BooksBarbecue
Back Seven Devils
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1.
  4. 2.
  5. 3.
  6. 4.
  7. 5.
  8. 6.
  9. 7.
  10. 8.
  11. 9.
  12. 10.
  13. 11.
  14. 12.
  15. 13.
  16. 14.
  17. 15.
  18. 16.
  19. 17.
  20. 18.
  21. 19.
  22. 20.
  23. 21.
  24. 22.
  25. 23.
  26. 24.
  27. 25.
  28. 26.
  29. 27.
  30. 28.
  31. 29.
  32. 30.
  33. 31.
  34. 32.
  35. 33.
  36. 34.
  37. 35.
  38. 36.
  39. 37.
  40. 38.
  41. 39.
  42. 40.
  43. 41.
  44. 42.
  45. 43.
  46. 44.
  47. 45.
  48. 46.
  49. 47.
  50. 48.
  51. 49.
  52. 50.
  53. 51.
  54. 52.
  55. 53.
  56. 54.
  57. 55.
  58. 56.
  59. 57.
  60. EPILOGUE
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHORS

His jaw set. “I did what I had to.”

“No, you did what Damocles asked you to.” When the blaster pressed harder against her, Clo let out a soft noise. “You’re not going to shoot me in the back of the head. You’re a lot of things, but you’re not a coward. I’m going to turn around. All right?”

“No screaming,” he said, “or we’re all dead.”

“We’re all dead anyway, aren’t we?” Damocles would release the ichor. Take down enemies on the Evoli side and within his own command. He probably had the blaster hidden beneath that voluminous cloak, close enough that none of them ever had any hope of getting it.

“Your filters will work,” Sher said. “You’ll survive.”

“So, you’re not going to let all your agents die right away. I guess that’s nice of you.”

“You’ll understand when I have more time to explain. The Archon has been downplaying the destruction at Charon, Clo. Those fancy dinners? The lavish displays? All to hide the fact that there’s not enough stockpiled food to go around. It’s this or famine. At least the people here will die fast.”

“In agony,” Clo snapped.

“I never said it was a mercy. Do you want the resistance to starve? Our provisions are stolen from the Empire.”

“Oh, fuck you. This doesn’t help the resistance.” She tamped down the urge to glance over Sher’s shoulder at Kyla. “Damocles will change nothing. The status quo continues. And the Evoli? If they ever figure out the Novantae were behind creating the prototype, we’d have them on our asses. Think, Sher.”

Sher’s body language was stiff, tight. “This is what we have to do, Alesca. You’ll see this is the right way.”

This was all wrong. Clo’s mouth went slack. She should have seen it. The different body language, the stilted language. As if he were . . . a Tholosian soldier.

He wore his hair longer this last year or so, no longer buzzed as short as Clo’s. There could be an implant beneath that dark hair. If she brushed those strands back from behind his ear, she knew what she would find.

“The Oracle got to you,” Clo whispered. Behind Sher, Kyla struggled anew.

Sher jerked back as if she’d slapped him. “Don’t even joke about that. This is me, Clo. I’m making the difficult decisions for the good of our people. Burn it all down, or we starve.” His hand gripped her upper arm hard. “Do you understand me?”