Free Revelation by Erica Hayes Page B

exploded. He let go, aching.
    “Anyway,” she added, tossing shining hair over her shoulder, “where’s the percentage for you in killing me?”
    “Nowhere.” Lune still struggled with his breath. “It doesn’tmatter to me one way or the other. But if demons get their hands on you, they’ll torture it out of you without breaking a sweat. I can’t risk that.”
    “Torture what out of me? The fact that your brother’s dead, and you’re pissed, even though you’re too much of a tough guy to admit it? That you’re hunting down this Quuzaat so you can tear him a new asshole?” She cocked that eyebrow again at his expression. “C’mon, they know that already. Isn’t that the point?”
    “You know more than you think,” Lune said roughly. She’d cut too close. “I did warn you. You saw me casting. You saw me texting Dash. Once they get started with you, you’ll drag things from your memory you never realized you witnessed, if you think it’ll make them stop. Believe me. It’s not pretty.”
    “So take me with you, then.”
    He choked. “What?”
    “I’ve studied the Manhattan virus. I can help you. I
want
to help you.”
    “Y’know, thanks and all, but I really don’t—”
    “I’ve found Patient Zero, okay?” Excitement flushed her face, and she waved animated hands. “Well, not exactly. But we’ve pinpointed the neighborhood where the virus started. The info’s all there in the CDC reports, but I had more samples they didn’t get yet. I e-mailed them yesterday, and they concur. If this Quuzaat guy opened up a can of zombie virus whup-ass, that’s where he did it, right?”
    Lune stared. She could save him hours of hunting. Days, even. “O-kaay…”
    “Please. I really want this. If you’re so worried about me? You protect me, tough guy. Just take me with you, to…” She lifted her hands helplessly. “To wherever it is you’re going.”
    “I’m sorry, did you just ask to come with me? I thought you didn’t believe in angels and demons,
Doctor
Sterling.” He loaded the title with sarcasm, but his guts churned. Protecting beautiful women from demons wasn’t exactly his strong suit. Demons: 1, Luniel: 0. Better not to even try.
    “I did. I don’t.” She stopped, flustered. “I mean, yes, I did ask. And no, I don’t understand it all, and I don’t know if I believe you. But I have to be part of this, can’t you see? I’m a doctor. I can’t just stand by and let all these people die.”
    Lune nodded slowly. He’d witnessed too many disasters notto understand. He’d dragged drowning children from swirling tsunami waters on the beach in Sri Lanka, only to watch their parents smother in the mud. It was futile, that late December day, one hundred fifty thousand dead and counting. But to stand by and do nothing was worse than failure.
    But if he took her with him…Jesus. He’d drive himself batfuck trying to keep his hands off her, and get her killed. Or screw her senseless and
then
get her killed. Either way, she’d end up in hell.
    Unacceptable. “Look, I appreciate that, but I can’t—”
    “Listen, you don’t understand, okay.” Her gaze clouded, fatigue and desperation showing. “The CDC and Patient Zero? All that stuff I told you? It’s just conjecture. This virus, it’s…like nothing we’ve ever seen. None of our techniques are making a dent. Infection rates are skyrocketing, and the mortality, it’s…” She coughed, and swiped a hand across her eyes, but not before he saw glimmering tears. “We can’t stop it from spreading. There’s no precaution we can take that works. If we can’t make a breakthrough soon, this thing is going to wipe out half of Babylon. Hell, maybe you’re just insane, but at this point? I’ll take any insight I can get. If there’s even the smallest chance that I can find something…”
    And don’t I feel like an asshole right now.
Inwardly, Lune swore. She was smart. Driven. Too damn persuasive for his good.
    She