10
Breck sat staring at his palmtop for a long time after Tam messaged him. He was supposed to call the police and involve them in this mess. He was supposed to stand aside while they rescued Sophie; then he’d use his money to get her out of the system and ship her to the middle of nowhere with some missionaries who’d raise her to be “good.” He knew the plan, knew his role in it, and how that role would cut him out of Tam’s and Sophie’s lives forever.
But even if Tam managed to survive Stefan and avoid becoming a suspect in the Queen’s Jewels theft, calling the police now meant they’d be investigating Sophie’s family and why she was being held by two wanted criminals. A chat with the Royale’s staff would implicate Tam, and they’d dig into her past. Which meant she was going to end up getting arrested, one way or the other.
Fuck. He hated this. He couldn’t save her from herself. He knew that. Deus, how he knew that. But making this call now really would screw her over. Even if she didn’t want to keep him in her life, and even if she wanted to cut ties with her sister, he couldn’t bring himself to do something that might hurt her.
But how else could he get the little girl away from two men who made their living as hired guns? He’d need help. Tam wanted him to call the police to get that help, but there was someone else he could call. He tapped the code into his palmtop and waited for it to connect. Please, let the man be in the mood to chat.
Hunter’s face filled the screen, tanned except for the thin white scar that ran down one side. “Breck.”
“Avery.” Breck nodded a greeting. “When you got here, you asked if I needed help. Is that offer still good?”
The other man blinked. “Yes.”
“Good.” Breck let a breath ease out. This was probably among the most reckless ideas he’d ever had, and that was saying something. “It’ll be dangerous.”
A small smile touched Hunter’s lips. “I’ll wear my nanoarmor vest.”
“You have it with you?” Really? Breck’s eyebrow rose, and he couldn’t stop his answering smile.
Hunter shrugged. “I bring it any time Delilah’s working. She’s needed a hand a few times, and her work carries certain risk.”
There was a thought. The feisty lynx-shifter would definitely be an asset. She was ferocious and occasionally unpredictable. “I wouldn’t mind Delilah’s help, too. I’ve heard she can handle herself in a fight.”
A chuckle spilled out of Hunter. “She can, but she’s out right now. You just get me.”
“That’ll do. Thank you.”
What the hell was he doing? He was out of his mind. Certifiable.
Ten minutes later, he perched on the edge of his balcony in his eagle form, and Hunter clutched the railing beside him in his hawk form. They had to take advantage of the only real advantages they had—the element of surprise and the fact that they could fly. If Nichols and Leland stuck to their usual schedule, Nichols would walk out onto the main balcony of Stefan’s suite in the next few minutes to smoke. Easy pickings for a diving bird of prey.
Breck launched himself upward, then circled back to pick up a bag of clothing that he’d left on his balcony. He’d figured they might scare the shit out of Sophie if two large, stark ass naked men showed up to rescue her. Hunter followed suit, only his bag included his nanoarmor vest, which he’d use as a weapon to drop on Nichols’s head. They winged through the night, silent and watchful.
There.
Nichols stepped outside, his cigartine a red spot of light in the darkness. Hunter swooped forward, and the hawk let his bag fall. It slammed into Nichols’s shoulder and he cried out as he fell to his knees. Shit. Breck had been hoping for a knockout, but that shout was going to bring Leland running.
Tucking his wings in for a straight dive, Breck shifted just before he hit the balcony floor. His bag rolled away, and he swung his fist at Nichols’s face. The man snarled, his eyes glowing yellow in the dark. His nose crunched under Breck’s fist, but he jabbed his fingers upward into Breck’s ribs. There was desperate power in that hit, and all the breath whooshed out of Breck’s lungs. He stumbled back, and Nichols came after him, growling like the dingo that he was. Wild and vicious.
Fuck.
A shrieking cry rent the air as Hunter dove down, his talons aimed straight for Nichols’s face. The dingo-shifter ducked, and the hawk raked his claws down the man’s arm. Breck took the opportunity to jump Nichols, and the two of them tumbled across the balcony to hit the railing. Pain shot straight to Breck’s skull when his back hit the hard metal. The dingo tried to punch him, and Breck blocked it. Nichols shoved them into a roll, trying to get another hit in.
