Page 64 of The Monster's Daughter

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The room is dim. Soft pink starlights pulse on the walls—Bella installed them years ago because Natalie was afraid of the dark. They cast the room in a glow that should be comforting.

But the shadows are wrong.

The air smells…burnt. Metallic. Like ozone and blood and static.

Then I see her.

She’s standing in the corner.

Facing the wall.

Still.

“Natalie?” I step forward slowly.

She doesn’t move.

“Natalie,” I try again, softer now.

She turns.

Her eyes are open.

But they’re blank.

Milky-white. Not clouded or blind.

Empty.

Her lips move.

And the voice that comes out doesn’t belong to her.

“Vessel complete. Awaiting integration.”

My stomach lurches.

The words are ancient.

The cadence is old, mechanical. Familiar.

War tech.

I step forward fast now, heart in my throat. “Natalie, baby, it’s me. Kage. Wake up. Please.”

Nothing.

The stuffed animal.

It twitches.

The stupid, scraggly thing she’s had since she was a toddler. Fuzzy. Purple. One eye missing. Bella always hated it. Said she didn’t remember ever buying it.

It moves again.

This time, its seams split just slightly.

A flicker of light pulses from inside.

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