Page 129 of Delinquents Turned Fugitives
Malcolm’s voice floated down the stairs as he realized what was happening. “Shakespeare!”
I didn’t look up at him because I didn’t want to see the fear on his face. I couldn’t let fear taint my determination. If I could get rid of Muller and Claude somehow, then they still had half the serum. They could still get to Matthew and get him out.
“Go on!” I yelled up the stairs.
Yelling earned me a knife twist and Muller’s hand shoved the knife back up under my chin. “Stay back!” he called, stepping carefully backward, down the steps. He pulled me with him, ignoring how I stumbled a bit.
“Claude’s here!” I roared the warning, so my guys would know.
“Claude?” Callum’s tone was shocked.
A rush of wind hit my face and Muller was ripped away.
I turned, gasping, hand coming up to clutch my chest wound. I saw Callum holding Muller aloft, the detective’s feet dangling in midair. Callum glanced over at me. “This isn’t Claude King.”
“Claude’s a ghost. He’s possessing that man.”
Callum squeezed Muller and I watched in rapt fascination as Claude popped out of his body, backing away. As soon as Muller’s mind was his own again, he slashed at Callum with the knife. He was wild and uncoordinated and destined to lose.
Until he got a lucky shot—he swiped across Callum’s neck and the vampire gave a gasp, releasing Muller and stumbling slightly.
Shock made me freeze.
But it wasn’t just shock that Muller had attacked Callum—it was shock that when he did, Claude had flickered.
Holy fuck.
Holy fucking hell.
My eyes darted between the two men, if they could be called that any longer. One was a vampire and one a ghost.
My mind went into overdrive. Claude had known at least one other ghost. He might have known how the process worked, that he had to attach his soul to something in order to become a ghost himself. That, or he might simply have been so obsessed with the serum and its effects that he’d tied himself to the first vampire to receive it. Was it because vampires were immortal? Was it because he thought that would give him the best shot at living forever? Or … or there was history between the two of them that I didn’t know about?
I had no idea. None of that mattered though.
What mattered was that it looked like they were bonded.
It looked like Claude had hitched his soul to Callum’s.
My hands shook.
What should I do?
Could I possibly take out Callum and Claude in one go? The silver knife in my boot felt hot against my skin. Tempting. Callum was cold-blooded. He condoned random murder. We had an alliance of convenience only.
Would taking him out be such a bad thing?
I licked my lips, which had grown dry as parchment, as I tried to decide.
But of all the moments in the universe, the memory of Potts chose this moment to appear. “You’re willing to make other people a means to your ends.” I could see the disappointment in her eyes and feel it all over again like a phantom pain.
I shook my head.
No.
I wasn’t like Muller.
I refused to be.
