Claimed (24 page)

“What the hell are you doing in here?” snapped a harsh voice.

Galena startled, knocking the phone’s port out of alignment and halting the upload of the audit trails. She looked up to see Dr. Cassidy standing in the doorway of her inner office, clearly livid.

“Dr. Cassidy,” she said. “I needed to talk to you.” She leaned on the desk, trying to move the phone’s port back in line.

“I have nothing to talk to you about,” Dr. Cassidy barked. “You’re nothing but a selfish bitch who stole credit from good scientists in her race to the top.”

Galena gaped at her, confusion and rage rolling hot across her skin. “Stole credit? What are you talking about?” She made a quick adjustment of the phone. The screen let out a single beep to signal the upload had recommenced.

Dr. Cassidy scowled as she noticed the phone. “Just like you’re stealing from me now,” she said as she stalked across the room. “How typical. Get away from there.”

Galena stood her ground as the woman advanced. “I won’t let you destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for.”

Dr. Cassidy shook her head, her silvery hair glinting under the warm overhead light. “Everything
you’ve
worked hard for? What about me? I worked my whole life for the kind of recognition you got before you were even out of graduate school, only to have you show up, use all the results of my decades of research, and get short-listed for the Nobel!”

She reached the corner of the desk, and Galena braced. Any second, the upload would be complete, and she could grab the phone and find a way to disappear into the Veil. All she needed was—

Dr. Cassidy whipped her desk drawer open and came up with a handgun, a small sleek weapon that she cradled in her palm, one finger curling over the trigger. Galena’s vision tunneled as Dr. Cassidy took aim. Right at Galena’s chest. “Step away from the desk,” Dr. Cassidy said, her voice steady and quiet. “It’s time for this to end.”

Galena began to raise her arms. Where was Tamasin? Why hadn’t she given a warning?

We still don’t know that Trevor is the only enemy we have in the Veil,
Dec had said. For all she knew, Tamasin was in on this. And with Dec gone, she was all alone. “Why did you do this to me?” Galena asked Dr. Cassidy, her voice cracking. “I thought you were on my side.”

“And I thought you were on mine. Step away from the desk.” Each word was delivered from between clenched teeth.

“Dr. Cassidy, is everything—?” There was a gasp by the door, and Galena’s gaze flicked in that direction. She registered brown hair and glasses before she returned her attention to Dr. Cassidy, who was also looking toward the door.

“Erin, I want you to call the police,” Dr. Cassidy called out.

Galena’s gaze swept across the room again, confusion twisting inside her. “Erin?”

It was the young Ker that the
y’d
met in the Veil that night with Luke. The one who had accompanied Trevor to Jian’s place. She tilted her head. “Galena Margolis,” she said, her voice full of curiosity.

Galena looked back and forth between the two women, a new suspicion poking its head above the surface of her shock.

The system beeped. Upload complete. Panicked, Galena grabbed for her Scope and the phone at the same time. Her fingers closed around both as the shot rang out. Her chest filled with sharp, molten pain that radiated in waves down her limbs. She stumbled backward, her legs failing her.
I thought I was immortal.
Lying on her back, she looked down to see the blood soaking her shirt.
But I guess that doesn’t make me bulletproof.

“You saw her,” shouted Dr. Cassidy, her voice breaking. “She was attacking me!”

Galena’s fingers clamped around her Scope. Dec said wounds didn’t heal in the Veil. Still, it was her only shot at escape. As Dr. Cassidy came toward her, taking aim once more, Galena kicked out, knocking the gun from the woman’s bony hand. It landed next to Galena’s shoulder. She shoved Dec’s phone into her pocket, wincing at the grinding pain in her chest. Her breathing was labored, and her mouth tasted like salt and iron. Blood. But she was still able to think, still able to move. Her body must be healing itself.

Dr. Cassidy lunged for the weapon, and behind her, Galena could see Erin standing, watching. She wasn’t calling the police. Or maybe she already had. Either way, the gunshot would have people coming on the run. Galena flailed, knocking the gun farther out of reach as Erin leaned over and touched Dr. Cassidy’s leg. “Stop, Dr. Cassidy,” she said gently.

Instead of obeying, Dr. Cassidy’s face contorted with rage. “You’ve ruined everything,” she shrieked at Galena, who clumsily shoved the smaller woman off of her. Her knee came up and hit Dr. Cassidy in the stomach, and the woman fell against the desk, gasping. Galena brushed her thumb over the Scope as Dr. Cassidy clawed viciously at her leg. “You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done!”

