“Shift,” I whispered.
Nico shook his head subtly and stood his ground. It would have been much easier to escape if he had shifted and taken to the trees. I could stay pressed against the tree until they left.
“Where’s my sister?”
“Your sister?” Nico feigned confusion. “Who are you?”
Taylor’s menacing laugh made my stomach drop, and my body started shaking more than it already was. I needed to control myself before Taylor or the vacants noticed my presence.
Faster than I had ever seen the vacants move, they rushed forward and grabbed Nico, pulling him toward Taylor. Nico did nothing because what else could he do? What could I do?
If he shifted, they’d still have him, and somehow that would be worse. A vacant would easily kill a squirrel with one bite.
As soon as Nico was in front of Taylor, his fingers closed around Nico’s pouch, tearing it from his hip with casual violence. “Squirrels have always been stupid.”
Nico’s whole body went rigid. The vacants tightened their grip, fingers pressing into his arms hard enough that blood welled up around their nails.
Was Taylor’s plan to let the vacants rip Nico to shreds? Or worse, would he turn him into a vacant? What did that even mean for me? He’d still be alive, so the bond wouldn’t be broken.
I pressed harder against the tree, the bark digging into my spine. The pain was nothing compared to the terror expanding in my chest.
The contents of the pouch spilled into Taylor’s palm like coins. Like nothing. “This is quite the little collection you have here.” Taylor turned the nuts over, examining them with detached interest. “But this isn’t all you have, is it?”
“I’ll kill you.” Nico’s voice transformed, each syllable dripping with a venom that I’d never heard from him before.
Taylor ignored his threat and brought the nuts to his nose. He inhaled deeply, eyes drifting closed. When they opened again, something cold and calculating gleamed there. “These are your special nuts.”
Nico strained against his captors, muscles standing out in his neck. Every instinct I had screamed at me to do something. I scanned my immediate area for anything that could be used as a weapon.
I grabbed a branch, and the moment I lifted it, all eyes were drawn to it floating mid-air like a ghost’s weapon. My magic wasn’t strong enough to conceal it.
“No, Kage. Put it down.” Nico’s voice came through clenched teeth.
The command hit me like a wall. My fingers opened involuntarily, and the branch fell to the ground. I tried to bend down to grab it again, but my body wouldn’t obey. The intent in his command wrapped around my muscles and bones, holding me prisoner.
Tears burned in my eyes. I wasn’t strong enough. Not strong enough to fight the command, not strong enough to help, not strong enough for anything that mattered.
Taylor’s hand closed around the nuts.
The sound of shells cracking was obscenely loud in the sudden silence.Pop. Pop. Pop.Like bones breaking.
All color drained from Nico’s face.
Taylor opened his palm. Shards of shell and exposed nut flesh lay in pieces across his hand. He brought them to his lips and blew gently, almost lovingly. Something dark spread across the fragments, crawling over them like rot.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Nico’s panic made his voice crack. “Is that how you make vacants?”
I didn’t understand what was happening, but the look ofpure terror on Nico’s face made my fear multiply. My hands clawed at my thighs, trying to inch down to the branch. The command held me frozen while Nico needed me. While everything was falling apart. Sweat broke out across my forehead, running down my temples as I fought uselessly against invisible chains.
Taylor took a step closer. Then another. His boots crunched leaves that sounded like screams in my head.
“Hold his mouth open.”
A vacant grabbed Nico’s jaw, fingers digging into the hinges. Nico thrashed, making strangled sounds of protest that tore something vital in my chest. Another vacant wrapped both hands around his head, holding him absolutely still.
No. No, no, no.
Taylor shoved the handful of nuts into Nico’s mouth. The vacants clamped his jaw shut, their strength making resistance impossible. His eyes went wide with terror and revulsion. His throat worked, convulsing and resisting the urge to swallow.
