Claimed

by Sarah Fine

  She shook her head. “I haven’t known him for as long as you have, but”—she turned to Aislin—“this is really out of character for him. It would actually make more sense if someone was using him like a puppet.”

  “I know you two would like to believe that Trevor is innocent, but the only way to influence the Kere is to take their souls,” said Aislin. “Moros told me last week that he could guarantee all the souls were present and accounted for.”

  “What, does he keep them in some kind of carrying case or something?” Cacy asked. “Or pinned and mounted to his wall?” She looked keenly interested—probably because Eli’s soul was among them.

  Aislin came out from behind her desk. “Moros has always been incredibly secretive about that. However, given the circumstances, I think it’s time we demand more information.”

  “If this isn’t all part of some evil double-cross he’s got going, then he needs to admit that he’s losing his grip,” Dec said. “Because Ry told me Mandy could feel that Moros wasn’t in control of her anymore, that he couldn’t sense when she was acting against his will. And Trevor said he felt disconnected—and he must have been free, if he could complete so many unauthorized Markings without Moros sensing it. Someone else is interfering.”

  “But Moros said that Jian Lee’s Marking was sanctioned, Dec,” said Cacy quietly. “That order could only have come from Moros and his sisters.”

  “Then maybe Moros is playing us all.”

  “Speak of the devil and he appears,” said Moros as he materialized next to Aislin, who glared at him.

  “Where have you been?”

  “Preparing for our summit with the Keepers,” he said, his steel-gray gaze sliding over her face.

  “Did part of that preparation include getting one of your Kere to bust Rylan out of his cell?” asked Cacy.

  Moros’s eyes flickered red. “What did you just say?”

  “One of your creatures reached through the Veil and took Rylan,” Aislin replied.

  “Which one?” Moros asked, his pointed canines flashing in the light. Every inch of him vibrated with tension.

  “Trevor,” said Aislin. “Dec brought him here after he confessed to conspiring with the human Jian Lee to destroy Galena and her work. He claimed remorse and wanted execution. And he brought us a knife that bore DNA from all three unsanctioned stabbing victims, plus his own.” She glanced at Dec. “That was one of the reasons I was trying to reach you. One of many.”

  Dec barely heard her—he was too busy watching the Lord of the Kere. He would have laughed at the dizzying array of emotions crossing Moros’s face if it wasn’t so horrifying. Puzzlement, shock, rage. Moros hadn’t been aware of what Trevor had done. “How many Kere exist in the world, Moros?” Dec said.

  Moros’s eyes flashed red again as he turned his attention to Dec. “I fail to see why disclosing the number would help you.”

  “I’d like to know how many are going to come at us when you completely lose control!” shouted Dec. “If you haven’t already, that is.”

  “While you all were allowing chaos to reign here in Boston,” Moros said, every word delivered with a side of contempt, “I was once again confirming that all the souls of my Kere are present and accounted for.”

  “Then you need to think outside of the box, or whatever it is you keep them in,” said Dec, gritting his teeth as Moros took a step toward him, his gloved fingers twitching. “You need to find Trevor and bring him back.”

  “When I find Trevor, he won’t be coming back.”

  “He’s served you for a hundred years. He deserves more from you than a summary execution. Come on, Moros, think about it. Help us figure out why Trevor, of all your Kere, would act against you like this. Assuming he is acting against you, that is.”

  “Ah. So we’re back to this. You think I’m violating the treaty.”

  “Perhaps it’s time to prove you’re not,” said Aislin.

  Moros closed his eyes. For a moment, he went completely still. He glanced over at Aislin. “I cannot sense Trevor right now,” he said quietly. “A few hours ago, I could, but now . . . nothing.”

  Little stress lines had formed around Aislin’s mouth. “Are there any more that you can’t sense?”

  “For me to know, I’d have to try to bring each one of them to mind.” He arched an eyebrow as his gaze met Dec’s. “And to answer your earlier question, there are as many Kere as there are Ferrys.”

  “Fifty thousand?” whispered Cacy.

  “You can’t sense them all the time?” asked Aislin.

