side of the partition that was in place, the uniformed driver was that butler who was
older than God and as cheerful as a terrier. Beside her V was dressed in black leather, as silent
and grim as a tombstone.
He hadn't said much. But he wouldn't let go of her hand.
The car's windows were darkened to such a degree she felt like she was in a tunnel, and in an
effort to ground herself she hit a button on the door next to her. As her slice of glass went down,
a shocking rush of cold pushed inside and replaced the warmth, a bully scattering the good kids
at a playground.
She stuck her head out into the breeze and looked at the pool of illumination thrown by the
headlights. The landscape was blurry, like a photograph out of focus. By the downward angle of
the road she knew they were coming off a mountain. Thing was, she couldn't get any sense of
where they were headed or where they had been.
In a weird way the disorientation was appropriate. This was the interlude between the world
she'd been in and the one she was returning to, and stretches of neither here nor there should be
hazy.
«I can't see where we are,» she murmured as she put the window back up.
«It's called mhis,» V said. «Think of it as a protective illusion.»
«A trick of yours?»
«Yeah. Mind if I light up, as long as I let in some fresh air?»
«That's fine.» It wasn't like she was going to be around him for much longer.
Crap.
V gave her hand a squeeze, then put his window down a quarter of an inch, the soft drone of
wind flaring up over the quiet hum of the sedan. His leather jacket creaked as he took out a hand
rolled and a gold lighter. The flint made a little rasp, and then the faint smell of Turkish tobacco
made her nose tingle.
«That smell is so going to-« She stopped.
«What?»
«I was going to say, 'remind me of you.' But it won't, will it?»
«Maybe in a dream.»
She put her fingertips on her window. The glass was cold. Just like the center of her chest.
Because she couldn't stand the silence, she said, «These enemies of yours, what exactly are
they?»
«They start as humans. Then they're turned into something else.»
As he inhaled, she saw his face aglow in orange light. He'd shaved before leaving, using the
razor she'd once wanted to turn against him, and his face was impossibly beautifully arrogant,
masculine, hard as his will. The tattoos at his temple were still beautifully done, but now she
hated them, knowing them for the violation they were.
She cleared her throat. «So tell me more?»
«The Lessening Society, our enemy, chooses its members through a careful screening process.
They look for sociopaths, murderers, amoral Jeffrey Dahmer types. Then the Omega steps in-«
«The Omega?»
He looked down at the tip of his hand-rolled. «Guess the Christian equivalent is the devil.
Anyway, the Omega gets his hands on them… as well as other things… and presto, changeo,
they wake up dead and moving. They are strong, virtually indestructible, and can be killed only
by a stab wound to the chest with something steel.»
«Why are they your enemies?»
He inhaled, again his brows going down low. «I suspect it might have something to do with my
mother.»
«Your mother?»
The hard smile that stretched his lips was more a curve than anything else. «I'm the son of what
you'd probably consider a god.» He lifted his gloved hand. «This is from her. Personally, as baby
gifts go, I'd have preferred one of those silver rattles, or maybe some paste to eat. But you don't
get to pick what your parents give you.»
Jane looked at the black leather that stretched over his palm. «Jesus…»
«Not according to our lexicon or my nature. I'm not the savior type.» He put the cigarette
between his lips and pulled off the glove. In the dimness of the backseat, his hand glowed with
the soft beauty of moonlight reflecting off of fresh snow.
He inhaled one last time, then took the cigarette and pressed the lit tip down right to the center of
his palm.
«No,» she hissed. «Wait-«
The butt was ashed in a flare of light, and he blew off the residue, a fine powder that dispersed in
the air. «I would give anything to get rid of this piece of shit. Although I will say, it's damn
handy when I don't have an ashtray.»
Jane felt woozy for a whole host of reasons, especially as she thought about his future. «Is your
mother forcing you to get married?»
«Yup. I sure as fuck wouldn't volunteer for it.» V's eyes shifted to
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