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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

Eris went still, remembering her words to Sher when she first defected to the Novantae. I can’t do it anymore. Not after Xander. Not after the terrible things she had been commanded to do.

As stony and indifferent as Nyx’s expression was, Eris recognized the same weariness. It was the cold, hard truth that no matter what either one of them did, or how many people they tried to save, it would never make up for the things they had done.

Eris studied the tattoos on the side of Nyx’s face. The thick, jagged lines around her brow and across her cheekbone. Among the royal guard, it was an honor to wear the marks, but it also meant they could never defect. Never hide.

“Okay.” Eris gestured to the tattoos. “Do you want those removed?”

“You can do that?” Though Nyx sounded impassive, her breathing hitched to a slightly ragged cadence.

If Eris had needed further proof that these women were genuine, that was it. No one still loyal to the Tholosian Empire would opt to have their tattoos removed; they’d die first.

Clo looked at Eris in surprise. “Seriously? She’s military. Are we just going to forget the fact that those tattoos mean she’s killed a silt-ton—”

“You should know better than anyone why that doesn’t matter to me,” Eris snapped. “I believe in second chances. Kyla?”

The Novan commander glanced up from the rock and assessed Nyx’s tattoos. “Those will take at least three removal sessions. Maybe five. Still want them gone?” At Nyx’s nod, Kyla said, “Clo, grab the laser and strap her down. Nyx, I hope you have a high pain threshold, because this is going to hurt like you’ve been sent straight to Avern.”

16.

ERIS

Present day

Nyx lay on the reclining chair in the medical bay, two decks down from the command center. Clo lingered in the corner, arms crossed. Eris had secured the leather straps around Nyx’s wrists and ankles to keep her still while Kyla painstakingly lasered the tattoos off her face. The laser sizzled, and the air smelled of burned flesh.

Eris had seen Kyla do this for various Novan crews over the years. It wasn’t just royal guards who were marked for identification purposes. The Archon marked servants, soldiers, and prisoners. The gerulae wore the scythes on their cheeks. The marks were a message, both I own you and You will never be more than this.

Eris could count on one hand the number of people who made it through the multiple sessions required to remove most Tholosian tattoos. Her father and previous Archons did that on purpose; the heavy metals native to Tholos were used to create ink, spread with nanotech inserted through the needle so the tattoo went deep beneath the surface of the dermis and marked bone. Leftover scars would be visible on Nyx’s face, requiring further treatments to smooth away.