“Shit.” That was from Hunter, and when Breck and Nichols rolled again, he saw Leland tangling with the hawk-shifter. He’d managed to get his nanoarmor on, and he seemed to be holding his own in the fight, but that was all the attention Breck could pay the other men.
Shoving the dingo-shifter backward, Breck staggered to his feet. Sweat slid down his face to burn his eyes, and adrenaline burned through his veins. Talons sprang from his fingertips, and he sliced at the dingo-shifter when he came at him, catching him across the chest. Blood splattered the ground, and Breck took another swipe. Nichols ducked in close and landed another punch, slamming his fist right into the same ribs he’d struck before. Breck gagged, pain darkening his vision, and it was all he could do to remain conscious. So he let himself go limp, and Nichols stumbled under the sudden deadweight. Before he went all the way down, Breck powered upward with his legs, swung his elbow around, and used the momentum to drive it into Nichols’s face.
The dingo-shifter went down, finally. Breck bent forward and braced his hands on his knees, sucking in breaths. It felt as if a white-hot brand had been pressed against his ribs, and the pain radiated up his side. He gingerly pressed a hand to them and winced. Bruised, but not broken. He’d broken a rib before and it had been worse than this.
This was bad enough.
Grunts and the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the air, and Breck straightened to see Leland slam his foot into Hunter’s knee. Hunter’s leg crumpled under him, and he rolled with the fall. Leland spun toward Breck, razored shark’s teeth bared. Dangerous if he tried to bite, but they both knew he wouldn’t be shifting. Not if he wanted to breathe. He came at Breck, but Breck dropped down, shooting a foot out to kick. Leland jumped back, and Breck only grazed his calf. Not enough to do real damage. Damn it. They stood, circling each other to look for an opening to strike.
Breck’s breath came in ragged pants, but he watched Hunter weave to his feet behind Leland. “Hey, fuckwit.”
Leland spun to face the new threat. Hunter lifted his hand and the shark-shifter dropped.
“You didn’t even touch him.” Breck felt his jaw sag in shock. “What the hell?”
Holding up a small canister, Hunter shrugged. “It’s Delilah’s trademark. I had some in my bag. A little spray of this stuff and a guy is out cold with nothing but a headache to remember her by.”
“Nice.” Breck found his bag and pulled on a pair of pants. “Let’s get Sophie and get out of here.”
He led the way into the suite, heading straight for the child’s room. Hunter hobbled after him, favoring the knee Leland had hit.
“Sophie?” Breck called when he didn’t see her. Was she hiding somewhere? His blood ran cold. Had they already done something terrible to the girl? Were they too late? “Sophie!”
“Get me out of here!” A muffled little voice shouted, and it sounded like fists pounded against wood.
“There,” Hunter said, nodding toward a closet.
Breck was across the room in three strides. He disengaged the lock and jerked the door open. Sophie tumbled out into his arms. “Breck! Where are the bad men?”
“We knocked them out on the balcony.” He quickly checked the girl for injuries and found none.
Sophie pulled away and ran to see the scene on the balcony. “How long will they be that way?”
“Not very long. We need to go.” Breck held out a hand for her to take, but she trotted past him.
She returned a moment later and handed him two long pieces of black cloth. “The belts from Father’s robes. Microsilk makes very tight knots.”
Hunter snorted in amusement, leaning against a wall for support. “Nice.”
“We should put them in the closet in my bedroom.” Her little mouth set in a firm line. “See if they like being locked in there.”
Sounded like a decent plan to Breck. “Then that’s where they’re going.”
“I’ll help you tie them up.”
He shook his head, but quickly trussed up the other men, tying the knots far tighter than he should. If they woke up, they’d have a hard time shifting in the tight space, and Breck was going to make them as uncomfortable as possible in the meantime. Any little thing that might slow them down once they came to.
Hunter stood out of the way as Breck hoisted the men over his shoulder one at a time and carted them into Sophie’s bedroom to dump in the closet.
“Wait! I just thought of something.” Sophie grabbed his hand, desperation in her grip. “You know where Tam went tonight, don’t you?”
“Of course.” How could he forget?
“Good!” Her eyes lit with relief and hope. “You can go save her now. They put me in the closet when I got mad because they were talking about the bad things Father was going to do to Tam tonight. You have to go save her.” Tears brightened her eyes and her small hand clutched his. “Please, Breck. He’s not a nice man. He’ll do those bad things they said.”
