wouldn’t be a possession. It’d be a capture. You’d feel her there, but she’d be your prisoner. Not an occupant taking control of your body. She’d just be a captive in the universe inside you.”
Rune swallowed the bile that rose into her throat. “No. I can’t do that. Besides, if I could eat souls, I’d know it by now.”
“Maybe.”
They traveled in silence for a few minutes. Rune’s mind was too full of dread and worry to speak. But finally, she broke the silence. “I need your help with one more thing.”
“Of course.”
“Damascus has my friends. One of them is a man named Z. He died in my world.” She ground her teeth, unaware she was doing it until a sharp pain brought it to her attention. “I want him the fuck back. I need to know where the witch’s other castles are.”
“You’d be better served by concentrating on the witch instead of her ploys and sneaky games. She’ll manipulate you until you barely know who you are. Don’t play, Rune. Find her, fight her, and hope like hell you can destroy her.” She tightened her arms around Rune’s waist. “You can free your friends by killing the witch.”
“Every second I’m not there, she’s torturing them.”
“Don’t let her dictate your actions,” Abby said. “I know her. I’ve been with her in one way or another for many, many years. Do what you have to do. Stop wasting time.”
Rune nodded. Abby was saying everything Rune knew she needed to do but wasn’t sure she could do.
No more chasing down people or trying to save prisoners before she did the one thing she could do that would fix everything. But…
The sooner she killed Damascus, the sooner she might have to leave. And if Ada told the truth, it would not be possible for her to return.
That was enough to make anyone procrastinate.
She might have to leave Z.
And that was another fucking thing she really, really didn’t think she could do.
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Just up ahead is where I left my people. Are you ready to do this?”
Abby slid off the horse and grinned up at Rune. She had a sparkle in her eyes that she hadn’t had before. “I know the witch well. I can certainly be her for a few minutes. I’ll give you time to prepare your man before I appear.”
Rune nodded and rode on alone, her stomach tossing and turning as though she’d swallowed a live animal.
She saw the berserker standing beside Lex, and she was able to breathe again. Part of her had believed that before she made it back, the witch would have added two more people to her dungeons.
And she’d gone anyway.
She squeezed her shotgun and wished for her claws.
“All set?” Strad asked, his eyes lighting with relief at the sight of her.
“Set for what?” Lex asked. But it wasn’t really her question. It was Karin’s.
“Yeah,” Rune told Strad.
He nodded.
She dismounted and just stared at the two of them for a long moment.
It would work.
It had to work.
“Lex,” Rune said, “didn’t Strad tell you where I went?”
“He said you went to get some information about the witch.”
“Yeah,” Rune lied. “And I got it. I learned some secrets and her vulnerabilities.”
Lex rubbed her hands together. “Ooh, juicy gossip. I love it.” She laughed, then frowned. “Shit,” she muttered.
Karin was getting stronger.
Hurry, Abby.
“Rune,” Lex said. “If she gains control of my demon, she’ll kill everyone in her path on her way to the witch.”
“You haven’t used your demon since you’ve been here, have you?” Rune asked, understanding the little Other’s fear.
Karin Love grew her power through other people. She had no magic, no demon, no monster. And even so, she’d managed to torment a hell of a lot of people over the years. Karin with Lex’s power might very nearly be the witch’s match—at least in evil. Would she wipe out anyone she saw on her way to the witch? Hell yes.
That and more.
“You have to help me.” Lex shook her head, hard. “Before it’s too late.”
“I will, baby.”
“Get me the witch,” Lex demanded, only it wasn’t Lex.
It was Karin.
Rune snarled and had her fingers wrapped around Lex’s neck before she remembered she couldn’t kill Karin. She could only hurt Lex.
Strad eased her away from the little Other.
“I’m sorry, Lex,” Rune whispered. “God.” She shoved her fingers through her hair.
Lex held her hand to her throat. “I don’t blame you. It’s easy to forget when she comes to the surface.” She met Rune’s tormented stare. “You have to get her out