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Back Truth of the Divine Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Also By Lindsay Ellis and Available From Titan Books
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Author’s Note
  7. Part 1: It’s A Fool Who Plays It Cool
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. Part 2: Love Has A Nasty Habit Of Disappearing Overnight
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. Part 3: A Crowd Of People Stood And Stared
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. Part 4: Happiness Is A Warm Gun
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. A Fiction Agreed Upon
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. About the Author

Its other hand went for her throat, and she screamed, cried, begged, unable to get anything out between her rapid breaths besides No, no, no! It drilled into her throat, went straight to the bone, and doused the fire flowing through her veins.

Ampersand was holding her tight, his right hand wrapped around her torso, a syringe coming out of the tips of the fingers of his left, the needle still deep in her carotid artery, several of his other fingers clamped around her skull, holding her head in place. He pulled out the needle and released her, and she collapsed onto the floor.

She nearly passed out right there, but saw Ampersand turning his attention to Kaveh. “No, please!” she yelled. Ampersand’s body was facing her still, standing right over her, but his head was turned around like an owl’s, focused on Kaveh, who had backed himself up against another wall, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. “Leave him alone.”

Ampersand took two steps away from her, still eyeing Kaveh, then he looked at her. He lingered for a moment, and then the shell on his back opened, the liquid metal of his plate spreading out like fabric wings, enveloping him as he crouched. Then he was gone.

Kaveh was already moving toward her before Ampersand disappeared. “Shit shit shit,” he said, propping her head up. “I’m going to get you to a hospital.”

“No,” she said. Her breath was still fast, but not the rapid-fire, painful, shallow breathing it had been when she was in the thick of it.

“I don’t know what he did to you,” he said. “We need to go to the ER.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her eyes lolling in her head.

He wrapped her left arm around his neck, hoisting her up into his arms. “It’s not okay. I have to get you to a hospital.”

“I don’t consent,” she said.

“I’m taking you to a hospital.” There was fresh air on her face, a breeze. They were outside. He was carrying her back to his car.

“Kaveh,” she said. “He won’t hurt me. He hurts me, he hurts himself.”

Kaveh took a long breath, and his jaw hardened. “Yeah. Yeah, I can see that.”

“No hospital,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Fine. But I’m not leaving you alone.”

As Kaveh carried her up the hill, a voice spoke to her through the earbud: “HOW STRANGE, SIDE EFFECTS OF FUSION BONDING WITH A NATURAL ALIEN. I HOPE OUR DEAR BELOVED DOES NOT DO ANYTHING DRASTIC TO MITIGATE THEM. I HOPE OUR DEAR BELOVED DOES NOT DO ANYTHING HE CANNOT UNDO.

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By the time they reached Kaveh’s house, she was able to walk. She had passed out a few times on the drive back, causing him to nearly pull over and call 911, but each time, she came to and begged him not to.