Chapter 35

35

SYLAS

"Consider your next words very carefully," I said, with my hand wrapped around the human's jaw to keep it shut. I'd taken him someplace dark and cold, full of shuffling sounds of danger, like large reptiles were coming near, their scales sliding over stone. "The creature you were about to insult is my queen, and she shouldn't have to listen to the likes of you ever again."

I'd read the flash of hate in his eyes—he was going to say something ruthless to my Mina, rather than tell me what I want.

"Her friend. Tell me what was done to her," I demanded, letting him go.

"Where are we?" he blubbered with his bleeding lips, looking around in panic.

"It doesn't matter. Tell me everything I need to know. Begin from the beginning, or I will press in one of your eyes and start scraping answers out of your skull," I said, showing him a hand full of claws.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this—everything was supposed to be easy for me! "

And this phase of torture wasn't entirely unfamiliar. When all else failed, people often tried a total abdication of reality.

"Easy?" I probed. "How?"

"Money—women—my life, man, my whole life!" he shouted, then showed his right hand to me with all its bitten down fingers. "What the fuck! This was supposed to be impossible!"

"And the only thing you had to trade for all your good health and luck was...the blonde woman?"

"Yeah!" He shook his head. "Of course! She was a fucking nobody! Trent said so!"

"Hmm." And I wondered just where this Trent rated on Mina's kill-list. "And what did you do to Mina?" I asked, and watched him grow pale, as though he had an even larger wound somewhere else that all his blood was seeping out of.

"She's fucking crazy man. Everyone knows it!" he tried, and then his eyes focused on me. "I'll pay you—more than whatever she's paying you. I can double it—triple it—just cut this out and save me!"

It was finally my turn to laugh. "If you knew what she was paying me with, you wouldn't agree to that so easily."

Then I felt something twinge. It was an uncomfortable sensation from the center of my chest, like a pinch. It happened again, and it felt like a sting. I assembled myself and looked down, remembering my cord.

"Mina," I whispered, and disappeared.