the front doors, I started aPlease don’t let this end badly Please don’t let this end badly Because in reality, this could go wrong on so

Daelass doors and surprise, surprise, the door was unlocked Suspicion blosso up, I saw a circular piece of onyx embedded in the brick Once inside, we’d be powerless, with the exception of healing If this were a trap, ere so screwed

We went inside To the right, the alar it wasn’t set How uards at the warehouse, Vaughn, and all the people he had to pay off to just leave the office building…unlocked?

Money would’ve been of no real hindrance to him Hell, he’d turned over his own niece

The lobby looked like any office-building lobby Half-circle desk, fake plants, and cheap tile floors There was a door leading to a stairwell that had been conveniently left open Glancing at Daemon, I squeezed his hand I’d never see him so pale, his face so hard it could’ve been made of marble

His destiny waited upstairs, in a way His future

Squaring his shoulders, he started toward the door and ent, cli the stairs as fast as we could When we reached the top,from exhaustion, but fear and excite, there was a closed door Above it, there was o of ht treht inreunion flitted through hts Would there be tears and shouts of joy? Would Dawson be in any shape to recognize his brother? Or was there a trap waiting to be sprung on us?

The rooh oneThere were a couple of folding chairs propped against the wall, a TV in the corner, and a large kennel-like cage in the middle of the roo fromto his sides Heat blasted off his body as his spine stiffened

The cage…the cage was empty

Part of me didn’t want to process what that ht sink in and take root My stomach cramped, and tears burned the back of e, stood there a ainst his hand A shudder racked his body I hurried to his side and placed id back Muscles bunched under ed "He lied to us"

To coain, was heartbreaking The kind of shattering there was no co I could say No words couldopen inside

Choking back a sob, I knelt behind him and rested ood chance he’d been at the warehouse because of what Mo had said, but if he’d been here, he was gone now

Gone again

Daeuard, I started to tip over, but he whipped around, catchingme to my feet

My heart stuttered and then accelerated "Daeet out of here"

I nodded, stepping back "I…I’m so sorry"