Galena stomped her foot into Dr. Cassidy’s face as the woman came for her again. With a crunching snap, the woman fell backward, her hand over her face. Galena flung open the portal to the Veil and pulled it over herself quickly, groaning with the pain.

She lay on the squishy floor of the Veil, her Scope still clutched in her fist. Through the window into the real world, she could still see Dr. Cassidy lying sprawled on her back, writhing as blood flowed between her fingers. Erin was crouched over her, trying to pry her hands from her face. Then the Ker raised her head and gave Galena a calm, unreadable look.

Galena compacted her Scope. The last few minutes had utterly scrambled her brain, but she didn’t have the time to figure it all out now. Fresh waves of pain crashed in her chest, and she shivered, her shirt saturated and dripping with red. Her head was spinning.
Loss of blood. You have to get back into the real world.

Slowly, the ringing in her ears quieted, allowing her to hear noises coming from the other side of the gelatinous desk that shielded her from the rest of the room. Galena flopped over on her belly and dragged herself forward with her elbows, flinching as she heard a growl, then ripping. Wondering if her bodyguard had turned on her, too, Galena carefully peeked around the edge of the desk.

Tamasin, her braids swinging, threw a hard kick at a tall olive-skinned man with glowing red eyes. Another Ker. “Nader,” Tamasin shouted. “Stop!”

He didn’t listen. As soon as he recovered his balance, he dove for Tamasin, his claws extended. She threw herself to the side to avoid getting torn to shreds, and her red gaze landed on Galena. Her expression hardened with determination. As Nader leaped for her once more, Tamasin lunged for Galena and grabbed her arm. With a whoosh of hot air, the office disappeared.

CHAPTER THIRTY

D
ec stepped into the real world, right in the middle of Aislin’s office, to find his two sisters standing there.

“
. . .
Moros gets here, he’ll have to explain,” Aislin was saying.

“Eli said h
e’d
try to find him,” Cacy said.

Aislin gave her a curt nod and turned to Dec. “Where have you been?”

“Out of touch, apparently. What’s going on?”

“Where’s Galena?” asked Cacy, who was wearing shorts and a frilly blouse, looking far more harmless than she actually was.

“Doing what she needs to do,” Dec replied, never taking his eyes off Aislin.

“She could be in great danger,” Aislin snapped.

Dec frowned. “You’re the one who presents the greatest danger to her now that she’s a Ferry.” It felt so strange and wonderful to be able to say that. Galena was a Ferry. Not invincibl
e . . .
but immortal at least. “What’s happened?”

Aislin crossed her arms over her chest. “Rylan escaped.”

“What?”

“He was aided by a Ker.”

“Which one?”

“Which one do you think, Declan?” shouted Aislin. “The one you brought here! We gave him the perfect opportunity—he saw where Rylan was. That was all he needed.”

Dec’s eyes went wide. “Do you have surveillance video? Because Trevor wouldn’t—” Wai
t . . .
would
he?

Aislin must have seen his doubt. “You are a fool, Declan, and so am I. His ‘confession’ was a ruse so he could get to Rylan.”

Dec looked back and forth between Aislin and Cacy, his thoughts reeling. He would have bet his life Trev had been utterly sincere. But Trev had also said that disconnected feeling came and went—what if it had happened again? Why hadn’t he thought of that? “Weren’t there guards in the Veil? Did they see him? Did anyone talk to him?” A cold tide of dread rose inside him. “Did he hurt anyone?”

Aislin pressed her fingertips to her temples and clamped her eyes shut. She muttered something about her head exploding and walked over to her desk.

“It happened really fast,” Cacy said quietly as Aislin’s fingernails tapped on the screen set into her desk. “While the guards were distracted.”

“You’re serious,” Declan said.

She nodded. “It’s an unpleasant job hanging out in the Veil, and freaking boring, and I guess they were arguing about something stupid, and the next thing they knew, Trevor and Ry were gone.”

“More evidence for the Keepers,” said Aislin, looking up from her screen. “Somehow, in the ten days I’ve been the Charon, I’ve managed to provide them with everything they need to take us down.”

“We can fix this,” said Cacy. “We just have to find Trevor and Ry.”

“Preferably before they strike,” said Dec. It was all he could do not to pull his Scope open and race back to Galena’s side. If Trev was out of control again and determined to get to Moros, Galena might be his prime target. The only thing keeping Dec in the room was the knowledge that she was immortal and that Tamasin was by her side. “We need Eli or Moros. Did Eli really think he could find him?”

“He said he would try,” Cacy muttered.

“We don’t know that this isn’t exactly what Moros wants,” snapped Aislin. “He claims to be trying to track down the rogue Kere, or at least figuring out how they were able to go rogue, but he has been conveniently absent as we deal with the results of his failed control over the creatures he created.”