  Moros sighed. “No. I can sense when they act against my will, though. If they do not Mark when assigned, if they Mark someone who has not been fated to die . . .”

  “But not when they break known murderers out of jail,” Cacy said bitterly.

  Panic rattled inside Dec’s chest like a bag full of nails, threatening to shred any calm he had left. “So at any given time, any one of the fifty thousand killing machines you’ve created could turn on you, on us, on Galena—”

  “Declan, stop,” Aislin began.

  But he was past stopping. Beyond anger. “You owe us answers, Moros,” he growled. “We’re scrambling to deal with the slaughter while you stand back and watch us flail.” He didn’t care that Moros could destroy him. Galena’s life had been torn apart by beings Moros had created and was supposed to rule. He wanted to put his fist through the guy’s face.

  “Declan!” snapped Aislin.

  Because now he was toe to toe with the Lord of the Kere. “Stop thinking only of yourself and help us,” Dec said.

  Moros didn’t flinch. He simply stood there, with his slick hair, his elegant suit, his stupid earring, and his glowing red eyes, staring at Declan’s face. “I understand your anger,” he said softly. “I’ve seen how tightly the thread of your life is wrapped around Galena’s now. So perhaps, instead of lecturing me about my business, you should make sure that she is safe, my friend. Because with your brother on the loose once more, I would say she is probably in a great deal of peril.”

  Dec stepped back when he felt Aislin’s fingers curl over his arm, the panic still stabbing at his insides. “Rylan doesn’t have a Scope. He’s a regular human now.” It was Trevor he was worried about, but it felt awful to even think it. “Rylan couldn’t be in the Veil. He has to be here with us in the real world. You know him well—can you track him?”

  Once again, Moros’s face went slack and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked shaken. “I can’t.”

  “What does that mean?” asked Cacy.

  “It most likely means his future is tightly entwined with one of my Kere,” he said, his brow furrowed in thought. “That must be what it means.”

  “Moros,” said Aislin. “We have to find Rylan and Trevor. For both our sakes. And those of our people.”

  “Agreed,” Moros murmured. “Agreed.”

  He vanished.

  Aislin cursed, sharp and sudden. “If either of us survives the summit, it will be from sheer dumb luck,” she snapped. Her eyes met Dec’s. “It’s time for you to fetch Galena, Declan. Psychopomps is the safest place for her.”

  “Will you hand her over to the police?” Dec asked.

  Her lips became a flat, bloodless line. “The news feeds are full of her name and picture. The police are attempting to acquire warrants to search our apartment building and this tower for her. Our board members are demanding to know why I’m obstructing the investigation, especially because of who she is and what she can do. There is even talk of trying to replace me as CEO. Cousin Hugh has shored up a large number of supporters, and he’s threatening to take this conflict public. It’s possible we could lose control of the C-suite, and the empire, entirely!” She bowed her head, breathing hard. But when she spoke again, her voice was soft and steady. “I may have no choice but to give her up, Dec. If she’s in custody, I would place guards in the Veil.”

  “Like the guards who were supposed to keep Rylan in his cell
?” Dec yelled, pulling his Scope from his neck. “Aislin, do your damage control. Do your job. And I’m going to do mine.” He brushed his thumb over the raven and pulled the Scope wide. “I’ll be back by midnight.”

  He stepped into the Veil and opened a portal to Dr. Cassidy’s office, emerging into cold gray silence. He looked around and went still as he saw the transparent figure of an older woman lying on the floor of the office clutching her face. Another person, a middle-aged man, was standing over her, shouting into his phone.

  A patch of color by the desk caught his eye. Red. It was blood. A smear of it across the slick gray floor. And Galena was nowhere to be seen. His heart pounding, he opened another portal to his cabin. She said she’d meet him there. He pulled the ring wide and stepped through it quickly.

  She wasn’t here, either.

  A ragged cry burst from his mouth as he forced himself to concentrate. She might be hurt. She needed him. Could Trevor and Rylan already have her? Had Tamasin betrayed her? Where would they have taken her? He opened a portal to his apartment in Boston. Shivering in the chill of the Veil, he went from room to room, his hope cresting as he reached every doorway and crashing to the ground whenever he looked in to see she wasn’t there.

