le Phe

strange surgeon left, the door to

Hayward Savage w

d, his face arranged into a practiced expressi

de table and placing the glass down. "How are you fee

my hands resting flat on the comfo

ather armchair up to the side of the bed. He sat down

d regret. "Kacey was bleeding to death, and in the heat of the moment, I lost my temper. A father

e years ago, I might ha

n an organ incubator to him, his gentle

ll Bryant's promise. Sign my emancipation papers

oward me. "We'll process the paperwork immediately. But look at your lips-they're complete

oat dry as bone, and the smell of pu

glass fro

m to my lips and

it the back of my tongue, an unmistakable, fain

ane se

lves and humans alike within seconds. Five years of studying herbal toxic

glass against

as

d glass sprayed ac

, but the small sip had already entered my bloodstream. A

in an instant. His eyes turn

latex gloves from his suit pocket

e chair. "Kacey's cell regeneration is failing again. The blood transfusion was only a t

rowing thick and heavy. "Extracting marro

eplied, reaching over to press the emergency call button on th

doors sw

eeled a heavy steel gurney into the room, carrying

nd spun. The sedative was shutting down my peripheral

f my tongue wit

nd the flare of pain cleared the f

houlders, I threw my weight sideways, kicking

at

ins crashed to the floor, creating a deaf

ing back to avoid the mess. "Inject th

ess, drawing a long syringe filled with clear liquid.

sed agains

o

llery shell detonati

were blown off their hinges, flying twenty feet across the

zed drywall filled the ai

ing dust strode a

glasses, his eyes were no longer gray. They blazed with the