Dec shifted his weight from foot to foot, thinking of what Rylan had said to him right before h
e’d
escaped, about who was powerful enough to take control of the deadly game they were all playing. “I think someone else might be controlling Trevor. Cacy, you know him. Does any of this sound like stuff he would do?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t known him for as long as you have, but”—she turned to Aislin—“this is really out of character for him. It would actually make more sense if someone was using him like a puppet.”

“I know you two would like to believe that Trevor is innocent, but the only way to influence the Kere is to take their souls,” said Aislin. “Moros told me last week that he could guarantee all the souls were present and accounted for.”

“What, does he keep them in some kind of carrying case or something?” Cacy asked. “Or pinned and mounted to his wall?” She looked keenly interested—probably because Eli’s soul was among them.

Aislin came out from behind her desk. “Moros has always been incredibly secretive about that. However, given the circumstances, I think it’s time we demand more information.”

“If this isn’t all part of some evil double-cross he’s got going, then he needs to admit that he’s losing his grip,” Dec said. “Because Ry told me Mandy could feel that Moros wasn’t in control of her anymore, that he couldn’t sense when she was acting against his will. And Trevor said he felt disconnected—and he must have been free, if he could complete so many unauthorized Markings without Moros sensing it. Someone else is interfering.”

“But Moros said that Jian Lee’s Marking
was
sanctioned, Dec,” said Cacy quietly. “That order could only have come from Moros and his sisters.”

“Then maybe Moros is playing us all.”

“Speak of the devil and he appears,” said Moros as he materialized next to Aislin, who glared at him.

“Where have you been?”

“Preparing for our summit with the Keepers,” he said, his steel-gray gaze sliding over her face.

“Did part of that preparation include getting one of your Kere to bust Rylan out of his cell?” asked Cacy.

Moros’s eyes flickered red. “What did you just say?”

“One of your creatures reached through the Veil and took Rylan,” Aislin replied.

“Which one?” Moros asked, his pointed canines flashing in the light. Every inch of him vibrated with tension.

“Trevor,” said Aislin. “Dec brought him here after he confessed to conspiring with the human Jian Lee to destroy Galena and her work. He claimed remorse and wanted execution. And he brought us a knife that bore DNA from all three unsanctioned stabbing victims, plus his own.” She glanced at Dec. “That was one of the reasons I was trying to reach you. One of
many
.”

Dec barely heard her—he was too busy watching the Lord of the Kere. He would have laughed at the dizzying array of emotions crossing Moros’s face if it wasn’t so horrifying. Puzzlement, shock, rage. Moros hadn’t been aware of what Trevor had done. “How many Kere exist in the world, Moros?” Dec said.

Moros’s eyes flashed red again as he turned his attention to Dec. “I fail to see why disclosing the number would help you.”

“
I’d
like to know how many are going to come at us when you completely lose control!” shouted Dec. “If you haven’t already, that is.”

“While you all were allowing chaos to reign here in Boston,” Moros said, every word delivered with a side of contempt, “I was once again confirming that all the souls of my Kere are present and accounted for.”

“Then you need to think outside of the box, or whatever it is you keep them in,” said Dec, gritting his teeth as Moros took a step toward him, his gloved fingers twitching. “You need to find Trevor and bring him back.”

“When I find Trevor, he won’t be coming back.”

“He’s served you for a hundred years. He deserves more from you than a summary execution. Come on, Moros, think about it. Help us figure out why Trevor, of all your Kere, would act against you like this. Assuming he
is
acting against you, that is.”

“Ah. So we’re back to this. You think I’m violating the treaty.”

“Perhaps it’s time to prove you’re not,” said Aislin.

Moros closed his eyes. For a moment, he went completely still. He glanced over at Aislin. “I cannot sense Trevor right now,” he said quietly. “A few hours ago, I could, but no
w . . .
nothing.”

Little stress lines had formed around Aislin’s mouth. “Are there any more that you can’t sense?”

“For me to know,
I’d
have to try to bring each one of them to mind.” He arched an eyebrow as his gaze met Dec’s. “And to answer your earlier question, there are as many Kere as there are Ferrys.”

“Fifty thousand?” whispered Cacy.

“You can’t sense them all the time?” asked Aislin.

Moros sighed. “No. I can sense when they act against my will, though. If they do not Mark when assigned, if they Mark someone who has not been fated to di
e . . .
”

“But not when they break known murderers out of jail,” Cacy said bitterly.

Panic rattled inside Dec’s chest like a bag full of nails, threatening to shred any calm he had left. “So at any given time, any one of the fifty thousand killing machines you’ve created could turn on you, on us, on
Galena
—”

“Declan, stop,” Aislin began.

