Chapter Forty-Three

Danni stared at Bray, not quite willing to believe her eyes that he was really sitting across the table from her, consuming a bit of rabbit stew that was left over from the lunch Ocelot had prepared. He had not changed much since they were parted nearly seven months before, but Danni could sense that something had changed dramatically between them. She had a strong hunch she knew exactly what it was.

“How are you feeling?” Danni inquired, brushing a strand of hair away from Bray’s face as he lifted a wooden mug filled with energizing tea to his lips. “Amber said that you had been ill or wounded pretty much since your rescue.”

“I’m actually feeling a lot better.” Bray nodded, studying her carefully, a guarded expression in his clear blue eyes. “For awhile I didn’t think I was going to make it. The only thing that kept me going was you, Danni.” He reached across the table and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I love you, Danni. You know that, right?”

Danni felt a pang of guilt at Bray’s words and wondered if now was the appropriate time to tell him about her relationship with Ravenscroft. Surely he would understand that she had been led to believe he was dead. “Oh Bray.” She murmured, not quite able to return his words of love, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“And I’ve missed you.” He tenderly brushed his lips across her knuckles. “You’re my everything, Danni. Life just wouldn’t be worth the living without you in it. You came to me in a time where my world was so bleak and you brought light back into my life. And now you’re back again, when I thought I had lost you forever.”

“What about Amber, Bray?” Danni bit down on her lower lip, well recalling how Amber had assured her that she was no longer in love with Bray and that she would not stand in the way of their relationship, especially considering she was carrying his child. “Seeing her again, that didn’t bring back the old feelings? I know that you loved her very much.”

Bray nodded slowly, drawing his lips together in a thin line. “I did love Amber, and I guess in a way I still do, but both she and I have changed so much. Even if I had wanted to become involved with her again, I know it would not work. Besides, my heart belongs to do, Danni. I swear it’s true.”

Danni dropped her gaze, feeling the tears being to sting the back of her eyes. She didn’t want Bray to suspect that perhaps she had not been as faithful to him as he had been to her, even though she was certain Bray must have been told she was executed as well.

“I’m so glad you’re really alive, Bray.” Danni murmured, finally working up the courage to meet his intense eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do if I ever really lost you.”

Bray’s lips quirked up in a peaceful smile and he slowly rose to his feet, keeping a hold of her hand and ignoring the dishes he had just made use of. “Come on, Danni.” He whispered huskily, “It’s been too long. Let’s see if we can find someplace a bit more private.”

Danni blanched, a feeling of complete panic sweeping through her. She should have realized that one of the first things Bray would want to do was be intimate, but she hadn’t prepared herself for this. “Bray, I can’t…” Her hand dropped down to her abdomen, hoping that Bray did not know enough about pregnancy to know that she could still easily make love for awhile yet.

“Oh, of course.” Bray nodded his head with understanding and Danni breathed out a sigh of relief that her ploy had worked. “I keep forgetting that you’re carrying my son.”

“Son?” Danni challenged good naturedly, happy to be on another subject.

“Yeah.” Bray nodded. “Bray Jr. I like the sound of that.”

“Yes, you have a very nice name.” Danni agreed, “But don’t you think it would be a tad confusing? I really don’t want to be calling our son ‘Junior’ all the time. What about Michael? Drew? Edward? Or Raven?”

“Raven?”

Danni’s eye widened, not realizing that she had let that slip out. “Well, Raven is a nice name, isn’t it?” She forced a smile to her lips.

“I don’t know.” Bray shook his head. “The word raven has always given me the creeps since I read that Poe story back in school. I don’t think I’d ever be able to look at our son without thinking about that story.”

“What if our baby is a girl, Bray?” Danni smiled. “What would we name her then?”

“You know, I really hadn’t given it much thought.” Bray shrugged his shoulders, his eyes locking with Danni’s. “I just found out I was going to be father just a few hours ago. This is all quite a bit for me to soak in.”

“I’m sure it is.” Danni nodded. “I was thinking that maybe if we had a girl we could name her Jenis or Alana.”

“Jenis? After that friend of yours?”

“Yes.” Danni blinked, holding back the tears. When she heard that Jenis had been killed during the battle she had refused to believe it. Jenis was the kindest, most peaceful individual. She would never want to see anyone hurt, and yet the Chosen had murdered her without a thought.

