Page 71 of Unhinged Omega

And thosearms. One flesh and one metal, both powerful enough to snap chains like they're made of paper. The mechanical one ends in wicked claws that look like they could tear a man in half, and honestly?

I'd probably let him.

I've always had questionable taste in men, but this might be a new low.

Or a new high, depending on how you look at it.

"Who is that?" I ask, momentarily forgetting my anger in the face of this new, robust horror. "Tall, metal and gruesome, I mean."

"Who else would you fucking be talking about?" Nikolai snaps. "Andthatis why I don't have time for your bullshit right now."

He walks away, barking orders at the few men who haven't fled. I watch as they scramble to follow his commands, hauling more massive chains toward the pit. But even from here, I can see it's a losing battle.

The monster is relentless in his climb. He seems to have given up on breaking the chains, at least for the moment, but those wicked metal claws tear into the earth, sending showers of dirt cascading down to erode even more of the barrier around him. Soon, the chains won't matter at all.

Maybe this was bad timing after all.

I knew I should have taken that left turn out of Belvast and risked dealing with roadblocks. This rescue is going to be far less majestic if I have to fight that thing before getting to my princess.

I'm assuming Nikolai has her in the tower. He's nothing if not predictable. At least she'd be safe from the chaos on the ground.Except that the monster seems to be dead set on going in that exact direction.

"I don't give a damn about the little circus you have going on here," I say, giving the chaos around us a flippant wave as I follow Nikolai. "You have something that belongs to me, and I'm not leaving without it."

"If you want the shit you left behind, I had Reese take it out to the bonfire the night you left," he sneers, still stomping back toward the chaos.

"I'm not talking about my things," I hiss. "I want the girl."

Nikolai glances back to give me a blank stare, finally focusing on me, before barking out a laugh that has me seeing red. "I don't know what you're on about now, but there's nothing here for you. Now go on and do what you do best. Fuck off."

With that, he turns to walk back toward the pit again, but my hand shoots out and I grab his arm.

"You don't get to walk away from me," I snarl. "Not until we settle this."

He shakes me off with a growl, his eyes never leaving the monster now fully climbing out of the pit. "For fuck's sake, Raven, grow up. The world doesn't revolve around your wounded pride."

"This has nothing to do with my pride!" He's ignoring me, already walking toward the others. Son of a fucking bitch. "I know the Ghosts brought her here. Cosima Maybrecht."

That gets his attention. He freezes and turns around slowly, his eyes narrowed. "How the fuck do you know that name?"

I smirk at having finally struck a nerve. "I know everything that goes on in the Outer Reaches, Niko."

"Don't fucking call me that," he snaps, closing the distance between us in a few brisk strides. He's not that much taller than I am, but he looms like a motherfucker regardless. "Who told you about the girl? Who sent you here?"

"No one," I say in a matter-of-fact tone, squaring my shoulders and holding his gaze. He'll soon learn I'm not the insecure whelp who walked away from him years ago.

And as long as he doesn't use his bark, I'm golden.

That, or we'll find out how well Geo's training paid off.

"I've been tracking her for months," I add.

Okay, that's a lie. But itfeelslike months. Emotionally. And emotional time is so much more real than chronological time.

"You have, huh?" He cocks an eyebrow, his hand drifting closer toward his gun. As if I couldn't just shoot it right out of his hand. "What's the bounty?"

Disgust roils in my gut. Of course that's all he'd be thinking about. He has the most splendid creature to ever exist locked away in that tower, the raw essence of the moon's beauty herself, and all he cares about is money.

"There's no bounty, you foul oaf!"

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