Page 88 of Revenant

His pale blue eyes flare, his pupils dilate, and I do my best not to squirm when I feel his erection press against my ass. Hehums in satisfaction, and something seems to settle inside of him. “What’s the plan?”

His concerned gaze flicks toward the doors, and I spot smoke billowing into the room.

Fuck.

I narrow my eyes, turning slightly, and look up at him suspiciously. “Did you set the building on fire?”

“Not me!” His eyes widen, all innocent in a way that I don’t believe for a second, then he points a finger toward Hicks and rats him out. “He did it!”

He’s so pleased with himself that I almost miss the glare he shoots the others at being denied the pleasure. Hicks shrugs, unrepentant. “It’s the only way to ensure the information dies with this place.”

“I broke through the firewall and downloaded Hershamn’s files in case we need them.” Ellis sways, a weird static surrounding him, and I blink in surprise when I see his hands glow around the computer he’s holding. “I’m just going through and deleting everything else and covering our tracks.”

Gunner steadies him, his green eyes full of concern when they land on me. “We’re running out of time. It won’t be long before reinforcements arrive. They’ll want to sweep this place clean before the first responders appear on scene.”

“It’s time for us to leave, Albert,” Ruthie says in a monotone voice that echoes weirdly, like more than one person is speaking. “Father is waiting for us.”

My attention snaps back toward them. For the first time, the calm around Hershamn shatters, and he visibly flinches. He falls back a step, blinking at her in confusion, and shakes his head in denial.No, he’s dead. I saw him die. I made sure of it.

Ruthie does that weird head tilt again, then her lips twist into a ghastly smile that is more a baring of teeth. “We’re all dead, Albert. You didn’t save me. You tortured me worse thanour father. I felt every horror you inflicted on me, the torment I endured eventually driving me mad.”

My eyes widen in shock at her words, and my gaze drops to the ever increasing pool of blood underneath her. It drips from her arm a tiny splotch at a time. The wound isn’t bleeding, the blood is just slowly draining from her body from gravity alone.

Her heart is no longer pumping, no longer circulating blood.

She is dead.

The only thing keeping her standing is my blood trapping her spirit in her body.

No, Hershamn denies, shaking his head, rejecting the idea as too heinous to contemplate.I kept you alive. I used his notes to save you. You’re awake because of me.

When she opens her mouth, I wait for her to speak, but she must have already said everything she wanted. Darkness spills from her parted lips and spreads through the room. The ghosts who come into contact with it flicker until they look solid, and I drag the guys away from the encroaching shadows.

More and more smoke fills the room, the visibility fading with each passing second until the lab is completely enshrouded. The darkness slithers ever closer, so repellent that I stumble away and drag the guys with me.

I swear I can almost see a man wearing a cowl, his skeletal hand holding a scythe in the inky shadows, then the image vanishes in the next second. I don’t bother to wait any longer, and shove the guys out the door, not caring if I’m a little rough.

What’s the meaning of this?Hershamn’s imperious tone pierces the darkness, and a glimpse shows the ghosts shuffling ever closer, a few of them bumping into him as he does his best to slap them away.

It’s not long before he’s overwhelmed.

Then the screaming starts.

Gunner is the last to leave the room, and I place both of my hands on his chest, shoving with all my might. Right before the door closes, my gaze drops to Hershamn’s body where it lies on the floor, convulsing as wounds appear from an invisible force.

When his body stills, vacant eyes are staring up at the ceiling.

The door closes just as Gunner slips an arm around my waist, then he’s hauling me down the hallway at a dead run. The smoke is so thick that my lungs scream for air, each breath a wheeze that ends in a coughing fit. My vision is completely obscured, and tears stream down my face from the harsh smoke.

A dark shape appears out of the fumes, coming up behind us fast, and my eyes widen in alarm. Before I can shout a warning, recognition flashes in my mind. “Dallas? Is that you?”

“Dollface?” The big black man coughs into his fists, his red-rimmed eyes streaming tears, and he narrows his eyes on Gunner, assessing him for any threats. “What are you doing here?”

I raise a mocking brow. “Oh, you know, just hanging out. Enjoying the fresh air. What about you?”

“Smartass,” he mutters, shaking his head. “We need to get you outta here before the whole place crashes down around us. Follow me. I know a back exit where you can sneak away.”

At the end of the hallway, we find the others waiting, and I wave my hand to prevent either side from attacking. “He’s a friend. He’s going to help us.”

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