“Who do you know named Alana?” Bray inquired, his voice soft and sympathetic to Danni’s pain. “Another girl you met in the prisons?”

“Sort of.” Danni’s lips twisted up in a bittersweet smile. “I met her in the prisons, but her name really isn’t Alana. That was just the name she was going by. Her name is Zandra.”

“Zandra? Like the Zandra?” Bray’s eyes widened and it was quite obvious to Danni that someone had failed to mention that Zandra was alive to him. “Poor Lex. What is he going to do?”

“What do you mean?” Danni’s brow knitted together.

“Well, he’s married to Zandra and Tai-San now.” Bray explained, “Though I always thought Zandra was a much better match for him than Tai-San. Tai-San is so noble, pure. She and Lex are exact opposites. Seeing them together is just as weird as saying he and Amber would be a good pair.”

Danni smiled, opting not to tell Bray that she had noticed quite a few sparks flying between his former love and the man he was speaking of that that exact moment. “Well, I’m sure Lex will figure something out. He always does, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, he does.” Bray agreed as he ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair. It had been trimmed quite a bit since Danni had last seen him and now barely fell past his chin. Danni decided she preferred it longer, but she held her tongue.

“I need to get going, Bray.” Danni gingerly rose to her feet, brushing the crumbs off her skirt and onto the ground. “There is still quite a bit that we need to get done before Ebony and the others arrive back with the transports.”

“Ebony? Yeah, I noticed that snake wasn’t around here.” Bray’s eyes darkened at the mention of the former queen of the Locos.

“She’s not a snake, Bray.” Danni snapped impatiently. “If we had listened to her way back when none of this would ever have happened. She’s not the horrible person you think she is, Bray. She’s really not.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve bought into her lies too.” Bray groaned softly. “First Amber and now you. Next thing I know you guys are going to want to grant her sainthood. I can see it now, St. Ebony, protector of the people.” He rolled his eyes.

Danni glowered, feeling it was her duty to defend her newfound friend, or rather almost friend. She wasn’t exactly sure where she and Ebony stood, but she knew she couldn’t just listen to Bray badmouth her.

“Stop it, Bray.” Danni stated curtly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re only making a fool of yourself. Ebony is a hero, or at least she will be. So if I were you, I’d really watch what I say about her. You never know who might be listening.”

Leaving Bray standing, staring at her with his mouth hanging open, Danni turned to go, her heart giving a happy little leap inside her as she made her way away from the hardy oak table and towards the lodge where the wounded were slowly being changed into Chosen robes for transport.

“I’ll talk to you later, Bray.” She called over her shoulder after she was quite a distance away from him. “Remember what I’ve said.”

~*~*~

“There it is, straight ahead!” Silver exclaimed from her seat next to Ebony in the heavily armored black Chosen transport. They had been driving for just over an hour and already they had reached the Gaian village. Ebony grimaced, realizing just how much she missed cars.

“Do you think we should just drive straight up to the village, Sil?” Ebony queried uneasily, “It would be like sticking a sign in the middle of the road that says ‘this way to the Gaian village’.”

“But don’t the Chosen already know where the village is located?” Silver inquired. “I don’t really see how it makes much of a difference. Right now I see time as being the most important, not secrecy.”

“You’re right.” Ebony nodded her head, pressing her foot harder on the accelerator, causing the black van to tear through the lush green foliage. She truly regretted causing such destruction to the beautiful forest, but she knew even the Gaians would forgive her for this little misdemeanor.

Less than ten minutes later all three black Chosen transports were parked in the common area of the village. Ebony could tell they had alarmed the Rebels when they drove up, but she had quickly stuck her head out the window and assured them that they were not the Chosen come to bring them back to the city.

“I can’t believe this.” Amber commented, shaking her blonde head back and forth, an almost hopeful smile spread across her lips. “Three vans, Ebony. You’re amazing. Was it too terribly difficult?”

“Actually, no.” Ebony shook her head, flicking her long braids over her shoulders. “Obviously we had to go to the further depot, but after we found it and waited long enough for a Chosen caravan to pull up it was pretty easy. They were not expecting us to attack and using the Chosen robes we had brought along, we were able to fool them into thinking that we were actually on their side.” She chuckled a little.

