Nox tried to stay calm, even though he wanted to rip Silas’ head off. But Nox knew he needed more information if he was going to help Ridley. “What the hell does that mean? Did you shoot her up with something?”
Silas laughed. “That was a few days ago. This”—he pointed in the direction of Ridley’s cell with his cigar—“is something more permanent.”
Ridley let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Nox tried to turn around, thrashing against the Darkborn, but he was too strong.
“Get them off! Get them off! Get them off!” Ridley shrieked.
Silas walked toward her cell, his expression a mixture of amusement and fascination. “And just think, I’m not even finished yet. My great-grandfather would’ve been proud.” He tipped his head to one side, considering it. “Or jealous. The old man never was good at letting someone else be in the spotlight.”
Nox’s jaw clenched at the sound of Ridley’s cries. “I swear, I’ll tear your heart out for this, Silas.”
The Incubus turned around slowly, his amused expression gone. He stepped toward Nox, holding the cigar between them. “When I finish with you, Lennox Gates, you’re gonna wish I’d torn your heart out. You’re also going to wish you had died in that little blaze back at Sirene. You’ve caused me enough problems. At least your Siren is repaying her debt.”
“This is between you and me, Silas,” Nox pleaded. “Do whatever you want to me. I won’t even fight. Just leave her alone.”
“Don’t say that. It’s more fun if you fight.” Silas took another step closer, the burning glow of the cigar only inches from Nox’s face. “And your girlfriend isn’t getting off that easy, kid. She helped those hybrids kill my great-grandfather, and now she has a debt to pay.”
Nox shrank away from the cigar. “I’ll pay it. Whatever she owes—whatever you want—I’ll pay it.”
Silas took a long pull on the cigar, turning it between his fingers. “Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty of beds in the labs and enough payback to go around.” His expression darkened. “Do you think I’ve forgotten what you cost me? I’m taking every ounce of it out of her blood.”
It’s my fault. He hurt Ridley because of me.
“At least tell me what you did to her,” Nox said, looking at Silas.
“Scientific improvements. Her body is having a hard time adjusting to the influx of new power. Give it some time, and maybe she’ll snap out of it.” Silas laughed. “Or maybe not.”
Nox’s thoughts were spinning.
Influx of new power? What kind of power? And where did Silas get it? He’s bluffing. He has to be….
“Oh,” Silas said as if he’d remembered something important. “And I think you mean what I am doing to her. Because I’m not done yet, kid.”
“Listen to me, Rat Man,” Nox said, angrier than he’d ever been in his entire life. “You’re done. You just don’t know it yet.”
Without warning, Silas thrust the burning end of his cigar into Nox’s neck, like a knife.
Nox could smell his flesh searing, but he barely felt the pain.
He was too busy listening to the screams of the girl he loved.
CHAPTER 16: RIDLEY
Silent Lucidity
Someone was talking to her from outside the bars of her cell.
Ridley pretended to listen, which was sort of like playing a game, even though it wasn’t a very fun one. Still, it was the only game she could play in this box of a room.
It was the Rat Man. Talking. He sounded concerned. His voice moved up and down, like he was playing an instrument. Some of the sounds were loud and urgent, others were soft and comforting. It was funny because his mouth never stopped moving, and when she forgot he was talking, he looked like a sad little fish.
Not a rat.
But that was the tricky thing about rats. They almost never wanted you to see what they really were.
She tried to listen. It took her a long time to realize he was speaking to her, but it was still impossible to care.
“Nox,” she repeated to him. “That’s your name.”
“That’s right,” Rat Man said.
“And you don’t want to rip my throat out?” She leaned toward him, pulling on a bit of his long, dark fur.
He stared, opening and closing his mouth like he was talking.
“Link?”
He opened and closed his mouth again, and she tried to make out the words. But her mind kept drifting, and she only caught bits and pieces.
Did he say Lincoln?
Lincoln was the name of an American president. Why was Rat Man talking about a president? She leaned closer, resting her forehead against the steel.
Rat Man had a nice smell. Leather and sweat and sweetness. She resisted the urge to lick his face. She didn’t want to let him get that close to her, because of his sharp teeth.
Ridley reached out her hand. “Do you mind if I pet you?”
His mouth opened again. She took that as a yes and moved her hand up and down the long brown fur on his head. He felt like a soft baby seal. She let her hand trail down to his face, where his cheek was warm and soft.
That was when she felt it—a burst of heat.
But it was the strangest sort of heat she’d ever felt. She couldn’t tell if it was hot or cold, but either way, the heat made the hairs on her hand stand on end—burning and freezing to the same touch.
A chaotic tangle of feelings surged through her, stretching from the top of her head to the bottoms of her toes. She felt as if she were unfolding, doubling in size. Finally inhabiting the full space of her body.