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Back Black Ambrosia Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. CoverImage
  2. Introduction by Grady Hendrix
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. About the Author
  46. About the Cover

But I only dropped one story and then things focused again. I took a deep breath and folded the newspaper, looked at it again in horror. Boyd could never see the name of the newspaper! I turned it upside down, and as I did, my mind fell through, and there he was, and She was with him.

She hovered behind him, fog spread out behind him as an umbrella, or more like wings, like a giant bat. He did not see Her, did not know Her, would not know Her. But I did, and I knew that She had warned me to hide the newspaper, which meant that She controlled these meetings.

For a second, I saw Boyd look through my eyes, around the apartment, felt the cat licking my hand, and then I was in his truck, headlights careening as it rolled slowly off the side of the road onto the shoul­der, wheels humping over clumps of weeds in the gravel, and then we were face-­to-­face again, and I saw that he knew of my nocturnal activities, and that all he felt was scorn. Fury burned up my chest. Then it was over, and I was again calmly seated at the kitchen table.

I knew, then, that She was threatening me, testing me. This was Her ultimate checkmate to squelch any rebellious thoughts that might remain. She wanted me to have no friends, no companions. She wanted Her hold to be absolute. She wanted all of me, all the time.

She controlled these meetings with Boyd. She kept him foremost in my mind. And now She was threatening to reveal my location to him, as easily as letting him read the name of the local newspaper.

Well, it would not work.

She would not have me. She would not have me.

I took a series of deep breaths and tried to calm my trembling. I knew I had to renounce Her, had to fight Her, and I could win, I would win, because I had something that I don’t think She counted on. I had my free will. And it was strong. I would defeat Her.

I intuitively knew my next step. I dressed quickly, kissed each cat, assured them all that I would return, then left my apartment. I stepped into the comfortable summer night of the deserted industrial area. In the garage at the end of the street, the night crew provided maintenance to buses and trucks, but the other buildings were nighttime-­deserted; only ghostly security lights were brave enough to show their bea­cons through the darkness, through deadeye windows and down ragged alleys.

I knew right where to go.