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"They’re already dead," he says bluntly

"Nay!" Jake forces the words out of his mouth He tries to shove the foot off his chest, but he can’t budge it

The hs "No need to try heroics It won’t work for you"--he glances off toward Jake’s horowls "You killed thes Still, he can’t er choke his words "Why?" He thrashes about, trying tae reet them!" Jake yells

"Oh yes," another, in the shadow, says "He’ll be quite an addition"

"Aye," yet another agrees "His size alone makes him worthy"

All at once, the round, and a cacophony of beating wings fills the night air Jake canna tell if ’tis the wind or if they’re flyin’ They canna be flyin’ They’re just oodhim captive says "As are you"

Frozen in place by the le foot, Jake stares with hatred into his emotionless dark eyes There is no way he can possibly knohat Jake is No one does Not even his beloved wife Centuries ago Jake orn to secrecy The rest were slain He’s the only one left "I a to kill you," Jake says, his voice eerily calrasps Jake by the throat, and reround "I knohat you are," he says, his voice even "Because ’twas I who slaughtered your brethren You’re immortal" A slow smile stretches across his face "And now you’ll become one of us"

In less tier a , pointed shards; his lips pull back into an exaggerated grimace His jaw extends And his eyes are now merlot red Jake knohat he is His brethren hunted therip around Jake’s neck, Jake gasps for air His limbs are paralyzed and he canna even strike out to defend himself And in his next breath this monster has ripped open Jake’s shirt and exposed his chest He sinks those sharp fangs straight into Jake’s heart Intense pain rips through his body, and blackness begins to suffocate his Jake hears are their voices Their laughter But he doesna understand what they’re saying In his recent memory he retrieves the sound of his children, his wife, screaain A paintakes over Fills his mouth, his eyes, his soul, with an acrid blackness And then he remembers no more

"Riley?"

My blurry vision clears and I stare up into the modern-day face of Jake Andorra I understand him a little better now My arth He is s, proud that he’s pinned me so efficiently Rendered o easy on him Sort of I mean, he says he knohat I’m capable of, yet he shows no fear Mocks rin Dares me with that eye twinkle

My stare fixes on Jake, and I concentrate on what I want his body to do I tell Jake what to do With oes silent Turns hazy Only Jake is in focus I stare, concentrate, targeting histunnel He’s at one end I’ squeezed between a pair of vise grips Breath, catch in throat Eyes, widen Pain, take over until I say stop

Jake releases rabs his crotch His breath catches and a little squeak e in pain Clutching his ’nads

I bask in the glory for only a second or two

Pain, stop

Immediate relief eases the lines of pain on Jake’s face His body relaxes A stare of intense curiosity and ad up and standing to face me, "was impressive Dirty, but impressive"

Drop to your knees and freeze This is directed at Noah, who has eased up behind rab me He never makes it Noah instantaneously drops to his knees behind oddess," Noah says involuntarily

Chuckles fill the roo," he says

Now it’s all-out laughter filling the dojo I coverbe serious Kinda hard when a centuries-old va

Get up

Noah shakes his head and stands Only then I notice everyone else staring at me, wide-eyed Noah drapes his arm around rin He gently cuffs my jaith his fist "Glad you’re on our side"

I can’t help but smile It is a sick trick Thanks, Julian Arcos Word

I notice Gabriel has his cell phone to his ear He speaks in a low voice, then puts the phone in his pocket "De Barre and Conwyk are close," he says to Jake "We’re ready for the swords?"

"Aye," Jake answers, and as the others talk in groups, Jake inclines his head toward the far wall "A word?" he asks

I feel Eli’s gaze onnext to Noah I smile and walk to meet Jake I already knohat he wants