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Allie

My eyes blink open, and then the headache hits me.

Gods! My head feels like I’ve been drinking cheap wine for a week without water.

There’s a slow, steady drip, and something heavy on my head. My mouth has the acrid taste in it, like oil.

I try to talk… but as I’d suspected – there’s something in my mouth.

I can’t feel Daccia, Hadrian, or Kitos. Even when the Bond was muted, I could at least feelsomethingof their aura. Now they’re just…gone.

I weakly lift my head, and find Torelli is standing above me, looking down cruelly.

I take bearing of my surroundings. That’s when I seeher.

Lilac.

Oh, Gods! Lilac!

My sister is huddled in the corner, looking barely older than when I’d seen her last, three years earlier.

But she does lookdifferent. Her eyes are blank and stretched wide open, like there’s nothing going on inside her mind.

I try to get up, but Torelli gives me a hard shove and I slam against the wall.

"Your little triad can't feel you anymore, slut.” He towers over me. “You think I'm stupid, little child? Those goggles fooled no one! You wereobviouslyBonded to them – and what does that mean? That you four came here looking for the other woman who shares your DNA. I could smell your shared blood a mile away.”

Torelli takes a menacing step toward me.

“How could you be so stupid? I looked you up,Allie Tabber.”

Oh, Gods… He knows my name!

“You’re Allie Tabber – wanted fugitive. That means theyareLaw Enforcement, just as I suspected. Although not for very long – since they clearlyfuckedtheir prisoner."

I'm gagged, so I can't say anything.

I look weakly over at my sister. She's got blank eyes, like she’s staring ahead but seeing nothing. Like, right now, she’s staring straight at me – but clearly doesn't recognize me.

"Stupid bitch, that one,” Torelli jerks his head towards her. “Hasn't talked in two years. No good to anybody, except as a warm, wet hole to fuck.”

The menacing Aurelian looks down at me.

“You, on the other hand. You’requitevaluable. Valuable enough for me not to want anybody trying to take you away from me.”

Anybody like Daccia, Kitos, and Hadrian. I know they’ll already be searching for me.

As if reading my mind, Torelli snarls:

“Don’t get your hopes up. Your little friends are going to get a surprise visit from Law Enforcement. I told the agency everything. Those three are on the Kill List now.”

Oh, Gods – the Kill List.

One of the Most Wanted lists of fugitives from Aurelian justice. Wanted criminals with the order to shoot-on-sight.

Oh, Gods! I feel so stupid!