“Why?”
“Some would find this blasphemy.”
“They are wrong.” I shook my head. “This is a celebration. A place where we can appreciate how alike we are instead of what makes us different. There’s no prejudice here. No hate between races or species.” I saw Ash’s smile widen, liking my response. “I would want to be here. Celebrated and awed with my friends instead of being put in a box in the ground to rot.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.” Warwick snorted, making me glare at him, his hands still tight around my arms.
“I read on a plaque, there are over forty thousand bones used in here. Think about how many skeletons surround you right now.” Ash gave a look to Warwick. “Let her go for a moment.”
Warwick’s forehead wrinkled, but he did what his friend asked, his fingers leaving me.
Like an avalanche, the buzzing of voices and energy dropped me to the ground with a blinding cry. My head pounded, vomit burning my tongue; the need to sleep weighed me down.
I heard Ash mutter something, but it wasn’t until Warwick’s hands clamped down on me, yanking me back up, did everything sharpen, my lungs gasping for air, the weight vanishing.
“Shit... I was right,” Ash muttered to himself. “Andyoushield her.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Warwick barked at his friend.
Ash rubbed his head, lifting his chin to look at us. “It was just a theory when I saw her pass out up here last time. I didn’t even think I was right.”
“What do you mean?” Warwick turned to him, his hand loosening.
“Brex, what do you feel when he lets go?”
“Um . . .” I exhaled. “Drained. Nauseous. Tired . . . like all my energy is being siphoned.”
Ash bobbed his head, his lips quirking with self-satisfaction, like my answer proved his theory. “This was a shot in the dark, but I’m pretty sure I’m right. And I think you just made it clearer to me.” Ash nodded to Warwick.
“About what?” I asked.
“I don’t know how all this works or what it means.” Ash swallowed. “But don’t you find it curious the girl who brought Warwick back from the dead hears voices and blacks out in a place which holds thousands ofdeadpeople?”
Chapter
Seven
Dread dropped into my gut like sticky molasses, sliding slowly down, leaving a track of panic. Heat burst over my cheeks and down my neck like I had been called out for something I thought I was hiding.
“It’s not just me she’s brought back to life,” Warwick said low, but every syllable was like a bullet.
“What?” Ash’s head snapped from Warwick to me.
“A cat.” Warwick’s penetrating stare burrowed into me. “And there were others, weren’t there?”
Looking away from the guys, I stared at a skull, its empty eyes feeling like they were looking straight through me, seeing the truth.
“Kovacs?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I tried to wiggle out of Warwick’s grip without success.
“It doesn’tmatter?” Ash sputtered in shock. “The fact you can bring things back from the dead is not important?”
“I’ve never really brought anything back from the dead. Not fully anyway.”
Both men stared at me.
“Okay! Fine! Yes, Andris said I brought back a cat when I was young.”