How could he explain to a ten-year-old that her sister didn’t want to be saved? That her sister intended to dump her on some good little missionaries at the earliest opportunity? There was no kind way to deliver that message. He might have to anyway, but not now. Besides, could he really live with himself if he let Stefan get his hands on Tam? No. She might have a death wish, but Breck would be damned if he’d let the weasel win.
“My mate is with Tam.” Hunter’s words jarred Breck back to reality.
“What?”
“She left just before you called. Something about stealing the real jewels instead of the fakes. I’m going after her.” He turned toward the door, stumbling as his injured leg tried to buckle underneath him.
“No, you’re injured. I’ll go.” Breck transferred Sophie’s hand into Hunter’s. “Take Sophie somewhere else. I don’t care where. Any other hotel in the city, just not here, then call a medic to see to your leg.”
The man’s face had gone pale. “If anything happens to Delilah . . .”
“Nothing will, I promise. I have to go now.” He shifted to eagle form, flew out the balcony doors and up to his penthouse. Another quick shift and he’d stuffed his tux and shoes into a bag and winged his way out again. Toward Surrey. And Tam. And Stefan.
What would have taken almost forty-five minutes in London traffic took him less than twenty flying. He landed on the Abernathy grounds, changed into his tux, and tried to appear calm and composed when he entered the manor.
No more than three steps into the ballroom, Stefan was at his side, hissing in his ear. “You’re late, loverboy, which tells me you’re up to something.”
Breck cast the older man a disdainful glance. “I had a meeting. I do have business to attend to outside of playing your lackey, and that business has been sorely neglected while I chased after Tam.”
“You’re lying,” Stefan replied, his voice silken and chilly at the same time. “Now, Constantine, my men haven’t answered my calls, which tells me something is wrong. You did something to them.”
A shiver of danger went up Breck’s spine, but he held that chilling gaze and continued to lie. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The weasel-shifter jabbed a gun into Breck’s ribs, right where Nichols had nailed him. He winced, hunching forward a bit, beads of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“No idea, huh?” Stefan’s smile turned smug. “Business meetings don’t usually leave wounds.”
The lights overhead flickered for just a moment, then went completely black for thirty full seconds before they flared back to life. Stefan grabbed Breck’s arm, keeping his gun pressed to Breck’s side. There were a few exclamations from around the ballroom, but the musicians quickly resumed playing and the party was back under way.
“What was that?” Stefan snapped. He ground his weapon into Breck’s injured ribs with bruising force, and it was all he could do not to vomit.
“I don’t know.” Sweat slipped down Breck’s face, and his limbs began to shake. He fisted his hands and rode out the agony, refusing to give the older man the satisfaction of making him cry out.
“Right. Assuming that you’ve managed to remove Sophie from my men’s guardianship, I’m going to need something to make sure Tam does as she’s told. Specifically you, Constantine.” Stefan jerked his chin toward a doorway that opened off the ballroom. “Move or I will kill you. Don’t doubt it.”
As if there was any room for doubt. Breck walked in the direction of the door, and presumably the office and safe that held the Queen’s Jewels beyond. “You’re assuming pointing a gun at me will make Tam do anything.”
Now, there was a sad truth that burned straight down to Breck’s soul. On the one hand, he didn’t want to be a pawn Stefan could use to manipulate her. On the other hand, did he want more evidence that his mate didn’t care for him as much as he cared for her? Not really. He knew she loved Sophie, but him? Not really. Not enough to stay.
The blue light of a freeze torch illuminated the sharp angles of Delilah’s face. A triumphant grin curled her lips. “We cracked the Helax 1600. We’re going to be fucking legendary.”
Tam checked the chrono hanging on the office wall. Fifteen seconds left. “We unlocked the door, we haven’t stolen anything from it yet.”
“What’s your plan for that?” Delilah shut down her freeze torch and stowed it in her bag.
Tam kept her gaze fixed on the chrono but set one hand on the handle of the safe. “You’ll see. Get ready to open it in . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .”
The lights flashed, then darkened. All sounds of electronic devices cut off. People called out in the distance, and she could hear running feet outside the window. Not a moment to lose.
