Madoc. I’m tired of making you squirm. Just leave.”
He’d hurt her feelings. He could hear it in her voice. He wanted to be sorry, and maybe part of him was, but the smarter part knew that if she hated him, she’d be a lot safer, so he walked out without bothering to offer an apology.
The farther away from her he got, the better off they’d both be.
Then why the hell wasn’t he walking to his truck? Why was he headed back to his suite, where he planned to stay until he knew she was well guarded?
Leaving her body? Was she nuts?
A grim laugh rumbled in his chest. Of course she was nuts. That was the whole problem. She wasn’t sane enough to leave alone, and she wasn’t sane enough to stay away from him.
Clearly, he was crazy, too, because somewhere deep down, a part of him thought he could actually help her rather than just make things worse. If that didn’t make him certifiable, he didn’t know what would.
As exhausted as Nika was, she couldn’t sleep. The pull of the monsters on her mind was weaker during the day, but there were a few Synestryn presences inside her that were strong enough to make themselves known even while the sun burned overhead. Usually, they didn’t bother her, but she could feel one rousing from its sleep, poking at her, tentatively looking for weaknesses.
She tried to shut it out, put up her barriers, and sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw the twisting, malignant darkness growing inside Madoc.
It hadn’t been there the last time she saw him—at least not like this. Something was wrong and he was hiding it, even from her.
It was killing him.
She wasn’t going to get any rest until she figured out what it was, and she really needed her rest if she was going to find Tori. The farther away she was from someone, the harder it became to find them as well as find her way back to her body. She didn’t want to locate her sister only to find that she couldn’t get back into her body and do anything with the information.
Besides, she worried that if she didn’t make it back, her body would slip away and she’d be left to roam around, unseen and insubstantial, for eternity. The thought scared her almost as much as having her mind ripped apart by demons again.
Nika’s grasp on reality was stronger now than it had been since the attack. She wasn’t going to do anything to mess that up. Sleep was mandatory, and she knew the one person who could hold the Synestryn at bay long enough for her to get it.
She pulled her weary body from the bed, went to Madoc’s quarters, and knocked on the door.
“Go away,” came his gruff reply.
“Let me in.”
“Not gonna happen. Go home.”
Nika tried the door. It was locked, but she guessed that Nick or someone else was watching through the security cameras that covered every inch of the hallways. She went to the nearest one, looked into it, and said, “Open Madoc’s door.”
She had no idea if anyone heard or saw her, but when she got back to the door and saw the light turn green, she knew someone up there was watching.
The door opened two inches before Madoc’s hand slammed against it and pushed it closed again. The light turned red.
“I’m going to kill Nicholas,” growled Madoc.
“I need to see you.”
Silence greeted her.
“Fine,” she yelled through the door. “I’ll just sit out here until you decide to let me in.”
She heard something heavy being moved across the floor, then thud against the door. No more unlocked doors for her.
The rejection stung, but that was just too bad. Time to get over it already. She’d wait as long as it took. He had to come out sometime.
Nika put her back to the door and slid down to sit against it. The chilly air surrounded her, sliding easily through her thin cotton nightgown. She wished she’d thought to throw some clothes on before she came here, or at least a robe. Chances were that if she left now, Madoc would escape, jump in his truck, and it would be
He’d hurt her feelings. He could hear it in her voice. He wanted to be sorry, and maybe part of him was, but the smarter part knew that if she hated him, she’d be a lot safer, so he walked out without bothering to offer an apology.
The farther away from her he got, the better off they’d both be.
Then why the hell wasn’t he walking to his truck? Why was he headed back to his suite, where he planned to stay until he knew she was well guarded?
Leaving her body? Was she nuts?
A grim laugh rumbled in his chest. Of course she was nuts. That was the whole problem. She wasn’t sane enough to leave alone, and she wasn’t sane enough to stay away from him.
Clearly, he was crazy, too, because somewhere deep down, a part of him thought he could actually help her rather than just make things worse. If that didn’t make him certifiable, he didn’t know what would.
As exhausted as Nika was, she couldn’t sleep. The pull of the monsters on her mind was weaker during the day, but there were a few Synestryn presences inside her that were strong enough to make themselves known even while the sun burned overhead. Usually, they didn’t bother her, but she could feel one rousing from its sleep, poking at her, tentatively looking for weaknesses.
She tried to shut it out, put up her barriers, and sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw the twisting, malignant darkness growing inside Madoc.
It hadn’t been there the last time she saw him—at least not like this. Something was wrong and he was hiding it, even from her.
It was killing him.
She wasn’t going to get any rest until she figured out what it was, and she really needed her rest if she was going to find Tori. The farther away she was from someone, the harder it became to find them as well as find her way back to her body. She didn’t want to locate her sister only to find that she couldn’t get back into her body and do anything with the information.
Besides, she worried that if she didn’t make it back, her body would slip away and she’d be left to roam around, unseen and insubstantial, for eternity. The thought scared her almost as much as having her mind ripped apart by demons again.
Nika’s grasp on reality was stronger now than it had been since the attack. She wasn’t going to do anything to mess that up. Sleep was mandatory, and she knew the one person who could hold the Synestryn at bay long enough for her to get it.
She pulled her weary body from the bed, went to Madoc’s quarters, and knocked on the door.
“Go away,” came his gruff reply.
“Let me in.”
“Not gonna happen. Go home.”
Nika tried the door. It was locked, but she guessed that Nick or someone else was watching through the security cameras that covered every inch of the hallways. She went to the nearest one, looked into it, and said, “Open Madoc’s door.”
She had no idea if anyone heard or saw her, but when she got back to the door and saw the light turn green, she knew someone up there was watching.
The door opened two inches before Madoc’s hand slammed against it and pushed it closed again. The light turned red.
“I’m going to kill Nicholas,” growled Madoc.
“I need to see you.”
Silence greeted her.
“Fine,” she yelled through the door. “I’ll just sit out here until you decide to let me in.”
She heard something heavy being moved across the floor, then thud against the door. No more unlocked doors for her.
The rejection stung, but that was just too bad. Time to get over it already. She’d wait as long as it took. He had to come out sometime.
Nika put her back to the door and slid down to sit against it. The chilly air surrounded her, sliding easily through her thin cotton nightgown. She wished she’d thought to throw some clothes on before she came here, or at least a robe. Chances were that if she left now, Madoc would escape, jump in his truck, and it would be
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