Page 57 of Terror at the Gates

Except facing him now, it was as if my power had frozen in my veins, unwilling to mingle with the sickening energy of his lust.

I ground my teeth so hard, my jaw hurt. I hated him in a way that made me want to crumble, but I wanted to hate him in a way that made me rage.

“Tori was harmless,” I said, my mouth trembling. I didn’t know if it was because I’d watched him die or fear of Lisk.

“You believe it is harmless to speak out against the church?” Lisk asked. His voice sounded thick, like he had spit in the back of his throat. My stomach turned.

“He wasill,” I argued.

Nothing he ever said made any sense.

“Any dissenter, whether of sound mind or not, can gain a following,” said Lisk. “It is a risk the church will not take. I would think of all my pupils, you would understand that best.”

A wave of nausea curled through me as memories of hisinstructionsurfaced. I could still feel the raw sting of his ruler against my fingers, urging me to write faster. At some point, he decided I needed a different sort of punishment. He’d made me lift my skirt so he could swat me, which evolved into pulling my underwear down, which evolved into him jerking off and ejaculating on my exposed behind.

I fucking hated this man.

“If you had a problem, you should have gone to Zahariev,” I said. “Nineveh is his territory.”

“That’s funny,” said one of the men. He had a head of dark, curly hair. “Didn’t you say it was yours? When you told us to get thefuckout ofyourdistrict?”

I glared at him in the silence that followed.

Lisk took a few steps toward me, and I bristled as goose bumps rose on every inch of my skin.

“I think you have forgotten that my power exceeds that of the families,” said Lisk. “Do not forget that you have been allowed this rebellious streak. It is a privilege granted to you byme. Your father bought you another year, but your time is up, Miss Leviathan. Return to your family, or there will be consequences.”

I held my breath and glared at him, eyes blurring with tears. I hoped he couldn’t tell. I hated how I wilted before him.

Lisk’s gaze shifted to the man beside me.

“Take her back to where you found her,” he ordered.

I tensed as the man tightened his hold, preparing to drag me to the car, when Lisk added, “And, Lilith. Let this be areminder that not even Zahariev can protect you.”

Zahariev

“Your girl is bad luck,” said Cassius, expelling a stream of smoke from his mouth.

I ignored him, staring at the three new additions to my morgue.

Jonathan Koval. Joseph Burke. Esli Reed, the driver.

This wasn’t luck, good or bad. It was something else.

A sickness had taken root in my city, and it had started with that fucking blade.

The doors swung open behind us as Dr. Mor strolled into the room wearing a white coat.

“Good evening, boys,” he said in a chipper tone as he strolled to the wall and pulled a couple of gloves from the box on the wall.

“Evenin’, doc,” said Cassius.

“Put it out,” Dr. Mor said, leveling a stern look over his glasses at Cassius, who turned a little red. He moved toward the sink to wet the end of his cigarette. “You know better.”

I chuckled but quickly choked on my laugh when the doctor looked at me, disapproving.

“What? I didn’t do anything!”