Page 86 of Such a Feral Little Lamb
And the name…
Hoar.
“Wright and Hoar.”Nia’s voice rings in my mind. I didn’t connect the name at the time, but…
“No,” I say, but I’m not looking at Dane anymore.
I’m looking at Mason.
“Now you’re getting it,” Dane says, not even attempting to hide the glee in his voice. “He’s right here. He’s been here all along.”
Of course he has.
Mason is the necromancer.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I…Youcan’t…”
Mason doesn’t shake his head. He doesn’t drop my gaze. His eyes widen a little as though there’s something about this that he, too, can’t believe, but maybe it’s simply that I really had no idea at all.
“Heis,” Dane says. “And I’m going to take him back to the Citadel and claim my reward.”
“You can’t kill all three of us,” I say. I raise my bat, resting it against my shoulder. “You know that.”
Dane tilts his head to one side. “I don’t know that at all, Isaac. Besides, I don’t reallywantto kill you.”
“What?”
He shrugs. The small movement jostles his arm, pressing the knife against Mason’s skin a little harder. Mason is still looking at me, but I can’t meet his gaze anymore.
He did lie to me. Or no, Nia and the others did, but he never told thetruth. He wanted me to stay here, wanted me to stay with him, and he never…
“Come back with me.”
I rear back in surprise. “You just said—”
“I’ll tell them you helped me,” Dane says, tone wheedling. His other hand digs into Mason’s shoulder. I’ve no idea how to get him out of this—I’m going to kill Dane, I’m certain about that, but I don’t know how to keep Mason safe while I do.
Although…
Danecan’tkill him, can he?
“Helped you?” I take another step forward. He’s not supposed to kill him, but with that wild glint in his eye, I don’t know that Dane won’t make that mistake all the same. We won’t be able to go back, then. We certainly won’t be able to stay here.
Well, I might. He won’t.
“I’ll tell them we worked together on this. That you saw a weakness and seduced him, made him weak for me.”
“I-I didn’t…”
“Of course you did. What, do you think that horde of zombies the first night we got here was a welcoming party? Wakeup, Isaac. He meant to kill us, too.”
There’s a lump in my throat. I get it, of course I do, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Fuck.
“I didn’t help you,” I say.
“That’s not what I’ll tell them,” Dane replies. “And you’ll agree. Because what the fuck else are you going to do, Isaac? Stay here?They’ll kill you. They won’t want you. But I do. What did he offer? That he’d keep you safe?”
