Free City of Shadows by Pippa DaCosta Page B

did what they were designed to do, and they didn’t think outside the box. But I’d never been in the box to begin with. I was unique, perhaps even more so than I’d feared. “Is that possible? Could the original spirit somehow exist in me?”
    â€œIt’s highly unlikely,” he said, dismissing the notion with a hand-flick, and after a few moments’ thought added, “I doubt a construct could contain One of the Three spirits. You would have burned out within moments had that been the case.” He let those words settle in the quiet. “Still, it’s worth considering. The spirit, if harnessed, could help us protect the balance between human and fae relations.”
    Well, that was comforting. Not. I turned my back on Kael and headed toward the bay window, thoughts whirring. The spirit? I’d assumed the dark inside of me was the remnant of the insane queen, but what if I was wrong? I couldn’t think about that; not yet. I had enough doubts racing through my head without adding immortal-spirit possession to the list, but if the general wanted to know, I’d play along for Becky’s sake. “To really
remember
.” Sunlight filtered through the drapes. I stopped inside the shafts of light and soaked up the warmth. “I need to be the thing the queen created me to be.”
    â€œYou need to let go of your control?”
    â€œBe the killer.”
    I need to let go of everything
, I thought.
Everything I’ve made my own. Every new part of me
. I had to forget it all and let the memories, the dreams, wash it all away. That’s what I was afraid of, and the reason why I hadn’t let loose on the general in the club. Why I hadn’t fought Samuel like I had the queen at the Dome. I could. I had it in me, and more. So much more.
Too much?
    His daggers chimed as he scooped them off the table. “Come with me.”
    â€œWhere?”
    He headed for the door, leaving me to catch up with him. “To test this theory.”

Chapter Eight
    The evening was warm, which made traveling in the Range Rover with Samuel, Nyx, and Scaw all the more uncomfortable. The general rode in the car ahead. I’d almost have liked to swap my seat buddies for the general; at least I could have used the opportunity to question him.
    Nyx chewed gum and tapped out a beat on her thigh to a tune only she could hear. Occasionally she’d slide her gaze to me and then skip it to Samuel sitting in the seat in front of me. Scaw drove. And nobody said a single word. Tension filled the air, much of it coming from Samuel’s dead-still posture.
    I keenly felt the press of the knives hidden in my boots. The general hadn’t told me where we were headed tonight, but each of his warriors were well armed.
    We hit the Mall, and passed through St. James’s Park heading toward Trafalgar Square. Samuel twisted in his seat to address Nyx. “On arrival, break off in pairs. Nyx, you’ll be giving Alina the tour.”
    Nyx’s grin was pure mischief. “Wouldn’t you rather hold her hand, Samuel?”
    He let her comment slide right off his professional demeanor and told Scaw to pair up with him. Scaw nodded, his attention focused on the Range Rover ahead as we passed through Admiralty Arch and pulled to a stop alongside Trafalgar. The FA drew a few sideways glances from the late evening tourists as they climbed from their cars. They made quite the sight in their red and black uniforms, weapons tucked in easy-to-reach places. I’d at least been given a jacket, but otherwise still wore sweats.
    Some of the tourists turned from the Trafalgar fountains to take pictures of the fae’s elite forces. I pulled my collar up and hid my face. Interest in the events at the Millennium Dome and my association with rock star Reign had died down, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be spotted. Unlike the rest of the fae, I didn’t relish the attention.
    The