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Authors: Melissa F. Olson
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nodded at me. “I couldn’t risk the LAPD finding evidence of werewolves,” she explained. “That’s my job.”
“I understand,” I said quietly. “I get why you had to do it. But I want my sister. I want to take her home and bury her.”
“That’s impossible,” Scarlett said.
“I know, you don’t want the cops to run tests, but I’ll find a way around that. I can claim religion, maybe.” Hell, I would get Quinn out here to press the coroner if I had to. “Remus is dead, so it’s not like they’ll be in a hurry to double-check her for more evidence.”
“I’m sorry,” Scarlett said in a clear, professional voice, the kind that doctors use to break bad news to the thousandth patient of the day. “That’s not possible. I incinerated the body.”
My jaw dropped open. I looked at Cruz, but he was staring abashedly at the ground in front of his toes. “You … incinerated … my sister.”
Scarlett didn’t look away. “In a furnace,” she said simply. “It’s what I do.”
I punched her in her stupid face.
9. Jesse
Jesse saw the blow coming and tried to get in between the two women, but he only managed to sort of awkwardly bump into Lex, forcing her to stagger a little so that the punch lost some of its force. It wasn’t enough: Scarlett was knocked onto her ass. Blood trickled from her lip. Before any of them could react, Jesse heard a pounding from behind them: frantic, rhythmic, like something being thrown up against a wall. He turned just in time to see Shadow explode through the shattered safety window in Scarlett’s van.
“Now you’ve done it,” Scarlett said. She just sounded weary.
A furious bargest in action was a sight to behold. Shadow had been created to kill, and as she shot across the small parking lot, she looked like a black wave of unstoppable, inevitable, instant death. Jesse took one step forward, but he spared a second to glance at Scarlett, who seemed unruffled. She trusted Shadow not to actually hurt anyone, so he did too.
The bargest’s rage seemed to soften as soon as she hit Scarlett’s radius, though she continued on her course toward Lex. To her credit, the witch didn’t run or even move. She put her hands in her pockets and gazed downward, and Jesse realized she had some experience with unstable dogs. Shadow planted her feet a few feet away from Lex, and what little fur she had stood up in anger as she growled and snapped. “No, Shadow,” Scarlett said soothingly. “I kind of deserved that. Don’t eat her. Lex, could you please sit down near me?”
Calmly, but with an astonished look on her face, Lex went over to Scarlett and lowered herself onto the grass next to the null, trying to look nonthreatening. The two of them sat there for a moment while Shadow’s head whipped between them, and Jesse almost laughed. They looked so much like two chagrined students in detention, with Shadow as the mean teacher in charge. He folded his arms across his chest, watching.
“I can’t believe you just disposed of my sister,” Lex muttered to Scarlett, with one eye on the angry bargest. “Like she was nothing. Like she was garbage.” Her voice was wavering, and Jesse realized she was trying not to cry.
“I told you,” Scarlett said stubbornly, “it’s my job.”
“Some job you’ve got,” Lex snapped, and the bargest snarled at her, advancing. Lex pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them—she had no way of knowing it, but this was one of Scarlett’s gestures, and the bargest backed off again. “And everyone thinks I’m a monster,” Lex mumbled.
Jesse didn’t actually expect a reaction from Scarlett, but to his surprise she went still. A tear ran down her cheek before she swiped it away. Sensing her mistress’s mood, the bargest settled onto the ground in front of Scarlett and shoved her head under Scarlett’s hand.
When the null spoke, she sounded as young and lost as Jesse had ever heard her. “If I don’t, who will?” Scarlett
“I understand,” I said quietly. “I get why you had to do it. But I want my sister. I want to take her home and bury her.”
“That’s impossible,” Scarlett said.
“I know, you don’t want the cops to run tests, but I’ll find a way around that. I can claim religion, maybe.” Hell, I would get Quinn out here to press the coroner if I had to. “Remus is dead, so it’s not like they’ll be in a hurry to double-check her for more evidence.”
“I’m sorry,” Scarlett said in a clear, professional voice, the kind that doctors use to break bad news to the thousandth patient of the day. “That’s not possible. I incinerated the body.”
My jaw dropped open. I looked at Cruz, but he was staring abashedly at the ground in front of his toes. “You … incinerated … my sister.”
Scarlett didn’t look away. “In a furnace,” she said simply. “It’s what I do.”
I punched her in her stupid face.
9. Jesse
Jesse saw the blow coming and tried to get in between the two women, but he only managed to sort of awkwardly bump into Lex, forcing her to stagger a little so that the punch lost some of its force. It wasn’t enough: Scarlett was knocked onto her ass. Blood trickled from her lip. Before any of them could react, Jesse heard a pounding from behind them: frantic, rhythmic, like something being thrown up against a wall. He turned just in time to see Shadow explode through the shattered safety window in Scarlett’s van.
“Now you’ve done it,” Scarlett said. She just sounded weary.
A furious bargest in action was a sight to behold. Shadow had been created to kill, and as she shot across the small parking lot, she looked like a black wave of unstoppable, inevitable, instant death. Jesse took one step forward, but he spared a second to glance at Scarlett, who seemed unruffled. She trusted Shadow not to actually hurt anyone, so he did too.
The bargest’s rage seemed to soften as soon as she hit Scarlett’s radius, though she continued on her course toward Lex. To her credit, the witch didn’t run or even move. She put her hands in her pockets and gazed downward, and Jesse realized she had some experience with unstable dogs. Shadow planted her feet a few feet away from Lex, and what little fur she had stood up in anger as she growled and snapped. “No, Shadow,” Scarlett said soothingly. “I kind of deserved that. Don’t eat her. Lex, could you please sit down near me?”
Calmly, but with an astonished look on her face, Lex went over to Scarlett and lowered herself onto the grass next to the null, trying to look nonthreatening. The two of them sat there for a moment while Shadow’s head whipped between them, and Jesse almost laughed. They looked so much like two chagrined students in detention, with Shadow as the mean teacher in charge. He folded his arms across his chest, watching.
“I can’t believe you just disposed of my sister,” Lex muttered to Scarlett, with one eye on the angry bargest. “Like she was nothing. Like she was garbage.” Her voice was wavering, and Jesse realized she was trying not to cry.
“I told you,” Scarlett said stubbornly, “it’s my job.”
“Some job you’ve got,” Lex snapped, and the bargest snarled at her, advancing. Lex pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them—she had no way of knowing it, but this was one of Scarlett’s gestures, and the bargest backed off again. “And everyone thinks I’m a monster,” Lex mumbled.
Jesse didn’t actually expect a reaction from Scarlett, but to his surprise she went still. A tear ran down her cheek before she swiped it away. Sensing her mistress’s mood, the bargest settled onto the ground in front of Scarlett and shoved her head under Scarlett’s hand.
When the null spoke, she sounded as young and lost as Jesse had ever heard her. “If I don’t, who will?” Scarlett
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