at him witho

your bu

ve a qui

et so ob

returned

ked at the boy, the m

ked far too m

lly tho

ly narrowe

ible..

s supposed

d made sure of i

looking at hi

e suddenly

ped back t

iled ca

ust cu

at the Vortex estate

owered his head at

seemed to shri

ed him for

ning, he took one

quic

ggres

adiating from him

av

ocat

r fr

e firs

inely threat

logi

voice w

o

r fr

ha

ightene

le

behind them bar

y let out a

jaw ti

re se

his str

eyes da

the hallway seeme

ike repeat

second

eyes l

man look

na

ve a thi

in

ed towa

or

sounded ca

yes remai

tively steppe

t made something insi

noti

miled

eres

, but the kid is already co

wly lifted t

ou really are f

the hallway in

iately lowered hi

himself clos

wed no r

sion remai

made Ryder even

five y

ld have

en easy t

to

sh beyond

no

thing to rea

he were standing at the

shed," Kael sai

smile ti

stepped

st him without

rried af

nd the corner, Ryder's e

y d

le

e small earpi

ve a p

-

nwh

red his o

ost exactly as h

t fel

pt

ele

ust covered some

d been deliberately a

esitantly nea

wly moved ar

h

denly

fixed on

pecifi

obe at the far

slowly tu

not

t is

't answer

confused

rk.

mm

ace feel

ice wa

y q

gh to make Kael

toward the

opene

pt

d several storage b

sudd

sto

ropped to

atc

h

nmist

eneath the

e of furniture had b

pression

war

standing guard outsid

, Bo

ve

ded withou

ed the massive

EEK

raping across the fl

e next

one f

eneath th

mall st

ck

n the room seemed

owly look

de

tep backward,

soun

hisp

ng from un

the steel door

r some

t began

a

gely

de no

ng beneath

nnected

hed and exam

cen

nger over t

n't an o

pression

basement beneath

n built directly b

den

s approached f

le

icked voice cam

ext s

eathing slightly

he saw the wardr

ression

fraction

saw it

ni

was pa

id quickly, fo

earing apart y

emained fixed

o

y l

h

is t

ped toward th

ve a sma

, t

an old st

s

cour

r came to

y narrowed

irst time sin

ng instin

new one thin

was

ntained h

had begun to ten

dn't e

d the door

remained f

a

too

the pressure in the r

m," he said quietly, "why h

another ner

t was designed that w

ovat

-hm

le

e remain

some

the room

mily renovate my bedroo

le

smile ti

.