“Well?” Lock frowned at him. “What is it? And when do you need me to do it?”
“The sooner the better.” Deep drew his blazer and pressed it into Lock’s palm. “Here.”
Lock looked down at the deadly weapon, uncomprehending. “Why are you giving me this? What do you expect me to do?”
“I expect you to honor your promise, Brother,” Deep said calmly. “And kill me.”
Chapter Forty
Kat stared at herself in the bathroom viewer, tracing the curling green lines that swirled around most of her right cheek. So this is how it ends. Done in by what looks like a really bad Saint Patrick’s Day tattoo. It seemed so unfair—so unbelievable—that something so small should end her life. But Kat knew it was true. Even now she could feel herself getting weaker. At least I don’t have that awful pain anymore. No more rusty spike in my brain—that’s an improvement.
An improvement but little consolation, considering that she was dying.
She frowned at her image in the viewer. She was doing it again—having a pity party when she had promised herself not to waste her last hours whining. Liv and Sophie had wanted to take her dancing or drinking at one of the clubs on the ship but Kat had vetoed that idea. Instead they’d decided to go back to her suite for brownie sundaes and girl talk—possibly the last girl talk they’d ever get.
But as much as she loved spending time with her friends, Kat yearned for something more. If these were her final hours she wanted to spend them doing something exhilarating. Something incredible…but what?
Suddenly a memory came to her—the feeling of flying like a weightless, invisible bird, the sight of suns and planets and galaxies rushing past her, the incredible exhilaration of being joined to two other minds as they swooped through space at impossible speeds… It was the sensation she’d gotten the last time she’d done a joining with Lock and Deep, when they were searching for Sophie after she’d been kidnapped by the Scourge. By Xairn, in fact—the same warrior who was now holding Lauren.
That’s what I want to do, Kat realized with a surge of excitement. I want to feel that joy one more time. And maybe we can help locate Lauren while we’re at it. That way it will be like I’m doing something useful before I die…leaving things better than I found them. Of course, it was joining with Lock and Deep that had started this whole mess in the first place. But what did she care now if the pain came back? She was going to die anyway. If I could get Lauren’s mom even just a little bit of hope it would be worth it.
Kat nodded at her face in the viewer. “I’ll do it.”
Turning, she headed out of the bathroom to tell Sophie and Liv her decision. Then all she had to do was convince Deep and Lock.
* * * * *
Kat let herself into the twins’ suite without knocking. The door recognized her and let her in with no problem, whooshing quietly shut behind her. She was rehearsing her argument when she came to the bedroom…and stopped in her tracks.
Deep and Lock were standing in front of the huge bed, neither one of them moving. But Lock had a blazer pointed straight at Deep’s heart.
“Take the shot,” Deep urged, baring his chest. “One quick, clean shot and you’re done.”
“I don’t want to.” Lock’s voice trembled and so did his hand, holding the weapon. “I probably should after everything you’ve done but…I don’t. I can’t lose my brother and the woman I love at the same time. I can’t.”
“You’ve already lost me.” Deep’s voice was desolate. “And we’re both going to lose Kat. I deserve to die for the part I played in that—you know it’s true.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to be the one to kill you!” Lock threw the blazer down and it clunked harmlessly on the carpet. “It’s not fair for you to even ask me.”
“I thought you’d want to,” Deep said quietly. “You hate me, don’t you? I thought it would give you satisfaction.”
“How could I take satisfaction in killing my brother? The other half of my soul.” Lock grabbed him roughly and pulled him into a hard embrace. “I don’t hate you, Deep,” he muttered into his brother’s shoulder. “Sometimes I wish I could but I don’t, no matter what you’ve done.”
“I don’t hate you either,” Kat said quietly. “I never could—which is what I was trying to tell you before we were interrupted in the viewing room.” She stepped forward. “In fact, I…I love both of you. Very much.”