Chapter 10 · You're coming with me

She reached me and grabbed the collar of my shirt, hauling me up until we were nose-to-nose. I could feel the heat of her breath. The tension between us was a wire stretched to the breaking point. I wanted to kill her. I wanted to rip that power out of her chest and make her scream.

"You're coming with me," she whispered. "Not as a prisoner. Not yet. As a curiosity. I want to see how long it takes for that thing inside you to eat you alive."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I spat.

Sela laughed, a sharp, melodic sound that didn't reach her eyes. "You don't have a choice. Look around, little rat."

I looked. Beyond the alley, the street was suddenly crawling with armored soldiers. They had sealed the perimeter. Heavy energy shields were slamming down, cutting off every exit. The hum of the shields vibrated in the air, a low, oppressive drone.

"Sector seven is locked down," Sela said, her grip tightening on my shirt. "No one gets in. No one gets out. And since you've already killed my scouts, you're officially a state enemy.