I felt sick to my stomach as Judge Holt carried me through a system of passages hidden in the courthouse walls. Mallory hadn’t had a chance. He’d put the gun to the back of her head and pulled the trigger. I would never forget that horrifying moment. Murder was so profoundly gruesome—both physically and spiritually.
My multi-tool was in my front pocket. Problem was, he’d tied my wrists behind my back.
As we went along, it seemed the judge knew every secret nook and cranny the building possessed. The ropes he’d used to tie my wrists and ankles scratched my skin, and he’d stuffed my gunshot wound with gauze to slow the bleeding. He’d been serious about not killing me quick. I was both grateful and crazy scared.
“What happened to your father?” I asked him again. The question seemed to be the only one that evoked any real emotion from the man.
“I told you. He left my mom for an integrator because he was possessed. She showed me how to release him from his sins.”
I had no doubt there would be scars on his back from his mother’s “training.”
“You killed your father.”
“I saved him.” He continued moving, his voice once again flat. “Integrators have to repent first. But the demons are strong, and I have to cut away the flesh. Only then do the integrators confess. As their life force drains, I cut off the pinky toe so that the demons will leave the body.”
Judge Holt might believe he cut off the pinky toes to release demons, but the reality was that those toes were also his trophies. I had no doubts that he had them stored somewhere.
We stopped, suddenly, but it was too dark for me to see. Judge Holt set me down on the dusty floor. He turned his gaze on me, and I recoiled at the sight of his white, glowing eyes.
“What are you?” I hadn’t meant to sound frightened, but his gleeful response told me he’d enjoyed my fear.
“I’m Scalapus humanus. My animal is a version of the Eastern mole, but my species has developed eyes that can see better in the dark than in the light. I wear contacts when I have to be above ground to keep them protected.”
“I’ve never heard of your kind.”
“We’re rare. Other than my parents, I’ve never met another like me.” He moved close enough to my face that I could smell the sweet smell of whiskey on his breath.
He moved away and was doing something that I couldn’t see. I twisted my body, fighting to get my arms to bend enough to reach into my front pocket for the tool.
“What are you doing?” the judge asked. “You know I can see in the dark.” He turned his spooky eyes on me. “Perfectly. You are in my world. You can’t escape me.”
“Leiberman did.”
“Well, I had to kill Lloyd. After dumping the body, I returned to find that Lieberman had escaped. The man never saw my face. I wasn’t worried about him identifying me.” The judge made a noise of triumph. “There.” He pulled a panel from the wall, and the corridor lit up.
When he shielded his eyes, I screamed as I kicked him at the knees and felt my ankle snap again. Holt bellowed his rage as he fell through the opening. Quickly, I closed my eyes and willed my animal forward. It would make me more vulnerable for a moment, but was my only hope of escaping the madman.
I changed easily, but now I was trapped in my clothes, tangled in a mess of pants, shirt, undergarments. When I got myself free, I looked up to see the judge’s glowing eyes as he tried to hammer me with a gavel. I rolled as it hit the concrete. Cripes, the hammer end was metal and took a small chunk out of the floor where my head had just been. I engaged my legs as fast as they would carry me, which would typically have been close to fifteen miles per hour, but unfortunately, with the hurt ankle, I moved a little slower. I was blind as I flew down the secret path, trying to remember which way to turn to get back to the judge’s quarters.
“Nicole!” the judge roared. “Nicole!”
If he thought I was going to answer him, he really was nuts. In the distance, I heard my name coming from the opposite direction. My pulse jumped as I realized it was Dom.
I’m here, I chittered in raccoon language, but not in any way he could hear me. I couldn’t risk changing forms. Not with the judge hot on my trail. Call my name again, I willed Dom. Call my name to guide me out of here.
I hit a wall. No! I turned around to go back, but it was too late. I was trapped.
“I can see you, little Nicole,” the judge said. I could see his glowing eyes about thirty feet away. “You can’t escape me.”
I took a deep breath, braced myself against the wall, and when the judge was less than four feet away, I pushed off in a fantastic leap, landing on the judge’s face. I fought and scratched and bit him until all I could taste and see was his awful blood. He grappled at me with his hands, hitting me, yanking my tail, slicing at me with his claw, and doing everything in his power to get me off his head.
A roar that shook the walls of my prison froze the judge and me in place for the space of a heartbeat, before I dug my tiny fingers into his eyes. He screamed just as the wall beside us exploded and a giant black bear smashed through behind us.
I heard the clock tower in the courthouse building begin to chime. Bong. I jumped from the judge’s head. Dom’s bear clamped his jaws around the judge’s neck and shook the man for eleven more bongs.
The judge stopped moving. And breathing.
Death strikes at twelve.
I shifted back to human. I huddled against the wall, revulsion, and disgust pummeling my gut as I wretched the blood from my throat. Dom ran his hands over me. “Are you okay, darling? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? Talk to me? You’re scaring me, Nic. Talk to me.”
“I...” I hiccupped. “I’m okay.” I started to cry when he put his arms around me. “I’m okay.”
“Dominic, did you find her?” I heard Eldin yell.
I touched Dom’s cheek as he held me so tight it was hard to breathe. “You called the cavalry, huh?”
“You betcha,” Dom said. He squeezed me even more.
I let out a small cry of pain. “Careful.” I touched my wounded shoulder.
“You’re bleeding.”
“That’s because I’ve been shot. It hurts like hell, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to live.”
“In here, I found her!” he hollered to Eldin with some urgency. “Bring blankets! And let the doctor know we’re on our way.” He kissed me. “You have a habit of finding trouble. Is this what I have to look forward to in the future?”
“I certainly hope not,” I said. “But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.”
“I thought I lost you, Nicole. I thought...I can’t lose you. I love you, Nic.” He pressed his forehead against mine, his breath slow and deep. “I love you.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent of him, earthy, woodsy, with the brightest hint of verbena. “I love you too.”