Page 84 of Claiming Sarah

“Why should I care what she can do to you? You bitches have been trying to kill me since I got to Halla. Let the contra have you, for all I care.”

“I know the conduits have declared war on you, but honestly, I’m tired of fighting. I don’t want that for my sisters.”

“What exactly are you asking?”

“If you can seduce the contra, then you can use her to control the conduits.”

He didn’t believe her, not at first. But he wanted to. “Why the fuck should I believe that this isn’t some kind of new tactic?”

She shook her head. “I’ll bring a copy of the holy text. You can read it for yourself. The contra is our bogeyman, our devil. She is the one thing in the worlds that can control a conduit, besides a Mother. I was in Mother Portend’s inner circle. I knew what she knew, and she always said that was why the contra was foretold to bring the end of our power—not that she would kill us, but that she would control us. Use us for her own ends. We would be nothing but her slaves, in our hearts,in our minds, and in our deeds. But if you seduced her, if you controlled her, then you would be safe, and I know you, Rex. You don’t care about micromanaging your ghosts like she would. Help me save my sisters from such a fate, Rex.”

“Better the devil you know? Something like that?”

Augur nodded. “I’d rather you held our leash than some stranger who could use us for our own devastation.”

“Get your sisters to stop trying to kill me, Augur.”

“I don’t know if I can, but I will try.”

“And if the contra can control you, what then? What do I do with an army of conduits?”

She smiled. “Whatever you want. I know you want to take all of Halla.Wecan do that for you.”

“I believe we have a deal.”

Rage filled me as that memory faded.That fucker is trying to use me to have his own army of conduits?

I had been used before by my ex, Ryan, and it wasn’t ever going to happen again.

I am done being used.

With that thought, I shot out of the well of Rex’s memories and came back to my eyes. The fight was loud, shouts and cries in every direction. Rex had my bone knife pressed against Augur’s throat.

I gathered all my might and used my voice. “Stop!” I demanded.

I had taken back control from Rex, and my body stopped the movement. So did Augur’s. The anger in me boiled until it burst out of my mouth, and I roared, “Stop!” at the top of my lungs.

All of the conduits were instantly stopped in their tracks, twisted and frozen in the unnatural positions of battle. My friends looked at them strangely, before they pulled away from the conduits. Two of Rex’s men, however, took advantage of the moment, and stabbed their opponents to death.

I turned to Deacon and hollered, “Get them!”

He and Jac stopped those men from killing any more frozen conduits, because that was not my purpose here.

I closed my eyes, focusing on filling the well between myself and Rex, of embracing this newfound power of mine. It kicked Rex out of my body. He stumbled out of me, blinking in shock.

I kept the knife at Augur’s throat and asked Rex, “Why were you about to kill your ally?”

Rex shook his head. “She was no ally,” he insisted. “She sent her drecks after us. That’s why she ran—to make them chase us down.”

I gritted my teeth, furious that we’d been duped. “You deserve death for that, Augur. For pretending to ally with us, for costing us a soldier. For tricking Rex. You are a betrayer.”

I permitted her to speak, and she growled, “Do it, Contra. I am tired.”

But I slid my knife into the holster and let her go.

Because all of the conduits were still frozen from my command, she couldn’t move, as well.

“What are you doing?” Rex barked at me, his face flushed with fury.

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