That was true. I did remember that. “And he didn’t care?”
“Your mother was too hard to control.” His eyes turned haunted. “Just like you are.”
“You threw me to the wolves!” To my dismay, my voice nearly cracked.
“I gave you a life!” he countered.
“And your recent dead-or-alive bounty really helps with that,” I snapped.
“I made it clear that alive was more profitable.”
I scoffed. “Well, thanks, Uncle Nate. What a prince.”
Suddenly, it did seem as though we were at an impasse. Neither of us spoke. I stared, rage and hurt boiling inside me, anxiety making it all worse, and he stared back, his blue eyes like chips of ice and his mouth a hard line of tension.
After a charged moment, Shade filled our silence. “Uncle Nate? Quin… Tess…” He put it all together in an instant. “Quintessa Novalight? I don’t fucking believe this!”
I snorted. “I guess you’re not the only one with secrets, asshole.”
I ducked, spinning as I elbowed him in the ribs. He turned with me, and my knee came up, hitting him hard in the groin. Shade bent in on himself with an explosive exhale. It wasn’t the kick in the balls I’d promised myself, but it was close enough. I slammed the flat of my gun down on his skull with a satisfying crack.
“Fuck! Tess!” Shade stumbled back, shaking his head.
I wasn’t anywhere near done. Fury fueled me, and I hauled off, kicking him hard in the gut. He reeled back into the wall, twisting and taking the blow on his arm instead of his back.
“Not the pack!” he wheezed with enough urgency to make me pause.
I kept my guard up. “Why? Got a bomb in there?” I geared up for another kick while his head was still ringing and I actually had a chance of doing some damage.
“Bonk,” he said.
I pulled up short. “What?”
Bridgebane put his gun to my head. I stiffened. Either Shade had just screwed me over—again—or…
I didn’t know what was going on.
Shade pushed off the wall and stood taller, his eyes darting from me to Bridgebane.
My uncle grabbed my arm and pulled me against him. “I have to produce something, Quin, or the Overseer will set the galaxy on fire trying to make more of what you took.” His jaw tightened, visibly flexing. “I wanted to turn over the lab. Without it, I need you.”
“Or him,” I said through clenched teeth, the barrel cold against my temple. “Why doesn’t he use himself? Or is he too much of a coward to get pricked and drained and have his insides stolen from him over and over? Clearly, I didn’t get it from Mom, since she died from a fucking fever!”
“Because it’s not him, either,” Bridgebane said.
“What?” How could that be? Did the anomaly start with me? Then who were the Mornavail?
“I’ll do what I can for you,” Bridgebane said. “You don’t seem to believe it, but I always have.”
My bastard of an uncle glanced at Shade. “Cuff her, Ganavan.”
Shade moved. He was going to do it, and my stomach hollowed. I’d almost thought for a moment… I swallowed. I’d hoped…
“I don’t think so, boss.” In the blink of an eye, Shade had his gun right in the center of Bridgebane’s forehead.
I inhaled in disbelief. “Shade?”
“Baby, I only ever wanted you to get away safe.” He didn’t take his eyes off my uncle. “Now take your cat and go.”
“Cat?” Bridgebane echoed. His face whitened, turning livid. “Baby?”
Chapter 27
While Bridgebane stood there with Shade’s gun to his head and looking like he’d just been hit by an asteroid, I raised my Grayhawk and hit him hard in the temple. He went down on one knee. My uncle groaned, clutching his head, and I grabbed Shade’s hand and pulled.
Shade resisted, the idiot.
“Go!” he shouted, keeping his weapon pointed and cocked.
“You have Bonk!” And Shade had just defied a direct order and threatened a Dark Watch general and the Galactic Overseer’s second-in-command with a lethal weapon. He was toast—unless he came with me.
Bridgebane staggered upright again. Neither Shade nor I shot him. I’m not sure why. Maybe we didn’t have murder in our blood.
I added my gun to Shade’s, keeping my uncle from raising his weapon, if he knew what was good for him. I didn’t kill anyone if I could help it. In fact, I’d never killed anyone at all, but I had no problem shooting him somewhere that hurt.
“Where are your goons?” I asked, glancing quickly around.