Page 7 of Ramshackle
I swallow, trying to ignore the blatant threat to my life and focusing on gathering information. “So, this guy’s a necromancer? Is that how Vera’s alive?”
He rubs his chin. “Not like in the movies. He traps a person’s soul in their body before it leaves, which preserves the body in its current state. A healer heals the body as well as they can, but as you can see, you can only be put back together so many times before it starts…losing its life.”
That sounds horrifying. And I also have no plans to join him and Vera in that experience. I keep him talking, hoping to buy enough time that someone else will walk by and I can flag them down to get Gordon. I know he wouldn’t agree to this plan at least. He wants me only obeying him and no one else. His own personal weapon.
It speaks volumes about my predicament that I’m counting on him to keep me from joining the league of undead soldiers.
“How was Jack supposed to help with that? If your body is…you know…” I don’t want to piss him off by saying any of the words that come to mind, so I just nod at him and let him fill it in for himself.
Thorne keeps his eyes trained on me as he starts to walk along the glass to the door.
“Royce manipulates and controls souls. Which means he could move my soul into a better body. Kill them without causing much harm to the body itself, pluck out that soul and stuff mine in. I’ve already picked out the body as well. I just need Jackson’s help to set the plan in motion.”
I make a mental note of the name and everything he’s telling me, but then I see him entering numbers into a keypad next to the door and realize my time’s almost up. There are two beeps in rapid succession, and when the door doesn’t open, I assume it means he guessed the wrong code. He tries again. More double beeps.
I move further back, but the closest thing to a weapon in this room is the hairbrush in the bathroom that would do fucking nothing against a man as powerful as Thorne.
“Who did you pick out? Maybe I can help instead,” I rush out, trying to buy more time.
There’s a single, higher note beep, and then a click as the door pops open a crack.
Fuck a duck.
I’m dead. So dead.
The door pushes inward, and he slowly steps inside with a smirk. He closes the door behind himself, and I hear another click that tells me he’s locked us both in here. He moves toward me again, and I back up step by step until my ass hits the bed. Then I scramble up and stand on it to get whatever distance I can from him. Even though I know it meansnothingwhen he can stop me from breathing or slash me to pieces with air from a distance, it’s just not in me to stand still and let it happen.
“You’re too weak to take on Royce. I need Jackson to do it, which is why you’re worth more to me as his puppet than alive. Incentive for Jackson to fight him.” He raises his hand up, and I dive to the bed, rolling off it and trying to avoid his aim. A swift breeze sweeps behind me, telling me how close I’d come to beinghit. He laughs mockingly while trying to track my movements with his hand. “Stand still, girl. I’m trying to do Jackson a favor and keep your body intact for this death, which is more than he’s done for me. If you keep moving, I’ll have to slice you up and let you bleed out.”
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Gordon demands angrily from the other side of the glass.
Thorne scowls. But he doesn’t drop his hand. He raises it instead, and my gut tells me he’s going to try for a kill in a single blow.
I run to the dresser and shove it forward so I can use it as a shield, then duck to make myself as small as possible. The dresser shatters to pieces around me, knocking into my back and shoving me face-first into the wall. My head hits it hard enough that I black out for a second, then wake to find myself lying on the floor.
“Call your puppet, Royce. He’s not to harm my pet now or ever, do you hear me?” Gordon’s voice echoes from somewhere in the room.
I grab my head and groan as it pounds relentlessly, drawing myself up so I can see what’s happening. I blink a few times through the pain as Thorne storms out of the open door. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I might try to make a break for it.
No, wait. I can’t do that. I swore to stay. Breaking that promise could mean he goes after the guys and brings Vera back here. She’s another person who will try to kill me as soon as an opportunity presents itself.
“Such a waste,” Gordon chides as he walks over to me. He kneels and grabs my chin, jerking my face up and tilting it this way and that. “I’ll have a healer come down to fix you up. I’m not losing a day of training because of that imbecile. You’re weak enough as it is when you’re not injured.” He tosses me away as he stands to make another call.
I pass out on the floor before the phone starts ringing.
When I wake up next, the headache has disappeared and I feel as I did before Thorne arrived—better, actually, because the pain in my neck has also vanished.
Gordon stands over me with his arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. “I don’t have all day, pet. Open your eyes and get out of bed. We’re already almost an hour behind schedule.”
I push myself out of bed and move to stand, hoping Gordon will step back to give me some room, but no, of course not. I brush against him when getting back on my feet and feel nauseated at him starting this so soon.
He takes my arm above my elbow, pinching it between his thumb and fingers while directing me out of the room. “Your tour is going to be briefer than originally planned, but you’ll have the opportunity to explore later. For now, I’ll give you the basics of how to get around or the different areas we’ll be working in so you know where to go.”
Cringing, I try to tug away under the guise of getting more comfortable, and I’m surprised when he releases me. “I don’t understand.”
Gordon stops walking, and I stumble in my effort to do the same. His hard brown eyes travel from my feet to my face. “Don’t tell me your brain’s gone stupid while you’ve been away as well. I’m not sure I’ve met anyone more worthless than you, pet. If not for your gift, that is. It’s a shame thatyouwere born with it.”
My jaw tightens at the jabs he effortlessly throws my way. I’ve worked a lot on my self-confidence since the last time he had me.I realize it still may not be enough when a twinge of pain slides its way into my psyche.Worthless. I hate that fucking word.