“That’s great.” Amber smiled, looking Ebony in the eyes. “I’m really glad you guys made it back. I was really worried about you.”

“Why?” Panther strode up behind Ebony, the thrill of victory setting her face aglow and her normally slightly antagonistic personality was put on hold for the moment. “You should have known that Ebony would manage to pull it off. She could have stormed the mall and probably come back without a single scratch.”

Ebony chuckled uncomfortably, shaking her head. “Naw. The mall is much heavier guarded and the Chosen are expecting us to attack them there sooner or later. They would be ready for us. These guys were just a few soft and overweight Chosen guards who had nothing better to do with their time then pump gas. Next time I don’t think we’ll be so lucky.”

“Well, we need to do something soon, even if we aren’t lucky.” Cloe had come up and joined the small circle, her young face set with determination. “Our friends are really going to need us. I’m sure once the Guardian hears about the petrol dump being blown up he’s not going to go easy on them.”

“Petrol dump being blown up?” Amber arched an eyebrow in Ebony’s direction.

Ebony grinned sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders. “Just making sure I covered our tracks. The guards will probably tell the Guardian that it was us, but its going to take them quiet awhile to get to the mall. Hawk and Panther tie some amazing knots.”

“I’m sure they do.” Amber nodded, her expression grim and Ebony could tell that she was already contemplating the words that Cloe had said. Then, confirming Ebony’s suspicions she said, “Cloe’s right. We’ve got to strike again, and soon. We can’t just sit around the base waiting for the Chosen to fall into our laps. If we do we’d be refugees not rebels.”

“I have a suggestion.” Panther stated, her expression cool and clear and Ebony found herself intrigued by what this young woman would say. “But I don’t think you’ll like it at all, Amber. It would end the war pretty quick, though.”

“Let’s hear it.” Amber nodded her head, urging Panther to continue.

“I think we should attempt to sneak inside the mall, using Chosen uniforms or something, and assassinate the Guardian. He is the center of their faith, isn’t he? If we can knock him out, the Chosen will crumble.”

“No good.” Ebony shook her head, pursing her lips. “Even if we kill the Guardian Trudy will more than likely step up as leader of the Chosen, or someone else even. The center of their faith is Zoot, not the Guardian, even if he is their leader. I really don’t think an assassination attempt would work.”

“It would only make him a martyr.” Amber agreed, her voice grim. “Though it is a good suggestion, even if I don’t like it. If we do kill the Guardian we might be able to cut off the head of the Chosen and confuse them for awhile. Perhaps we could sweep in and take control of the situation before they can put a new leader in place.”

“I have a better idea.” Cloe spoke up, her dark eyes shining with intelligence, reminding Ebony once again that they should never underestimate the younger girl. “And I’m pretty sure we could pull it off perfectly.”

“What is it?” Ebony asked, feeling her heart skip a beat as if telling her that it was Cloe’s plan that could bring down the Chosen.

“The Chosen are expecting an attack on the mall, this much we know. But they’re expecting it to come from the outside, right? They expect us to try and sneak in and kill the Guardian or just do an upfront attack, right?” Cloe paused, watching as the three older women nodded their heads. “I think we should do just the opposite.”

“What? Not attack?” Panther frowned.

“Exactly.” Cloe beamed. “Not attack. Infiltrate.”

“How so, Cloe?” Amber’s voice contained a hint of excitement and Ebony knew that Amber had gotten the same sense about this plan of Cloe’s as she had. “The Guardian has posters posted throughout the city with our faces on them.”

“Yes, he does.” Cloe agreed. “But if we put our faces out of context, perhaps by putting them in blue robes… I don’t think we’d be half as recognizable.”

Ebony snapped her fingers, realizing just what Cloe’s plan was. “You mean for a large number of us to infiltrate the mall, taking over, right? So that eventually there will be more Rebels inside the mall than Chosen, right?”

“Precisely.” Cloe affirmed. “We can’t move that slowly, but maybe send in a group of five or six every day or so. If I remember correctly there are only about twenty Chosen in the actual mall, not counting Trudy, the Guardian or Luke of course. And not counting the Acolytes, but I have a hunch they would turn on the Guardian at a drop of a hat. The only reason they bought into everything was because they were scared and afraid.”

