Page 32 of In the Dark

“I pray you do make it right. You have no idea.”

Morgan sighed. “One of these days someone needs to tell me exactly what is going on. I must have the whole story in order to find a solution. Not bits and pieces from random sources.”

Aisanna clapped a hand down on his shoulder. “We’ve been trying for months now and all this venture has brought us is pain and suffering. This latest fucking business is the worst of it.”

“But you will tell me,” Morgan put in again.

“Of course. Soon.”

The spell on Karsia lasted five more minutes. Five minutes of tears and sorrow, a loss so deep Morgan felt it from across the room. He watched with equal parts fascination and frustration as her eyes shifted from brilliant color, blue and green and gold, to solid black.

“Get off me,” she suddenly snarled, shoving Astix back. She wrathfully wiped the tears from her eyes and scowled at them, her slender body positively vibrating with fear and fury. “Don’t ever do that to me again. Don’t ever touch me again! I’ll punch you so hard it’ll take a chunk out of your ass.”

“Please stop,” Astix implored, shifting to the balls of her feet. Braced for an argument and ready to fight if necessary. “We all need to put our anger aside.”

“Oh, you’re funny. Trying to imitate what Mom would have said to me. ‘Keep the peace, Karsia. Keep the status quo.’ Ha!” The bite in her voice would have left physical marks were it capable. “Let’s all sit down and drink Elon’s goddamn tea and forget about the near-corpse upstairs.”

“That’s more than enough, Karsia.” What Astix saw in the other girl’s eyes brought a panicked sweat to her skin, slick as oil and quick as a thought. There was violence there, and beyond it, capability. Willingness.

Astix told her own feelings to take a flying jump and focused on what lay ahead.

Frustrated, Karsia rounded on Aisanna. “There’s so much more. So much more to do before this is over. I am done sitting by while shit keeps happening.”

“Please don’t do anything stupid,” Aisanna cautioned.

“We need you here,” Elon put in plaintively.

“I know exactly what I need to do.” Karsia shrugged into her jacket and stomped toward the side door. “I’m going to find the bastard who drove the garbage truck and if he doesn’t tell me exactly what I want to know, I’m going to flay him from navel to neck and wear his skin for a coat.”

The door crashed behind her with enough force to rattle the glass.

“Are you kidding me? “I—” Aisanna broke off, deciding there were no good words to say.

“I’ve got to run, but it was nice to meet you folks. Let’s hope the next time will be under better circumstances!” Morgan grabbed his coat, hurrying after the girl with nothing more than a cursory glance back over his shoulder.

Praying he was doing the right thing, he braced for the cold. And a rollicking good fight.

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