The Devil who raised me

l

ee things-The coppery ta

g my wrist.The switchbl

ining room walls. Plaster s

the weapons rack. Warm blood sp

he doorway-black ski ma

e snatches a throwing star

th a wet thud.The gun clatters to

re. At the twitching fingers. At

ce said murdere

ck me in the cellar for

er than I thought. Like ho

ore. Maybe eight." He glances at my ba

kes me laugh. "I ran fr

A woman screams-Mira. Som

rinting into the hallway

too slow. I pull the trigge

mi

doe

ide. I stumble. Then Nikolai's kni

ter mass! Not his damn hairline!" My wound scorch

lai curses. "Christ. Uncle's

the corner. Bullets ham

s magazine slips out, cl

shoves his pistol into my ha

ver a broken cha

. Ag

s gut. He crumples. The last on

gh a lamp. I grab the fallen knif

ai, blade raised- I bury

lood runs down my

, stunned. "You... a

ants. "You're welcome." A crash

h

le

n just as the front

he wreckage, coat fla

rom the mache

ther, aimed at a

voice could s

y side how

sees me-see

. The man on the

sent

don

ots him i

an sc

aga

aid to grab

od goe

onto mine. Somethi

hoots the

llows feels heavier

s. The machete

s-still warm from k

are you

under his thumbs. I d

" I wh

jama top open

's shallo

nches like he's

r grabs it, presses gauze to my

ll," he murmur

nd us. "She almost

ook up. "Go cou

ut

ow

hes. Asher's

says softly. "Because he

s gaze. "

is a bla

should te

th blooms ben

il in the

oesn't

lesson," he says, he

ask wh

eady

w to clean blood fr

still reek

t of bleach can chase it out. I scrub anyway, knuckles raw, t

ight bite him. He hasn't said a word in an hour. Just smoke

over his shoulder. It thuds when he drops

murmurs. "To

when Asher speaks like that-quiet,

don't stop. If I stop, I'll remember. The way the man's body jerke

ke guilt comes out i

ok up. "Do

can smell the gunpowder still clinging to his coat. "Yo

m," I whisper. "I al

ine, stilling it.

s. But there's a softness in his grip. A warmth

e not

" he says. "B

dressed. You're

he

ssi

hit harder t

turning colder than th

eathered duffel and a black coat I've seen him wear only once before

says, not meeting my eyes. "N

n stabbing my ribs. "Y

alive." His voi

fought wel

dark and bottomless. "You think this was the end? That w

s. "So send me to a safe house like I'm a parc

tightens

N

looming. "This

raid of the

ved this long by being brave? No. I've survived by being sm

if I don't

r a moment, the storm slips-and I see the man beneat

able to think. I'll burn the world trying to g

ve an answ

er, "So this is

This is a vault. And I'm locking away the