  He was just brushing his thumb over the raven again, planning to head back to Psychopomps and enlist Cacy’s help, when Eli appeared in front of him. Dec sagged with relief. “I can’t find Galena,” he said, his voice cracking. “And I think she’s in trouble.”

  Eli stared at him. His green eyes glowed red, and his claws were extended. “She is.” He grabbed Dec’s arm. “Come on.”

  Dec felt a burst of cold air, and then he landed face-first on spongy concrete. Cursing and confused, he pushed himself to his feet to find Eli standing over him. They were in a narrow garbage-strewn side street, but it was completely unfamiliar. “Eli?” he panted. “Where is she?”

  “Welcome to Pittsburgh,” Eli growled, bearing his fangs as he leaned toward Dec. “I think it’s time you and I had a little talk.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Galena hit dirt and rolled, coughing, her lungs screaming. Her Scope flew from her grasp. Bright light poured down on her, making her squint and blink. A dark silhouette leaned over her, and Galena flinched, expecting attack.

  “How bad is it?” Tamasin asked, ripping Galena’s shirt down the middle and revealing a small round wound high on her chest.

  The Ker pressed her fingers against the area around the wound, and Galena gasped. “I don’t know.” They were on a flat, sunbaked plain, cracked earth and brown as far as she could see. No trees. “What happened? Where are we?”

  “Iowa, at the moment.” Tamasin put her arm around Galena’s back and helped her sit up, then pressed her Scope into the palm of her hand. After a few seconds upright, it became a little easier to breathe. “We have to move again. I’m sorry.”

  “Why?” She wasn’t sure she could go very far. Her chest was throbbing, and the rest of her was cold, buzzing, hard to control. All she wanted was for the pain to end.

  “Nader will follow us. It won’t take him—”

  The lean olive-skinned man appeared not ten feet away, but with another whoosh of hot air, Tamasin pulled Galena through space, and they reappeared on a weathered cliff overlooking an ocean. Even through her pain, Galena was fascinated by the waves, the white froth and the churning water. She’d never seen so much water. It—

  Tamasin smacked her fingers lightly against Galena’s cheeks. “Remain conscious, please.” When Galena pulled herself back into the now and focused on Tamasin’s wide-set brown eyes, the Ker continued. “Did you get the evidence you needed?”

  “Yeah,” Galena said, her voice shredded and weak. She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath as some of the pressure in her chest lifted. “But Erin was there.”

  “Who?”

  “Erin. A Ker? She was Dr. Cassidy’s assistant.”

  Tamasin scowled. “I don’t know a Ker named Erin.”

  “She’s new. Newer than Eli.”

  Tamasin shook her head. “Your brother is the newest Ker in Moros’s ranks.”

  Galena didn’t have time to say anything else—she cried out as a sharp pain tore through her. She arched back, her chest feeling like it had been filled with fire.

  Tamasin held her tight. “It’s the bullet. Working itself out of your body. We have to remain in this world long enough for that to happen.”

  But as soon as she said it, Nader materialized again, this time down the hill. Tamasin cursed and yanked on Galena, who sucked in a lungful of burning air as she landed hard. Screams came from all around them, and Tamasin heaved her up to her feet. They were in the middle of a crowded city, though Galena had no idea which one. The street signs were in some Asian language, and the buildings were so high she couldn’t see the tops. It was daytime here, and people swarmed in the streets. Tamasin wrapped her arm around Galena’s waist and dragged her along the sidewalk as bystanders gaped.

  Another sharp pain made Galena pitch forward, but Tamasin kept her on her feet. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to warn you that the woman was coming into the office,” she huffed as she carried Galena along. “There’s something wrong with Nader. He attacked me.”

  And now he was chasing them. “Why is he doing this?” Galena gasped out. “Isn’t he supposed to protect me?”

  “He is.” She looked down at Galena, her eyes sparking with crimson. “But he does not appear to be himself right now, and he is extremely dangerous.” She lugged Galena down a narrow alley, heading for the sound of thumping music and bright lights.

