“I guess we are both terrible at our jobs.”
“Do you want to test that theory? A taste test of something new?”
“Not after what it did to the Nest.” Silas spoke slowly, as if he hoped the words would hook into me. “I thought you’d appreciate them gone after that whole ordeal.”
“Gone? What do you mean?” Phoebe spoke from behind me.
“Ah, my sister has decided to speak to me! Hello, Phoebe, how have you been?” he teased her. “I heard you were married! Who is the luckyman?”
“Silas,” she warned, “what do you mean bygone?”
“Exactly how it sounds. I searched high and low for you two doves, though the bodies really did end up getting in the way.”
I could see thoughts blooming in real time before Phoebe grew pale.
“What are you saying?” I pressed.
“There is no more London Nest.” Silas shrugged.
I glanced at Luka, but he didn’t even look in our direction. The weight of the situation was beginning to dawn on me. It was bad if Luka had nothing to say.
“Rebecca,” I spoke, looking toward the dark-haired woman, but I did not need to ask for her to understand what I wanted her to get.
“Usually when one grants such a favor, you saythank you.” Silas frowned.
Rebecca returned with an amber glass bottle.
For once, neither of the men spoke.
There was a needle as long as the glass inside. I drew it out slowly and watched as it glistened in the fire’s light. The floor creaked as I approached our captives.
“Here is what will happen now,” I began.
Silas’s eyes were focused on the needle in confusion, but Luka knew exactly what it was.
“The both of you are going to end your little excursion early. You will take the next train out of Buffalo back to whatever ring of hell you crawled from, and you will not return.” I spoke slowly to make sure the words were soaking through their heads. “Alternatively, if you do decide to return, I will make you subjects. I will tie you in knots, and you will live out your life in the lab. You will only exist for me to drain you of almost every fluid you can produce, only kept alive enough to not expire.” I stepped in front of Luka again, “If you are lucky, I will kill you. But it will not maimyou, it will grant you a slow and painful death. You remember the sensation well, I suspect, right,Luka?”
There was such malice in his glare I could practically taste it.
I hovered the needle above his scar, then slowly lingered to the other side of his face, only a hair’s distance from touching his unscarred skin. His jaw twitched from my insinuation, and it brought the most joyous smile to my face.
“We have an understanding then?” I stood straight once more. “Send them on their way.”
As I turned to exit the living room, someone spoke.
“I have a proposal,” Silas blurted. “A modest one.”
The sigh from my lungs was no doubt audible. It was harder than it looked, keeping my temper. Reluctantly, I turned back to face the room. I gestured for him to continue before returning my hand to the hilt of the axe.
“You are having a problem with corrupted, right? They are venturing closer to your Nest,” he stated.
My shoulders stiffened as other curious eyes peered at me after hearing his declaration.
I lifted my chin stubbornly. “There is no problem.”
“You are vulnerable.” He stood. Luka shot him a warning glare, sharper than any of the weapons pointed at them, making him hold his hands up in an attempt to be innocuous. “If you cannot handle corrupted, how will you handle organized, sane Vipera?”
“We are handling it fine on our own.”
