pounding noise distracted me, and I looked away from the girl to see the old woman galloping toward me, on all fours.
Sil held my hand firmly, his fingernails burrowing.
“Girl watches Lacey,” the old woman snarled.
“Be calm, Doris,” Sil soothed, stroking her rollered hair with his free hand. “This girl will join our family soon. She’s no threat. And look at her hair!”
Doris’s watery blue eyes twitched up to my heavy mass of looping curls. “Perfect,” she murmured, wet, raspy breaths punctuating the word. She had some sort of European accent. German maybe? She laid a thick, spotty hand on my head with surprising gentleness. “Good girl.”
She huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a snore and loped back over to the young woman with the big sword, whose name was apparently Lacey. Doris took Lacey’s face in her hands and kissed her sloppily on the lips, then led her across the street to where the giant, Chimola, sat. Excellent. The creepy frau wanted to do my hair. And possibly something else. I had to get out of there.
“Where’s Juri?” Sil asked.
“Hunting,” chimed Lacey in a recognizably southern accent. She fiddled with one of Doris’s rollers. Doris sat down on thestoop and pulled Lacey onto her lap. I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Doris’s animal movements were nauseatingly strong and fast.
Sil made a whining sound in his throat. “We must leave soon. Do you think the Guard won’t be looking for me? Malachi
knows
I escaped! You were all supposed to wait for me here. And where are your weapons? Only Lacey is prepared?”
Doris gave him a wolfish smile and reached behind Chimola’s elephantine bulk, revealing two more scimitars. Great. All the crazy animal people were armed with swords.
I barely got to finish the thought when a hand snaked between me and Sil, closing around one of my breasts. I reacted instantly and intensely, whirling around and yanking Sil with me so he was between me and the groper. Sil blinked, mildly surprised, but didn’t seem threatened or shocked.
“Juri!” he cheerfully greeted the groper, a hook-nosed man with a serious underbite and the build of a linebacker.
When Juri saw my face, his eyes widened for a moment, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He grinned. “It’s
you
.”
His voice sent a hard chill straight through me. It was the voice that had made me wake up screaming a hundred times before. He took a step toward me, his eyes glinting with an excitement I knew all too well.
“Stay the hell away from me,” I snapped.
He chuckled, deep and raspy. “You always said that to me right before you disappeared. But now you are here. In the
flesh
.” His hand shot out again and stroked my cheek.
I turned my face away. It was definitely him. The monster who whispered to me in my dreams, trying to keep me in the dark city forever.
“No longer a ghost,” he whispered. Then his voice rose, echoing off the surrounding buildings. “This one is mine.”
“No fucking way,” I yelled, my panic rising.
All the Mazikin laughed, but Juri seemed to think it was particularly funny. He grinned at me and then licked his lips in a truly obscene way. “Mine,” he repeated, opening and closing his hands in front of him. If my sense of self-preservation hadn’t held me back, Sil would have. He had such a tight grip on my hand that it would have been impossible to get away unless I was willing to leave my arm behind.
“Do you have food?” Sil asked Juri.
“
Ya
.” Juri opened a paper sack and removed various unappealing food items. The other Mazikin gathered around, pawing at the bag.
Sil let go of my hand to devote his attention to getting his fair share. “Girl, you go sit there. If you try anything, I’ll send Doris after you.”
Doris, who had a mouthful of something beige and juicy, winked at me and bared her teeth. It took everything I had notto run, but I managed to walk slowly across the street and sink down
Sil held my hand firmly, his fingernails burrowing.
“Girl watches Lacey,” the old woman snarled.
“Be calm, Doris,” Sil soothed, stroking her rollered hair with his free hand. “This girl will join our family soon. She’s no threat. And look at her hair!”
Doris’s watery blue eyes twitched up to my heavy mass of looping curls. “Perfect,” she murmured, wet, raspy breaths punctuating the word. She had some sort of European accent. German maybe? She laid a thick, spotty hand on my head with surprising gentleness. “Good girl.”
She huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a snore and loped back over to the young woman with the big sword, whose name was apparently Lacey. Doris took Lacey’s face in her hands and kissed her sloppily on the lips, then led her across the street to where the giant, Chimola, sat. Excellent. The creepy frau wanted to do my hair. And possibly something else. I had to get out of there.
“Where’s Juri?” Sil asked.
“Hunting,” chimed Lacey in a recognizably southern accent. She fiddled with one of Doris’s rollers. Doris sat down on thestoop and pulled Lacey onto her lap. I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. Doris’s animal movements were nauseatingly strong and fast.
Sil made a whining sound in his throat. “We must leave soon. Do you think the Guard won’t be looking for me? Malachi
knows
I escaped! You were all supposed to wait for me here. And where are your weapons? Only Lacey is prepared?”
Doris gave him a wolfish smile and reached behind Chimola’s elephantine bulk, revealing two more scimitars. Great. All the crazy animal people were armed with swords.
I barely got to finish the thought when a hand snaked between me and Sil, closing around one of my breasts. I reacted instantly and intensely, whirling around and yanking Sil with me so he was between me and the groper. Sil blinked, mildly surprised, but didn’t seem threatened or shocked.
“Juri!” he cheerfully greeted the groper, a hook-nosed man with a serious underbite and the build of a linebacker.
When Juri saw my face, his eyes widened for a moment, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He grinned. “It’s
you
.”
His voice sent a hard chill straight through me. It was the voice that had made me wake up screaming a hundred times before. He took a step toward me, his eyes glinting with an excitement I knew all too well.
“Stay the hell away from me,” I snapped.
He chuckled, deep and raspy. “You always said that to me right before you disappeared. But now you are here. In the
flesh
.” His hand shot out again and stroked my cheek.
I turned my face away. It was definitely him. The monster who whispered to me in my dreams, trying to keep me in the dark city forever.
“No longer a ghost,” he whispered. Then his voice rose, echoing off the surrounding buildings. “This one is mine.”
“No fucking way,” I yelled, my panic rising.
All the Mazikin laughed, but Juri seemed to think it was particularly funny. He grinned at me and then licked his lips in a truly obscene way. “Mine,” he repeated, opening and closing his hands in front of him. If my sense of self-preservation hadn’t held me back, Sil would have. He had such a tight grip on my hand that it would have been impossible to get away unless I was willing to leave my arm behind.
“Do you have food?” Sil asked Juri.
“
Ya
.” Juri opened a paper sack and removed various unappealing food items. The other Mazikin gathered around, pawing at the bag.
Sil let go of my hand to devote his attention to getting his fair share. “Girl, you go sit there. If you try anything, I’ll send Doris after you.”
Doris, who had a mouthful of something beige and juicy, winked at me and bared her teeth. It took everything I had notto run, but I managed to walk slowly across the street and sink down
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