But he was past stopping. Beyond anger. “You owe us answers, Moros,” he growled. “We’re scrambling to deal with the slaughter while you stand back and watch us flail.” He didn’t care that Moros could destroy him. Galena’s life had been torn apart by beings Moros had created and was supposed to rule. He wanted to put his fist through the guy’s face.

“Declan!” snapped Aislin.

Because now he was toe to toe with the Lord of the Kere. “Stop thinking only of yourself and help us,” Dec said.

Moros didn’t flinch. He simply stood there, with his slick hair, his elegant suit, his stupid earring, and his glowing red eyes, staring at Declan’s face. “I understand your anger,” he said softly. “I’ve seen how tightly the thread of your life is wrapped around Galena’s now. So perhaps, instead of lecturing me about my business, you should make sure that she is safe, my friend. Because with your brother on the loose once more, I would say she is probably in a great deal of peril.”

Dec stepped back when he felt Aislin’s fingers curl over his arm, the panic still stabbing at his insides. “Rylan doesn’t have a Scope. He’s a regular human now.” It was Trevor he was worried about, but it felt awful to even think it. “Rylan couldn’t be in the Veil. He has to be here with us in the real world. You know him well—can you track him?”

Once again, Moros’s face went slack and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked shaken. “I can’t.”

“What does that mean?” asked Cacy.

“It most likely means his future is tightly entwined with one of my Kere,” he said, his brow furrowed in thought. “That must be what it means.”

“Moros,” said Aislin. “We have to find Rylan and Trevor. For both our sakes. And those of our people.”

“Agreed,” Moros murmured. “Agreed.”

He vanished.

Aislin cursed, sharp and sudden. “If either of us survives the summit, it will be from sheer dumb luck,” she snapped. Her eyes met Dec’s. “It’s time for you to fetch Galena, Declan. Psychopomps is the safest place for her.”

“Will you hand her over to the police?” Dec asked.

Her lips became a flat, bloodless line. “The news feeds are full of her name and picture. The police are attempting to acquire warrants to search our apartment building and this tower for her. Our board members are demanding to know why I’m obstructing the investigation, especially because of who she is and what she can do. There is even talk of trying to replace me as CEO. Cousin Hugh has shored up a large number of supporters, and he’s threatening to take this conflict public. It’s possible we could lose control of the C-suite, and the empire, entirely!” She bowed her head, breathing hard. But when she spoke again, her voice was soft and steady. “I may have no choice but to give her up, Dec. If she’s in custody, I would place guards in the Veil.”

“Like the guards who were supposed to keep Rylan in his cell?” Dec yelled, pulling his Scope from his neck. “Aislin, do your damage control. Do your
job
. And I’m going to do mine.” He brushed his thumb over the raven and pulled the Scope wide. “I’ll be back by midnight.”

He stepped into the Veil and opened a portal to Dr. Cassidy’s office, emerging into cold gray silence. He looked around and went still as he saw the transparent figure of an older woman lying on the floor of the office clutching her face. Another person, a middle-aged man, was standing over her, shouting into his phone.

A patch of color by the desk caught his eye. Red. It was
blood
. A smear of it across the slick gray floor. And Galena was nowhere to be seen. His heart pounding, he opened another portal to his cabin. She said sh
e’d
meet him there. He pulled the ring wide and stepped through it quickly.

She wasn’t here, either.

A ragged cry burst from his mouth as he forced himself to concentrate. She might be hurt. She needed him. Could Trevor and Rylan already have her? Had Tamasin betrayed her? Where would they have taken her? He opened a portal to his apartment in Boston. Shivering in the chill of the Veil, he went from room to room, his hope cresting as he reached every doorway and crashing to the ground whenever he looked in to see she wasn’t there.

He was just brushing his thumb over the raven again, planning to head back to Psychopomps and enlist Cacy’s help, when Eli appeared in front of him. Dec sagged with relief. “I can’t find Galena,” he said, his voice cracking. “And I think she’s in trouble.”

Eli stared at him. His green eyes glowed red, and his claws were extended. “She is.” He grabbed Dec’s arm. “Come on.”

Dec felt a burst of cold air, and then he landed face-first on spongy concrete. Cursing and confused, he pushed himself to his feet to find Eli standing over him. They were in a narrow garbage-
strewn side street, but it was completely unfamiliar. “Eli?” he panted. “Where is she?”

“Welcome to Pittsburgh,” Eli growled, bearing his fangs as he leaned toward Dec. “I think it’s time you and I had a little talk.”