“Good point.” Amber nodded. “So you think that we could take over the entire mall with a pretty small task force, huh, Cloe? Even if not everyone is fully on the mend I’m sure they’d be able to help us overwhelm five or so guards, right?”

“That’s a really great plan, Cloe.” Panther complimented smoothly. “I don’t think the Guardian would be expecting us to take over his entire force.”

“Nor do I.” Ebony smiled over at Cloe, causing the younger girl’s cheeks to flush with embarrassment. “Way to go, Cloe. If we manage to bring down the Chosen it will be because of you.”

“Not if we manage to,” Amber quickly corrected, “When we bring them down.” She flashed a smile in Cloe’s direction, then smoothly continued, “I’ll go speak with Zandra. She’ll probably know some of the passwords and procedures that we could use to help us look even more Chosen-like, alright? Don’t breath a word of the plan to anyone else for awhile. I want to make sure this plan stays a secret until the very last possible moment.”

“Agreed.” Panther scowled. “We’ve had bad enough luck with spies as it is. Anyway, I was going to turn in for awhile. I’m pretty exhausted.”

“Me too.” Ebony nodded, feeling the well familiar feeling of sleep tugging on her eyelids. “Wake me when we’re ready to make the first transport of wounded to the base, alright? It took me quite awhile to figure out how to drive those stupid vans so I’d like to be on hand whenever whoever it is needs to figure out how to drive them.”

“Alright. Well, I’ll see you ladies later, then.” Amber grinned. “Get some rest, Ebony and Panther. Cloe, thanks so much for all your help. You’re a life saver. Really, you are.” Amber nodded, then turned in the direction of the lodge where Zandra was being kept.

“I’ll see you around.” Ebony stifled a yawn. She waved at Panther and Cloe then began to drag herself in the direction of her own lodge where she would finally be able to get some much needed sleep.

~*~*~

Lex had gradually grown accustomed to the stench of blood and death in the cramped lodge where the wounded Rebels were recuperating. Since learning that Zandra was alive he had spent the majority of his time by her bedside, holding her hand and whispering words of encouragement. He felt it was the least he could do for the woman that he had once loved so much.

Whenever Zandra awoke, which was not that often, she would give him a faint smile and ask him why he was still there, though she usually dropped back off to sleep before he ever had a chance to answer.

“Oh Zan.” Lex murmured, brushing a curly lock of fading sapphire blue hair away from her face. When she was sleeping she looked much younger than her fifteen, nearly sixteen years, reminding him of the Zandra he had once known before the virus had changed them on. “Hold on, okay? You have so much to live for.”

Slowly, Lex withdrew his hand and leaned back against the hard stiff-backed wooden chair he had borrowed from one of the other lodges, one that was nearly falling down and would not be needing the sturdy piece of furniture anytime soon. His back and neck muscles were killing him and he was in desperate need of a break, but he couldn’t find it in him to leave Zandra. Not when she was like this.

Lex closed his eyes, intending on catching a few moments of rest before Zandra’s peaceful sleep was interrupted by another of her nightmares and he would have to draw her close and hold her until the terror of the dream subsided. Lex prayed that these night terrors would fade as the memory of her days with the Chosen became less and less in the forefront of her mind.

Just as Lex was slowly dropping off to sleep, his thoughts filled with worries and concerns for Zandra, the lodge was filled with the sweet yet tangy scent of cinnamon and roses – a scent that Lex knew only too well and brought back forbidden memories of a beautiful dance he could hardly remember with the mesmerizing Mara Jade, whom he later discovered was Amber.

The scent drew closer and Lex knew that Amber was making her way down the long rows of beds, pausing every so often to check on those of the Rebels that she knew and whisper a few words of encouragement to them. He figured she was making her way down towards him, or more precisely Zandra. She had been pretty much avoiding him all day long, ever since their almost tryst in the meadow at dawn.

He knew that Amber had stopped at Zandra’s bed simply because her beautiful scent had begun to overwhelm his senses, making it rather difficult for him to think of anything but the stunning blonde haired woman who was probably studying his ex-wife (sort of) carefully.

