Read Online Hidden Trump (Bite Back 2) by Mark Henwick - Free Book Online
Authors: Mark Henwick
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she whispered. “I said you were freaking tasty. Even second hand.” Still moving with an oiled precision, she got off David and walked out the living room like a cat. He lay slumped across the sofa, pale and unmoving.
“She’s taken too much,” I said.
Diana shook her head. “Bian’s drunk deeply, but no, she’s good. And it’s just the first step.”
Bian returned with Mykayla, leading her by the hand. I understood then what the next step would have to be. I would have gotten up, but again, Diana had anticipated me. I hadn’t even seen her move and she was beside me, her hand gripping my shoulder like a vise.
“ Not your responsibility,” she said tightly.
I forced myself to keep still. She was right. I had done what I could for Mykayla. Her decisions were hers to make, and she was only going to do something that I’d done. She was trembling as she straddled David, but she wasn’t behaving as if she were under duress. With shaking hands she stripped off her Kevlar vest and opened her shirt. Bian’s hand rested on her back as she leaned forward and rested her throat against David’s mouth. I could tell the exact moment he bit, the memory of the fangs making my neck twitch. Mykayla flinched, but stayed put. Bian knelt on the sofa and spoke softly in her ear.
“She’s not ready—” I began.
“Hush, Amber. This is our work.”
Fang 4 came in, listening to his comms and scribbling a note which he handed to Skylur.
“If we’re finished with the floor show,” Skylur said coldly, bringing us back. He folded the note into a pocket after a brief glance. “Pia, your side of it.”
Pia tore her eyes away from David and sat straighter. “He wasn’t doing well,” she said. “He’d finished all the physical tests easily but we had problems with his telergy development. He couldn’t sustain a connection, let alone compel someone. I couldn’t seem to get through to him.”
Pia took a minute. “Then his marque changed, just slightly, and suddenly he was handling connections as if there had never been a problem. I tried to fix it. It was like…wrestling a ghost. It got worse and worse. I felt I couldn’t bring him in to Haven. I didn’t want to add to everyone else’s problems.” She closed her eyes.
“Yesterday, he became manic. I could barely calm him. I tried to shock his body back.” Tears leaked down her cheeks. “I went too far. I took too much. The hunger…” she was trembling and her mouth moved without speaking for a second. “I can’t describe it. For a while, I was afraid I was going rogue. It was so difficult. I thought if I just went away and rested for a bit, I could come back and handle it.” She buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled. “I was a good assistant, but I wasn’t ready to move up to Mentor. I failed everyone, especially David. I’m so sorry.”
There was a silence broken only by Mykayla’s sighs.
“So.” Skylur turned to me, angry again. “I might accept that you changed David’s marque accidentally, but then you thought you’d keep Pia in line by taking her too?”
Before my mouth had time to fall open, Pia’s head snapped up.
“No!” she yelped. “You thought…” She twisted to look at Mykayla. “Oh, God, no! She’s not Aspirant?”
Everything seemed to lurch into motion at the same time. Pia leaped towards Mykayla. Bian came snarling out of her crouch to intercept her. I tried to get between them. Fang 4 turned and lifted his weapon. We all collided. Pia was ignoring Bian, trying to get past and as for me, I was very conscious of the fact that the cold metal ring pressing against my neck was the muzzle of Fang 4’s P90, and a twitch of his finger would blow enough high velocity bullets through my neck to decapitate me.
“Stop!” Diana’s voice lashed out, and we all came to an abrupt halt. “Everyone, take a step back.”
She slipped in between us. “Pia. What’s the matter?”
“David! That girl! The girl is not
“She’s taken too much,” I said.
Diana shook her head. “Bian’s drunk deeply, but no, she’s good. And it’s just the first step.”
Bian returned with Mykayla, leading her by the hand. I understood then what the next step would have to be. I would have gotten up, but again, Diana had anticipated me. I hadn’t even seen her move and she was beside me, her hand gripping my shoulder like a vise.
“ Not your responsibility,” she said tightly.
I forced myself to keep still. She was right. I had done what I could for Mykayla. Her decisions were hers to make, and she was only going to do something that I’d done. She was trembling as she straddled David, but she wasn’t behaving as if she were under duress. With shaking hands she stripped off her Kevlar vest and opened her shirt. Bian’s hand rested on her back as she leaned forward and rested her throat against David’s mouth. I could tell the exact moment he bit, the memory of the fangs making my neck twitch. Mykayla flinched, but stayed put. Bian knelt on the sofa and spoke softly in her ear.
“She’s not ready—” I began.
“Hush, Amber. This is our work.”
Fang 4 came in, listening to his comms and scribbling a note which he handed to Skylur.
“If we’re finished with the floor show,” Skylur said coldly, bringing us back. He folded the note into a pocket after a brief glance. “Pia, your side of it.”
Pia tore her eyes away from David and sat straighter. “He wasn’t doing well,” she said. “He’d finished all the physical tests easily but we had problems with his telergy development. He couldn’t sustain a connection, let alone compel someone. I couldn’t seem to get through to him.”
Pia took a minute. “Then his marque changed, just slightly, and suddenly he was handling connections as if there had never been a problem. I tried to fix it. It was like…wrestling a ghost. It got worse and worse. I felt I couldn’t bring him in to Haven. I didn’t want to add to everyone else’s problems.” She closed her eyes.
“Yesterday, he became manic. I could barely calm him. I tried to shock his body back.” Tears leaked down her cheeks. “I went too far. I took too much. The hunger…” she was trembling and her mouth moved without speaking for a second. “I can’t describe it. For a while, I was afraid I was going rogue. It was so difficult. I thought if I just went away and rested for a bit, I could come back and handle it.” She buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled. “I was a good assistant, but I wasn’t ready to move up to Mentor. I failed everyone, especially David. I’m so sorry.”
There was a silence broken only by Mykayla’s sighs.
“So.” Skylur turned to me, angry again. “I might accept that you changed David’s marque accidentally, but then you thought you’d keep Pia in line by taking her too?”
Before my mouth had time to fall open, Pia’s head snapped up.
“No!” she yelped. “You thought…” She twisted to look at Mykayla. “Oh, God, no! She’s not Aspirant?”
Everything seemed to lurch into motion at the same time. Pia leaped towards Mykayla. Bian came snarling out of her crouch to intercept her. I tried to get between them. Fang 4 turned and lifted his weapon. We all collided. Pia was ignoring Bian, trying to get past and as for me, I was very conscious of the fact that the cold metal ring pressing against my neck was the muzzle of Fang 4’s P90, and a twitch of his finger would blow enough high velocity bullets through my neck to decapitate me.
“Stop!” Diana’s voice lashed out, and we all came to an abrupt halt. “Everyone, take a step back.”
She slipped in between us. “Pia. What’s the matter?”
“David! That girl! The girl is not
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