Page 378 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

‘Why are you telling me?’

‘Common decency?’

Riley shoots Lachlan a look. ‘Another guest on their way?’

‘Savannah is—’

‘I know who she is,’ Riley says, atypically impatient. ‘The problem is you don’t really have Roman Sorrenko down there. You have a demented loyalist of Penhalyx’s wearing the face of the man she loved.’

‘How do you know who she is?’

Riley rolls his eyes and scoffs. ‘Let’s just get this done.’

‘You agree to help, then?’ Lee asks him, stepping inside his windowless room. ‘If it will make you feel safer, you can wear the chains.’

Lachlan shakes himself. ‘I’m sorry, what?’

‘I’m not wearing the chains because I can’t help.’

‘You would only need to morph for a minute or two. His metabolism is off the charts. To overload him, it would have to be both of us.’

‘I can’t do it because the last time it… happened,’ he says through gritted teeth, clearly lacking a better word, ‘the response was different.’

‘This is the incident two years ago?’ she asks.

Kade has to stop himself from asking what incident two years ago.

‘Yeah.’

‘I know you could control it if you focus.’

‘I’m still stuck on you having chains, Harker.’

‘Shut the fuck up, Tanner. I’ll help, but not like that, and you’d probably better chain him,’ Riley adds, running a hand through his hair.

Kade looks him over, thinking of Luca’s warning earlier.

Riley is pale. Seems unlike himself.

Lee goes into his bathroom and starts drawing a bath.

‘What’s wrong with you?’ Lachlan asks him.

‘Gee, where to begin?’ he mutters with subdued sarcasm.

‘I’m being serious. Is it my blood?’

‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘I just gave a bag of it to your doctor to give to Kade’s friend. If it’s affecting you, now’s the time to say.’

‘My body just… responds to things differently,’ Riley tells him in a clear effort to stay calm. ‘Under stress, it always does the wrong thing.’

‘So you think you won’t secrete—’

‘Please don’t use that word.’

‘Fine. You think your body won’t give off pure adrenal terror?’