Delilah threw her weight behind opening the door, which no longer had electricity to help it swing. The two women grunted and the door gave, its hinges squeaking.
“Stand guard, Dee.” Tam grabbed a bag and used her cheetah speed to dart through the opening. Her feline sight gave her the ability to see what she wanted and she shoved the necklaces, tiaras, diadems, earrings, brooches, and parures into the bag. Hurry. She counted down the seconds she had left before the power would come back on. Faster, Tam, faster. She pushed her speed to the absolute limit. If so much as a toe was still in the safe when that happened, she was dead.
Snatching up the last silver coronet, she spun and threw it to Delilah, sprinting for the door and diving through it headfirst. The lights flickered back to life.
“Fuck me.” Delilah stared into the safe, as the laser beams laced back and forth across the interior. “Those are the ones that’ll slice your legs off. They aren’t just motion detectors.”
“They’re both.” Tam gasped for breath on the floor, rolling to her back and pushing the bag of jewels to the side. “And if you set off the detectors, they trigger a gas that’ll kill your nervous system.”
“Upgrades from the last Helax model.” The lynx-shifter shuddered but shoved the door closed. “How long before they know it’s been breached?”
“If we’re lucky? An hour. I had the power knocked out across all of Surrey, not just this house, so they won’t automatically know they were targeted.” Pushing herself upright, Tam tried to stiffen her shaking legs. She helped Delilah slide the armoire that hid the safe back into place, then heaved a sighed. “Deus, we did it.”
“Cracked a Helax 1600 and stole the Queen’s Jewels,” Delilah crowed. “When that bit of buzz gets around, we are going to be notorious.”
Tam chuckled and handed the lynx-shifter the bulging bag. “Enjoy your dress-up session before you give them back.”
“You know I will. I might do a naked show for Hunter in them. He’d love that.”
Tam dabbed the sweat from her forehead, trying to come to grips with the fact that she’d made it out of that safe alive when no one else who’d tried to break into it ever had. “Rumor has it you met him trying to steal the famed Avery ruby.”
“I like shiny things. And I like when people pay me to steal them.” The lynx-shifter hummed in her throat as she peered into the bag. “Now those are some prime bits of pretty right there.”
“You have to hand it to them, the royals really know their expensive baubles.” Tam swept back a lock of hair that had come loose in her tumble out of the safe. “Give me the fakes. They’re going to Stefan.”
She’d already looked at them, and they were good. They’d pass anything but a close inspection. That might throw the little weasel off just long enough. She had to try. There was no way she’d risk him touching the real things. They’d be gone and Tam would be to blame. Tam and Delilah, and she wouldn’t do that to someone who’d helped her more than once.
Delilah cocked her head to the side, her body going still. “Someone’s coming.”
“Shit.” Tam heard it, too, the sound of footsteps approaching. “Stash the goods.”
They each stuffed their bags behind different pieces of furniture. Tam grabbed Delilah’s arm and shoved her onto the long kleather sofa that dominated one wall. Delilah landed in a sprawl on her back, and Tam knelt between her legs. She shoved the other woman’s skirt up her thighs, then tugged her own dress down to her waist, baring her breasts.
“Wha—”
The door swung open and Tam giggled drunkenly, leaning over Delilah’s prone form. A large man stood in the doorway, his mouth sagging open when he took in the scene before him. His gaze went straight to Tam’s breasts and glazed a bit. Just as she’d intended. She giggled harder. “Oops, Dee, we got caught.”
Delilah pouted and glared at their intruder. “Why did you have to ruin our fun?”
He cleared his throat, his gaze darting between Delilah’s long, bared legs and Tam’s chest. “I . . . um . . . we’re doing a manual security check of the . . . of the house and grounds. Because of the power outage. It shorted the . . . vidmonitors.”
Also what Tam had intended.
“Did the lights go out? I thought that was just the orgasm.” Delilah giggled and reached up to grope one of Tam’s breasts.
Tam slapped the lynx-shifter’s hand away, laughing. Making a half-hearted attempt to pull her dress back up, she made sure her chest was still in view and still distracting the guard. She gave him a sheepish glance. “Our men are handling some business affairs at the party, so we decided to sneak off and handle some affairs of our own.” She winked. “Drusilla said her staff would understand.”
“Ah.” He coughed into his fist. “Yes, well, this is a restricted area. I’m going to need to escort you out.”
