Page 42 (2/2)

"Later" McKell spun her around and anchored his ar the way, he rass, and ushered her around--nothing She was confused, but didn’t question hiital pad gave them the pass-code to enter his apartossip not warned her about the ht sorimaced "The bitch has been all over this apartment It reeks of her disease"

"Did you smell her outside?"

"No Nor did I s rather than using invisibility"

Fabulous "Can you follow someone who teleports?"

"No"

Extra fabulous "This was a waste of time, then"

"Not necessarily" He hustled her outside Without a word, he helped her back into the car

Noelle sputtered for answers as she shepherded the trainees back into their van Answers McKell didn’t give Not even when Ava de the roads, and this time, Noelle followed them They didn’t stop until they reached the bar where the queen had first appeared to Dallas

Again McKell e silently Noelle and the trainees trekked a safe distance behind, acting as bodyguards rather than detectives A few more blocks, another snaked corner, several instances of hi her away from what seemed to be a perfectly fine patch of air, and he stopped, looked around

"This is where she approached Johnny"

He kicked back intoall the while Another block, three corners, fourabout "stupid doorways," and they reached another apart Johnny’s Ava knew because she’d been there Which had her ducking her head and praying McKell’s sniffing ability wasn’t that keen

Without any pro, he led her to Johnny’s apartment and shouldered past the door Clean, sparse, with not many personal effects As if he wanted to be able to pick up and h every inch, then returned to the bedroom Ava wanted to do more than duck, but all he said was, "The queen teleported out of here, too, but her guards didn’t"

She frowned Johnny hadn’t uards, but then, uards weren’t at Dallas’s place?"

"There were guards there, yes, but he injured them and they were carted to AIR, so their scents were useless The ones that were here walked out They were most likely invisible, since no one saw therinned slowly "Which ht to their queen"

Twenty-six

Dallas sprawled in his hospital bed, healed enough to go ho to do but watch ti in tune to his heart; and when those started to bore him--like, within minutes--he’d only been able to think about his beautiful Schön queen

His? He immediately chided himself Never his Bitch was a stone-cold killer And while he usually admired that quality in a woman--he’d been known to date porn stars, emotionally bankrupt heiresses, and the coldest of ice princesses--he wasn’t a fan of rampant disease

Here’s what he knew Trinity was a woman who took what she wanted, damn the consequences Proof: she infectedthem fend for themselves and infect others Proof: she ruined one planet and then quickly moved on to another one Proof: she claimed to like Dallas, to desire him, yet she’d allowed him to be shot rather than take the rays herself

So, if she was so selfish and self-indulged, that begged the question of why she hadn’t just infected him, since that’s what she so badly wanted to do Only one answer made sense She couldn’t Physically, emotionally, whatever the reason, she needed his cooperation to act Through seduction or manipulation, she needed him to say yes Had to have that yes

It was so clear now Trinity oman, disease--and followers Three, as he’d suspected, but without that yes, she was stuck Unable to har for: a weakness

How could he exploit it, though?

If she would appear before his The rings looked innocent, but when you moved the stone in the center, there was a tiny needle that--needle The word chilled his blood

Injecting her, even with so tiny a needle, could have devastating results For his weren’t like the darts, and didn’t cauterize the wound If one little bead of her blood spilled--and it would, because the Schön disease always knehen an escape hatch, for lack of a better term, appeared, always knehen a new host was nearby …

Some of AIR’s finest had been infected that hile first testing the Sch&ouht suddenly cri a yes before doing her dirty work The doctors hadn’t willingly agreed to be infected, yet they had succumbed

Or maybe they had welcomed the virus Unintentionally, of course The virus was alien, alive, and could have whispered to them, tricked them

"Up and at ‘em, I see"

Dallas pulled himself from his conterinning, all her pearly whites showing She was a walking contradiction, and years ago he’d thought himself in love with her He’d promised himself he would never think about those dark years, when he’d watched her, wanted her, but she’d kept hione back on his word Until now He blah his systeht Pretty, yet tough as fucking nails Maybe that’s why he’d eventually sleep with Noelle and end his friendship with Hector Maybe he’d be pretending she was Mia

Thought you were going to stay away fro TLC

Even in his sad condition, his body reacted to that thought

Don’t throw a love triangle into the cluster-fuck of your life right now You’ve got too much to worry about Hector had stopped by to see him multiple tiuy what he thought of the new agent He’d kept his h They all had too rin fading Yeah, he’d known it was fake What he didn’t knohy "Or has your abused brain finally given up and withered away co "And the brain’s just fine, thank you"

"Let’s see that chest" Without waiting for his per his wound She whistled under her teeth "That’s gonna leave the cutest little scar"

If by "cutest little scar" she meant "mountainous crater," then, yeah It was

A knock sounded at the door, and Dallas shifted his gaze As if his earlier thoughts had sule" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>