Page 8 of Home: Posy 5

"You were only thirteen. What could you possibly have wanted so badly that you sold your wolf for it?"

"You didn't think I wasbornwith so much moon magic, did you?" he scoffed.

"And that was worth your wolf? A little extra dollop of power?"

"You have no idea." He chuckled darkly. "I didn't need a wolf, anyway. Not with the kind of power Alecto was offering."

I couldn't wrap my brain around it. I couldn't eventhinkof 'selling' Sid, no matter what someone was offering. Not even Jay, who had the most difficult wolf on the planet, would do that.

"What was his name?" I asked after a minute.

"What does it matter?" He shrugged as best he could while trussed up. "He's long gone, consumed or used in some dark ritual, I'm sure."

"It matters." I moved the lighter's flame closer to his face. "Tell me his name."

"Bruno, okay?" he rushed out, panicked by the fire flickering an inch from his eye. "He was useless and weak."

Bruno.I etched the name in my memory. It was the only honor I could give him.

"He was a pup!" Anger colored my voice now. "Be glad Sid is asleep. He'd rip you to pieces for sacrificing an innocent pup to satisfy your greed."

"Look, I told you what you wanted to know, so just end this before you give your idiot self nightmares."

"Don't fear death, huh?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Not in the slightest."

"Well, Ezzy boy, death must be earned, and you ain't paid nearly enough." Shaking my head, I lowered the lighter and sank back on my haunches. "Iamcurious, though. What do you fear if not death?"

"Nothing," he spat. "Now get it over with, Ash."

"Oh, I see! Pain! Pain is what you fear!" I patted myself on the back as a shudder rippled through him and he swallowed hard. "You know what they say, right? The best way to conquer a fear is to face it."

I dropped the lighter, took the mini blowtorch out of my bag, and turned it on.

"No, no, no!" he screamed as blue fire rocketed out of the steel nozzle with a roar. "Just kill me! Don't burn me anymore!"

"Are you sorry?" I adjusted the flame to the length I wanted. "Like, at all? Foranyof it?"

"What?"

"Ez, I didn't even touch your ears yet, so don't act like you're deaf. Are. You. Sorry?"

"No," he snapped. "Not for one damn thing."

"Well, my dude, it's your lucky day. I am here to help you. First to face your fear, then to make you feel sorry. Fortunately, we can kill two birds with one stone."

Then I burned off his little toe.

He shrieked and thrashed around, and I grinned at the smell of roasting flesh.

"Well? Did that do the trick? Are you sorry yet? Are you still scared of pain?"

He made a strangled noise, but his jaw stayed clenched.

"You're almost impressing me, Ez." I grinned in appreciation. "Let's find out how many toes it's gonna take before we achieve our goals."

Three.

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