Before Amber determined that they were both sound asleep and decided to leave and come back later, Lex cracked his eyelids open, startled to see that Amber was not watching Zandra, instead, her gorgeous color changing eyes were watching him, and if he was not mistaken her smooth cheeks were tinged with color.

“Hey.” Lex slid a dopey smile across his face, looking up to meet her gaze. “I’m not asleep.”

“I can see that.” Amber nodded, her eyes dropping, obviously not comfortable with meeting his just yet. “I came by to talk to Zandra, but I’ll come back later when she’s awake.”

“No, stay.” Lex sat up straight, shaking his head. “She’ll probably wake up any minute now and no doubt she’ll want to speak with you.” He lied, knowing that Zandra would probably not awaken for at least another hour or so. She had just dropped off to sleep.

“Alright.” Amber’s lips twisted up into a hesitant smile. “I suppose I could.” She glanced around and seeing that there were no other chairs for her to sit in, stepped past Lex and settled herself comfortably on the vacant bed beside Zandra’s.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lex watched her. Her expression was drawn, though masked and he could not read a single emotion that flitted through her precious eyes, as try as he might. She was sitting cross-legged, her elbows propped up on her knees and her chin resting in her hands, clearly not wanting to start a conversation with him while Zandra slept on.

“How are things going out there?” Lex inquired, knowing that Amber was probably well aware that he had not ventured out of the lodge much at all. “The ruckus that I heard earlier, was that Ebony returning?”

Amber nodded slowly. “Probably. Bray, Cougar, and Robin returned shortly before Ebony and the others, so it could have been that. They gave us quite a fright.”

“Who? Ebony?” Lex furrowed his brow.

“Them too, though Ebony quickly identified herself. Bray and the two girls. We didn’t know they were coming and Jaguar had fled his post to warn us before he got a good look at them. We were afraid it was the Chosen coming to attack.”

“With just three people?” Lex stated doubtfully.

“Could have been a scouting party.” Amber explain logically, her tone clipped. “Anyway, that doesn’t matter. We realized quickly who they were once they showed themselves and now Bray is reunited with Danni.”

So that explained her strange mood. “You didn’t tell Danni about what happened between you and Bray?” It was more of a statement than a question. Lex knew Amber and more importantly knew that she did not want to ruin anyone’s slim chance of happiness in their troubled times, even if there was bad blood between her and them.

“No.” Amber shook her head, her voice wavering slightly from its cold icy tone. “I couldn’t, Lex. It just didn’t seem right to ruin what one chance they might have at happiness. Only now I’m not so sure I did the right thing.”

“Are they happy?”

“I guess so.” Amber shrugged her shoulders, shifting her body weight slightly so she could look at him. “It’s a strange situation, Lex. Far more strange than you know.”

“How do you feel about it, Ambs?” Lex inquired gently, almost reaching out and touching her on the arm, but restraining himself. “I know it’s gotta be hard.”

“No, not really.” Amber shook her head and Lex could tell from the look in her eyes that she was telling the truth. “I let go of Bray awhile ago. I realized that he and I could never start back up where we left off. It was just impossible. We had been separated for far too long and we had both changed dramatically…” She trailed off, her face growing white as a sheet as she suddenly and quite nervously glanced down at Zandra. “Oh, Lex, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m happy that you and Zandra are giving it another go, and I think it could really work out for you tw—“

“Wait a minute.” Lex cut her off, forcing himself not to laugh at Amber’s assumption. “Zandra and I aren’t giving it another go, Amber. We both realized the exact same thing you just said, we both had changed far too much to really restart, even though I still love her. It wouldn’t be fair to her.”

“Or to Tai-San.” Amber nodded. “Have you told her about your new wife?”

“Uh, no. Not yet.” Lex felt his cheeks warm and he knew that he was flushed. “I really haven’t found the right opportunity to. She and Tai-San never really did get along very well.”

“Because of you.” Amber forced a smile to her lips, but Lex could tell something was bothering her. “You never let it be easy for a girl to like you, you know.”

“Not my fault.” Lex grinned wolfishly. “Anyway, I’ve grown up a lot since that whole thing with Zandra and Tai-San happened.”

“Grown up, maybe. But have you changed?” Amber’s eyes had darkened and she was staring at him with such intensity that Lex began to feel rather uncomfortable.

“What do you mean, Amber?”

