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Fuuuuck. That meant she knew all our queen’s business.

:Search her,: Guillaume ordered. :Remove her weapons and anything that might be a clue. Then dispose of her.:

Daire patted the dead woman down, removing a gun from a back holster beneath her jacket. He tucked it into the waistband of his jeans and then checked her pants pockets. :There’s something small. Like a crystal.: He pulled it out and studied it. :Correction, it’s metal. Never seen anything like it.:

He held it up to me. It was small, maybe the size of a walnut, but with lots of small points. Sort of like a bunch of pyramids all smooshed together. I rolled it over in my palm, experimentally pushing the flatter sections to see if it might be some kind of puzzle.

:Or an explosive device,: Guillaume drawled. :Hope you don’t mind losing your paw, grizzly.:

Fuuuck. I tossed it back to Daire. :You carry it.:

:What if it is some kind of bomb? We can’t get it close to Shara.:

:The human was carrying it in her pocket so it should be safe enough for now,: Guillaume said. :For all we know, it’s a fidget toy or a good-luck game piece. But to be safe, make sure Shara’s protected with the Mysteries before you bring it into her vicinity. We’ll take a closer look at it once she’s dealt with Tanza.:

:That demon child is fucking dead,: I retorted.

:So she is, but her taint lingers, which means whatever she carried is also still here.:

A fresh wave of cold sweat slicked my back and my stomach churned with bile.

:Who’s ready to chow down?: Daire asked.

Which didn’t help my churning stomach. :Fuck me sideways. I might be a fucking predator, but I’ve never eaten a human.:

Sharp metallic clicks echoed down the hallway, making me jump half out of my skin. But it was only Vore, not even shifted to his wicked spider-bull creature. The clicks were his massive shard-like teeth.

:You called?:

SHARA

Lowering the veil enough to expose my face, I gave a nod to Leonie. Even though dread roiled in my stomach. Guilt. Reluctance. I wouldn’t change my choice to eliminate Keisha, if I even had that option. But that didn’t mean I was excited to talk to her.

The least I could do was respect her enough to meet her face to face. One queen to another.

I smelled Leonie’s blood and her whispered words echoed, bouncing off the high ceiling overhead and the concrete below, yet also sounding as if she were underwater. The mighty Niger River flowed through her.

“Keisha Skye, you may come forward and speak through me.”

A slight breeze ruffled past me. Not her spirit bird, but a glimmer of pale wispy gray. Another surge of regret pulsed through me. I didn’t know about spirit birds when I killed Keisha. I hoped to goddess her spirit had flown long before we burned her body.

Leonie’s eyes rolled back, her shoulders quivering just enough to jingle her bracelets. Then her eyes opened.

Keisha stared back at me. I could still see Leonie underneath, but a nearly transparent veil floated over her with Keisha’s stately features. Sharp cheekbones and high forehead, her eyes browner than Leonie’s amber irises. Her hair floated around her face in gentle curls and coils. No shining golden crown or dress that sparkled like fireflies, what she’d worn when I first met her. When I killed her. Though I recognized the golden necklace around her neck from her legacy.

“Shara, daughter of Esetta.” Her eyes flashed, her lips twisting in a grimace. “At least I can say her name now.”

I inclined my head to her. “Keisha, daughter of Scáthach.”

“You’ve changed. Grown so much, in just a few short months.” Her voice softened, though her eyes narrowed. “Your power is like a sprawling black hole, devouring everything it touches.”

Outwardly, I didn’t react. I didn’t even blink. I refused to show how much her words wounded me. The still, quiet whisper deep in the darkest corner of myself agreed. Someday, all this power would crush me. I could destroy the entire world with a flick of my wrist. A slip of my mind.

I did devour everything I touched. Like the mighty Nile River in a record-breaking flood, it flowed through me, threatening to sweep away every crumb. Everything I cared about. All my love. All my tenderness and joy and happiness.

Until nothing but cold, unfeeling power remained.

Rik didn’t move a muscle, but I felt the sensation of his big palm on my back, the heat of his skin. His immense strength. Unfailing loyalty. Indomitable will, as formidable and heavy as his giant rock troll. Unmoved by the surging floods. :I hold you safe for all time, Shara, my queen.: