Page 101 of Map of Pain

Time slowed. In that suspended moment, the submissive peered out from its hiding place in Nick’s psyche.I can help,it whispered,not hinder. But we have to play along.

Saving Luka means getting those nails out of his spine. That means stopping Shaw.

It’s going to hurt. But only for a little.

There has to be another way…

There was never any other way to do this except finding a way to get close to Shaw.

And we know how to get close to Shaw.

“I’ll gowillingly,”Nick shouted, his voice cracking.“I’ll be a—”

His throat seized around the phrase. He didn’t want to say it. The phantom jingle of Owen’s belt buckle echoed in his memory, and his mind wanted to retreat, to hide from what he was about to do.

The submissive spoke with unexpected strength:You have to stay present. You can’t hide. I’m only here to help you get to the next part. We love Luka. Love requires sacrifice.

Nick knew it was right. And the fact that the hunter was in agreement told him everything he needed to know; he could use what they expected him to be against them.

He looked at Luka, still twitchinghelplessly, fear and sadness in his wonderful inhuman eyes. Nick whistled a simple, mournful C—their safety signal, but softer now, like a promise.

“It’ll be okay,”he whispered.

Nick steeled himself and met Owen’s gaze.“Bring him with us like that. I’ll gowillinglyif you promise not to hurt him until I talk to Shaw.”

Owen’s eyebrows rose with amused interest. He pulled out his phone and dialed.“Shaw? Yeah, it’s Owen. Nicholas said he’ll come back if we bring the silent monster with us. Yes,it’s subdued.”He listened for a moment, then hung up and motioned for the operative to release Nick.

“Shaw accepts this proposal,”Owen said,“as long as I have confidence that you’ll hold up your end of the bargain.”He grabbed Nick’s face with rough fingers, getting too close.“I am not very confident right now.”

Nick forced himself not to flinch away.I’m trusting you,he told the submissive. His arms moved behind his back of their own accord, and he grasped his opposite elbow in the mission report posture that had been drilled into him through pain and repetition.

“I promise you, I’ll behave,”he said, tears gathering in his eyes as he stared past Owen to Luka’s prone form.“Just don’t hurt Luka. I’ll behave. I-I’ll be—”

“A good boy,”Owen finished with disgusted delight.

The submissive locked into place, lowering Nick’s gaze to the floor, making his knees weak until he sank toward the ground. His fear spiked as Owen stepped closer, holding out one hand like he was testing apotentiallydangerous animal.

Owen’s fingers slid through his hair with the proprietary touch of someone admiring a pet, Nick’s entire nervous system screamed at him to run, to dissociate, to flee into the safety of unconsciousness.

“There we go,” Owen murmured. “Good boy.”

You can’t run.

You have to stay present.

For Luka.

Chapter thirty-nine

Open your mouth...

Luka

The nails through Luka’s spine sent fire through his nervous system with every bump in the road. He lay face-down on the corrugated metal floor of the moving van, one arm stretched in front of him, fingers twitching with the effort of trying to move. The industrial nails had been driven with surgical precision—close enough to his spinal cord to paralyze, far enough apart to ensure maximum suffering with minimal damage.

But the physical agony was nothing compared to what he was forced to witness.

Owen sat on a wheel well across from them, Nick kneeling at his feet in perfect submission. It was the same position Luka had seen Nick collapse into during his breakdown at the club, but this felt different. This felt real.