  “Will he just keep following us?”

  “Probably,” said Tamasin. “It’s possible we should separate.”

  “Is there any place we could go that he couldn’t follow?”

  “No,” said a deep male voice.

  Galena stumbled to the side as Nader grabbed a handful of Tamasin’s braids and yanked her forward. “Nader, stop this!” shouted Tamasin as she shot hard punches to his middle. “What is wrong with you? Moros will destroy you.”

  “He doesn’t control me now,” he growled, wrapping his arm around Tamasin’s throat. Here in the real world, he had no claws. No fangs. But he appeared terribly strong as he kneed Tamasin in the chest, twice, making the female Ker gasp for air. “Moros has ruled us for too long. I’m tired of doing his bidding. It’s time we ruled ourselves.”

  He raised his arm and elbowed Tamasin between the shoulders. The impact came with a stomach-turning crack. Tamasin whimpered and slumped, her fingers curling into the folds of Nader’s shirt, her legs going limp.

  Galena staggered back, the pain in her chest nearly unbearable. It felt like her rib cage was about to explode, spewing her heart onto the dirty concrete in front of her. Nader dropped Tamasin like a load of bricks and stepped over her. The female Ker’s legs were still, but her arms were moving. It looked like he’d broken her back. And now he was coming for Galena. He held out his hand. “Give me the evidence you retrieved.”

  Galena pressed herself against the metal railing of a stairwell as the agony reached a crescendo. She lifted a weak, trembling hand to her chest and felt a hard nub protruding from her wound. The bullet. But before her body had a chance to fully push it out, Nader grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the Veil. Galena fell backward through the now-gelatinous metal railing and tumbled down a flight of stairs, bouncing against the walls and steps like a rubber ball. She landed in a heap at the bottom, looking up at the tall buildings, the gray sky, and the brutal Ker who was watching her from above, his eyes glowing. “You’re the key to his destruction,” he said, his gaunt features contorting with rage. “You’re the way we’ll take him down.”

  Galena clenched her fists, wanting to cry out from the pain, which had only intensified now that she was back in the dead gray Veil. Her body had stopped healing. But in her sticky, bloodstained palm, she felt a warm weight. Her Scope. As Nader began to descend the steps, she held it aga
inst her side and pressed her thumb to the raven, feeling a tiny, cool portal opening up. She had no idea to where. But anywhere far from here was good, so as Nader reached the halfway point down the steps, Galena flung the Scope wide and dove into the center of it, pulling it shut quickly.

  She was in Dec’s apartment. His bedroom. Right in the spot she’d first kissed him. Suddenly the ache in her chest wasn’t just from the bullet that had carved its way into her sinew and bone. Where was he? Was he okay? She pushed herself to her hands and knees. She needed to open a window to the real world and crawl through so she could heal.

  But hands closed hard around her neck, dragging her back in space and time. The heavyset one grimaced as he pressed his thumbs against her throat, cutting off her air. Her mouth opened, a prayer for oxygen, as claws tore through her skin. She landed on her back, her thoughts buzzing with voices from the past and the terror of her present. Stay here, she reminded herself. Stay right here.

  She looked up to see Nader’s face. Heat filled her mouth, and she coughed and wiped her lips, her fingers coming away bright red. Her vision blurred. “You’ll be human again soon,” Nader said. “And then we’ll kill you.”

  Human again soon. Time was running out, and this Ker knew it. He knelt beside her. “Now give me the evidence.” His long black hair skimmed over his shoulders and hung between them as he looked her up and down. His gaze halted when it reached the bulge in her pocket.

  Then a dark shape plowed into him, sending them careening across the soft floor of the apartment.

  “Galena, get away from here!” Tamasin shouted as her clawed hand arced through the air, slashing across Nader’s chest. Like Eli had when he’d been shot, she’d healed incredibly quickly.

  Nader roared with rage and kicked Tamasin away. The two of them charged at each other, slamming together, their fangs bared. They became a blur of blood and claws.