“Of course.” Tam nodded sagely but made sure to weave drunkenly as she rose to her feet. “You’ll wait out in the hall for us while we tidy ourselves up? With the door closed, if you please. Anyone could walk by, and that might be quite embarrassing for my friend’s husband.”
Delilah heaved a long-suffering sigh, sat up, and somehow managed to flash even more of her long legs. “We’re newlyweds. He’s still smitten.”
“You have one minute.” The guard grabbed the knob and pulled the door shut.
Delilah shoved her dress down, running for her jewel bag. “What was that about Lady Abernathy?”
“Lord and Lady Abernathy share the same mistress.” Tam hauled her gown up and slid the straps over her shoulders, then went to get her own bag.
Delilah paused for a moment. “You mean a three-way or like a time-share?”
“Time-share, I think.” Tam strode over to push open the window, glancing out to see if anyone was watching.
“Does she get paid overtime?”
“Hey!” The guard snapped outside the door. Tam was about to reply when she heard a low coughing sound, then the distinct thump of a body hitting the ground.
Gooseflesh rose on her flesh. “Delilah, go out the window. Now.”
“Don’t bother, my dear,” Stefan’s voice carried clearly through the door, but he wasn’t the one who pushed it open.
Breck was.
Tam’s blood ran cold at seeing him there. Then she got a clear view of the guard, sprawled across the carpet with a neat hole in his forehead, his eyes staring ahead sightlessly. Her stomach turned. “There was no need to kill the guard, Stefan.”
“He was standing in my way.” Stefan shrugged as if it meant little to him. And it did. Taking someone’s life didn’t rattle him at all, whereas the scent of death that curled into Tam’s nose made her skin prickle with unease.
She looked to Breck, whose face was sickly pale. “Are you all right?”
A muscle flexed in his jaw, and his chin jerked down in a sharp nod. Sweat streaked down his skin, lines of pain bracketing his mouth and eyes.
“What did you do to him?” Delilah demanded.
“Nothing at all. He showed up to the gala a bit worse for the wear. I have my suspicions that he tangled with my men trying to rescue my daughter from my loving care.” Stefan’s eyes widened theatrically. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Tam?”
“I’ve been here, doing your dirty work, Stefan.” Her hand tightened on her bag and her mind raced. From where Stefan stood, Delilah was half-hidden behind the desk. It was possible he couldn’t see that she held a bag identical to Tam’s. “Why don’t we get this trade over with? The Queen’s Jewels for Breck, and then you just walk away and leave us alone? It’s not going to be long before they find that guard outside. You don’t have a lot of time, Stefan.”
She hefted the bag, shaking it so the items inside jangled together. Tension stiffened her muscles, terror a living thing inside of her. Was Sophie all right? Why was Breck here and not with the girl? How had he ended up at gunpoint? How injured was he? Oh, Deus. Oh, Deus.
Greed filled Stefan’s gaze as it locked on Tam’s hand. “I could simply kill all of you and take what’s mine.”
“You think you’re faster than all three of us combined?” Delilah snorted. “You’re dreaming, pisswad. I’d take you down with me, just for spite.”
Stefan ignored her. “Give me the jewels or I put a hole in loverboy they can’t slap a nanopatch over.”
“Take them.” Swinging her hand, Tam threw them so they landed close to the middle of the room. Outside of Stefan’s reach. She met Breck’s gaze, hoping he understood that this might give him a chance to get clear of the gun. His chin dipped a mere millimeter, but it was enough.
Stefan smirked as if he knew Tam was trying to pull something. He jabbed his weapon into Breck’s ribs, making him groan. “Step over there, away from both women and my treasure.”
Breck walked toward the couch as he was told, and Stefan moved forward, never lowering his eyes or his gun as he dipped down to pick up the bag. “You too, Delilah. Throw the bag you’re hiding over here.”
“How do you know which is real?” Delilah taunted, not moving to do what he said.
“It doesn’t matter if I take them both with me,” he retorted, but he looked at Tam. “I told you I’d win.”
