MA

ting off the sight of the heavy o

e seal broke,

r, clutching my chest. It felt like someone had reached inside my ribcage and severed a cord that I hadn't known existed until t

Artemis

s time. It was a comman

ected us. BITE HIM. Make

scalp. "Please, just shut up. I'm having a panic

he heat. You felt the bond. He i

olent wave. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to picture my therapist's office. I tried to pictu

ld see were t

rtemis co

handrail to pull myself up. I had to get out of this building. I had to get away from the

ually gave me a nod, didn't look up from his monitors. But as I passed him, I

volving doors and spill

umble of the subway beneath the grate. The cold water soaked through my blouse instantly, plastering the fabri

subway station, my heels clic

ing to take a double dose of the Quetiapine. You're going to sleep for twelve hours. And tomorrow, you'r

go back up there and tear his

nyone's throat out!

glanced at me nervousl

the subway entrance. It was a shortcut I took every day. Usually, it

d the hairs on my ar

is a predator.

ld myself it was just paranoia. It was just t

sweeth

nd raspy, like grav

d aroun

ved deep into his pockets. He didn't look like a typical mugger. He wasn't looking at my purse. He was looking at me. He started snif

my voice trembling. "Take the p

l out my cell, but the man laug

, but he didn't seem to notice the water soaking his sneakers. "You smell expensiv

ck. "I'm an analyst. I m

a bounty out for anything that smells like the old labs or chemi

rocess what he was sa

away, and the next he was right in front of me. He grabbed my shoulders, his fin

color you blee

the freezing, paralyzing panic I was used

Artemis

inly didn't plan it. My right hand shot up and slammed into the center o

ing crack, the sou

stumble back and fle

traveling ten, maybe fifteen feet, before he slammed into the brick wall of the adjace

ed at

fingernails, my small palm, m

." I wh

e with wide, terrified eyes. "What the hell are you?" he wheezed

wait to

ned a

he six blocks to my apartment building without getting tired. My lungs didn't burn; my legs moved wit

building, startling the eld

anding up. "Is everything a

or. I took the stairs. I lived on the fourth floor. I took the st

am the key in. I threw the door open, stumbled inside, and slammed it shut. I locked the deadbolt. I

id I let my

emon cleaner I used and the drying lavender I

I wa

knees in front of the toilet and retched. Nothing came up but bile and water, but my body kept tryin

nd reached up and turned on the cold water tap, splashing my face. I grabbed a towel a

"Hysterical strength. Mothers lift cars off their babies

er voice was calm now. smug. It felt g

nk. "I am not a monster! I am Emma Carter! I pay m

Open your eyes, Emma. Look

es and looked

m died in

wasn't. My skin was flushed with a feverish h

olate-brown e

just purple; they were luminous, shining with an internal light that cast a faint glow on the

h fogging the surface. I touched my ch

real. This is the hallucination. I'

so hard I knocked a bottle of perfume into the sink. It shattered,

said. They won't fix this.

the violet eyes in the mirro

ark, rolling sound i

ing up, Emma. And