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She hoped it was reading wrong. She refused to stop regardless. They cut down one road and she examined eachbuilding. She saw a sign for a gaming center and turned down the alley. When they got to the door, she saw it was cracked open, blood smeared on the edge.

Sheek moved for the door, but Dani stopped her. “No. Keep watch. I need to go in alone.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Dani stepped for the door and tried to wrench it open but was unsuccessful. Sheek came around next to her and helped to pull it open enough so Dani could slip through.

“I’ll be right outside,” Sheek said.

Dani nodded. Slipping inside, she clicked on one of her lights to see down the dark passage. Cautiously, she headed toward the one door she could see at the end that was halfway open, with a dim yellow light streaming across the floor.

When she stepped inside Kryxis’ den, there was only the light of the lamp to see by. Everything else was in shadow.

“Kryxis?” she called. She moved her light across his workstation and saw a pile of metal. Beside it the old medikit from the wellness center sat open, gauze falling out of it. On the ground was his flaretool, a little flame still flickering from the end. “Kryxis, it’s me.”

Something clattered to the floor to her left and she whirled around. She saw a trail of blood and followed it with her light. Curled up below the statue of the four-armed man was Kryxis, clutching his shoulder.

She rushed over, kneeling beside him. “I’m here.”

He stared at her as if he was in shock. He blinked at her with his second eyelids. “Dani,” he whispered. “Kisa xe var vesh. You…came back.”

She smiled at him. “Yeah, I did.”

He shifted, fangs poking out from his upper lip. “Dani.Esh, lillak.”

She set the medikit down. “Let me see.”

He slid his hand away where he was holding the wound, and she saw he had already started to seal it with a meldpen. The bullet had cut right through his shoulder. Another had caught him across the ribs which he had yet to get to.

“Vish xi villari na kass nes ra xu fasar.”

She met his eyes, understanding this time. He had planned to clean and heal, then come back and try to reason with her again. Try to make her stay.

She shook her head. “No trying again.” He gave her a painful look, as if she had just punched him in the gut. “Because we have to go now.”

He stared at her confused. “Go?”

She took the meldpen from his other hand then opened her kit and took out a rag, wiping away the blood. “Yes, go. Something very bad is going to happen and I don’t know if I can stop it. So, we have to go.” She dropped the rag and started working on sealing his wound. “Because you’re in danger.”

“Danger…”

“Yes, now hold still.”

He did as she asked. She worked as quickly but as carefully as she could, first sealing the front then his back where the bullet had passed through. When it was finished, she worked on his ribs. She went to place a healing gel on them next, but Kryxis refused, preferring to use his supposed healing saliva instead.

She checked her watch. Soon Saul and his team would be ordering them to leave, and her team would have to try and stall them. Helping Kryxis up even if he didn’t need it, she led him back to the workstation.

“We need to go. Take with you what you want to keep,” she said.

He tilted his head like he didn’t understand. She went over to his shelves and tapped on them. “Take with you to keep.”

“Take…to keep,” he said slowly.

“Yes. Because…gone. All will be gone.” She made a swipe with her hands, hoping he understood. “I’m sorry.” And she really was. This was his only home, and now he was losing everything.

“Take to keep,” he repeated. But he didn’t even look around. All he did was stare at her.