Deus, she loathed him as she’d loathed nothing and no one in her life before. Hate spilled through her, dark and ugly. “The jewels aren’t what matters to me. Take them and leave us alone.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that. What matters to you.” Stefan smiled at her. “It’s not enough for you to die. I thought it would be, but it’s not. I want you to lose everything you love. Sophie. Loverboy. Your freedom. I thought Constantine might deny me the pleasure when he didn’t come with you tonight, but he was so accommodating. I’m going to love watching you suffer, little whore.”
“Please.” The word was a sob spilling from her lips. What he described was every one of her worst fears coming to life. And looking at that gun of his, the dead guard sprawled out in the hall, she could imagine it all far too clearly. “Don’t hurt them.”
“Begging won’t help you. They’re going to die. You’re going to jail.” He said the words as if he relished the taste of them on his tongue. “And I’ll know you’re out there in the world, even more miserable than I am without your mother, rotting in a cage.”
“No court in the world will convict her when I’m done testifying.” Delilah’s eyes narrowed to angry slits, her fangs extended.
“Oh, but she killed you, too. All of you, so she could keep the jewels for herself.” Innocence shone from Stefan’s face as he trained his weapon on her. “Throw them to me. Now.”
Helplessness spread through Tam, and tears pricked her eyes. Time slowed down, stretched out until she could feel every painful moment trickling past. Her heart beat in slow, painful thumps. She felt rooted in place, a spectator watching her world crumble. Even if they outnumbered him, he could kill at least one of them before they could take him. Delilah grabbed her bag, flipped it over the desk, and launched it at Stefan’s head while she dove for the floor. He ducked and the gun went off, but Breck was already moving toward Stefan.
Sensing the threat, he turned on Breck, his finger squeezing the trigger. That snapped Tam out of her daze. No. She would not allow this to happen. No. She darted forward, shoving Breck out of the way. The bullet slammed into her with the force of a speeding transport, bowling her over.
A moment later, she heard the angry, piercing shriek of an eagle as Breck punched his talons through Stefan’s throat. Blood sprayed everywhere, dark crimson. The look of shock on the man’s face was almost comical. He really had thought himself invincible. But he’d been wrong. It was over. The monster was dead.
So was she.
She could feel the blood pumping out of her body with every beat of her heart.
“Good use of speed, Tam.” Breck turned to her, relief filling his expression, but then his gaze landed on the palm she had covering her wound.
“I thought you got us both out of the way.” He caught her before she slumped to the floor. He pressed all his weight down on the bullet hole.
“Deus, Tam. Deus.” Delilah hauled herself upright, her eyes going wide and wild when she looked at Tam. The lynx-shifter fumbled for her bag and pulled out a palmtop to make a call. She sounded panicked, scared, but somehow her words were fuzzy and didn’t quite reach Tam’s ears.
“Don’t you die, Tam. Don’t you fucking do it.”
Her head rolled against the floor and she looked at Breck. He was so handsome, so wonderful. She’d hurt him so much, shoved him out of her life, and still he was here, trying to save her. They could have been happy together—her, Breck, and Sophie. A real family. And now she’d never have the chance. She’d failed, becoming Stefan’s victim one last time. But better her than Breck or Sophie.
She tried to smile at him, but it hurt. Everything hurt. Breathing hurt. There was blood everywhere, all over his hands, his clothes. Her blood. Far too much of it.
“Damn you, Tam. Why?” Fury vibrated in his every movement while he shoved down on her wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was a futile effort. “You were just determined to fucking die, weren’t you?”
His voice broke on a sob that ripped her heart in two. She wanted to tell him that he’d been right, that she wanted to stay with him so bad she could taste it. She’d tried to find a way to stay, she really had hoped she might, but she couldn’t seem to get words out past the pain. The sound that escaped her throat was a mere gurgle.
He turned his head to the side and wiped a tear off on his shoulder. “You can’t die now, Tam. Not now.”
She didn’t want to. No, she wanted to stay. She wanted to spend her life with him, making up for everything she’d done to bring him pain. Making him happy. Mating with him. But blackness filled the edges of her vision and she blinked, trying to focus on him. Breck.
His voice turned pleading. “Please don’t go, Tam. Sophie needs you. She’s waiting for you to come back to her, right now. Stay for her, if you won’t stay for me. Please.”
She opened her mouth, needing to tell him how much she loved him, to thank him for everything while she still had the time, but nothing came out. A vise closed around her chest, the agony turning to darkness that roared up and swallowed her whole.