“Nothing, really.” Amber shook her head, the intensity fading from her eyes. “I was just pointing out that you really haven’t changed much since then, even if you have grown up. You’re recently married to Tai-San and I happen to know for a fact that you’ve been hitting on both Panther and Ocelot.”

“And you.” Lex added.

Amber rolled her eyes and pretended she hadn’t heard him. “Look, Lex, all I’m saying is that if you want to have a successful marriage than you’ve got to be faithful. Going around and kissing other girls when the two of you are separated isn’t exactly the best way to build trust in a marriage. Tai-San is back at the mall waiting for you, loving you, and you’re here… doing, well, doing what you’re doing.” She finished, quite frustrated.

“This isn’t really about Tai-San and I, is it?” Lex leaned closer to her, his voice lowering and his heart thudding loudly in his chest.

Amber abruptly rose to her feet, climbing off from the bed, her eyes stormy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lex, but I can see I’ve wasted enough of my time here waiting for Zandra to wake up. When she awakens send someone to fetch me.”

“Amber, wait!” Lex leaped to his feet, causing the chair to fall backwards, though there was too little room for it to clatter to the floor, instead it stood half propped up against the bed that Amber had just vacated. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Amber.”

But Amber continued her rapid retreat out of the lodge, not once looking back despite Lex’s cries. Lex glanced over at Zandra and whispered he’d be right back, then hurried off to follow the former Mall Rat and current Gaian leader.

~*~*~

She was back in the corridor, the long empty corridor that chilled Ebony to the bone whenever she was there. It was pitch black, as usual, though something was different this time. Ebony sensed a presence in the corridor with her, a presence that was not so friendly.

“Who’s there?” Ebony called out, steeling herself against the wall, her eyes scanning the darkness frantically, hoping that whoever or whatever was in there with her would show themselves. “Tell me now!”

Several long seconds of silence slid by, though it felt like an eternity. Cautiously, keeping her back tightly pressed against the sidewall, Ebony made her way down the long hallway, not wanting to see what awaited her at the end this time, but morbid curiosity driving her on.

She moved past the once visions, now memories of her days with the Locos, then the Chosen descending on the city, taking control as well as Bray’s attempted rape of Amber and the Chosen attack on the Gaian village. She was nearing unfamiliar territory and she knew that soon flashes of things to come would be in her mind’s eye, blinding her and gripping her heart with terror – and all the while the presence had not left.

Though she was half-prepared for it, it still took Ebony off guard when she felt the long dark hall begin to spin and transform, quickly melting into the city that she knew and loved so very much. She was in the hotel, staring up at the sky as if she knew that something would be coming down from there, but somehow whatever was coming down from the sky was not nearly as terrifying as what was in the city.

Ebony looked around, not seeing anything, and then, as if by magic the face of the one man she did not want to see in her dream appeared, his crystal blue eyes mocking her, his lips turned up in a sneer. “You tried to stop me.” He whispered, his voice taunting. “But you couldn’t. And now I will take everything that you hold dear, Ebony.”

“Go away.” Ebony glared at him, her hands knotting into fists at her sides. “Leave me alone. Leave all of us alone.”

“But I can’t.” His lips turned up into a wicked smiled. “I could never leave you, Ebony, my dearest sweet.”

“Leave me alone!” Ebony exclaimed, her shoulders shaking with uncontrollable sobs. “Haven’t you stolen enough already?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Not yet.” And then he snapped his fingers. In the distance Ebony heard a low rumble, the sound of an explosion and a building slowly collapsing and she instantly knew it was the mall, her beloved mall.

“No.” The word escaped her lips, choked and raw with emotion. “You couldn’t. You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I?” He challenged her. “Why not, Ebony? You’ve stolen everything from me. Everything that was once precious and dear. I’m only here to return the favor.”

“NO!” Ebony screamed as loud as she could, dropping into a huddled ball on the floor, the sobs taking over her entire body. “No!”

“Leave her alone.” The voice was calm, steady, completely unaffected by the destruction that surrounded them. “Leave her alone.”

Ebony looked up, her heart leaping in her throat as their eyes met. “You came.” Ebony whispered, not even realizing that her tormenter had gone.

“Not yet.” He shook his head, his expression grim. “But I am coming, Ebony. Coming soon.”