Page 28 of Killer of the Bells
So, instead of waiting to see if Echo’s body would give out before he decided to climb up, I scruffed him like a kitten and brought us both to sit on the beam.
I narrowed my eyes at the distance between the beam and the floor. The beam was barely better in terms of safety, so it was hardly an acceptable location for discussion. I glanced at my watch, saw I was nearly out of time, and made an executive decision.
“I need to leave before the bells ring. Come with me,” I said, holding Echo securely to my chest, and jumping to the floor. I heard the clang of a metal tool hitting the stone floor, and Echo cried out in wordless alarm. I carried him with me, unsure of my destination until I was nearly there.
I paused outside my wing of the collective’s house, staring up at the window Wraith and I had exited the night before. I hadn’t bothered soundproofing my room because the bells were usually sorted in a few days, and I had a habit of spending those days in my lab if I wasn’t actively working to destroy them.
I chuckled softly. Gareth was going to be so annoyed by what I was about to do, but I’d deal with that when I had to.
Echo clung to me as I jumped to my window, but I didn’t think it was from fear. His face showed a mixture of interest and annoyance.
I ushered him through my window, and once I was through, I pulled him out of my bedroom, down the stairs, and to the door of my lab.
“I’ve brought a guest,” I said to Love, the house AI.
“Should I inform the collective that the world is ending, Vale? I’m sure they’d like to know.”
“Very funny.”
Vix may claim that Love’s personality is entirely her own doing, but the only other person in the house with that much sass is Vix’s partner-in-crime, Baz, and I refuse to believe it’s a coincidence.
If Baz was smarter, I’d accuse him of tampering with Love, but I assure you he isn’t. He’s not playing at being dumb to make people underestimate him. He really is as thick as he seems. He’s interested in chaos and Vix. That’s it.
Since I knew Love was about to inform the household—or at the very least, Vix and Gareth—of my guest, I told her, “Tell Gareth he can debrief me later. Everyone else can fuck off until further notice.”
Love may have been created by Vix, but she had to follow my orders in my wing. I wouldn’t allow her to be installed otherwise, so if I didn’t want it, even Vix couldn’t enter except during an emergency. It was a stipulation I’d insisted on before I gave the okay on the rebuild of my wing.
I dragged Echo through the door of my lab and closed it with three minutes to spare.
I was antsy with anticipation. Either bringing Echo to my lab was a good idea or a terrible one. Either way, it was better to find out sooner rather than later.
Echo looked around my lab with interest but kept his hands to himself without being told. Finally, he zeroed in on a wrench and pointed at it, himself, and then held out his hands in the universal,what the fuck, man?gesture.
“Your wrench fell when I took you from the tower?”
Echo nodded furiously.
“My apologies. I had to leave, but we needed to talk.”
About what, I was unsure. All I knew was that I couldn’t leave him hanging like that, openly courting death while I ran off, so I wouldn’t accidentally massacre the town if I lost control of the monster while the bells rang.
Of course, having him with me wasn’t ideal either. It was possible I should have warned him, but if I did, he might get excited and trigger me on purpose. Then he’d definitely die, and I was growing increasingly reluctant to let that happen.
I glanced at the time. One minute.
The effect would probably be mild. The monster in me hadn’t killed Echo the last time I bit him, so it didn’t want him dead. He might survive.
Thirty seconds. But he tasted heavenly. If I bit him again, I might not be able to stop.
Ten seconds.
Echo came up to me, and I backed away, holding out a cautioning hand.
Three.
Two.
One.
