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cylinder. Her other hand was busy pressing an arrow against my temple, and I got the picture, and held very still. She took a surprising, steadying breath…then leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.
    Soft, I thought, as shock buzzed through me. That’s why guys liked us. I understood this as her tongue gently flitted in my mouth, touching mine, bringing with it the taste of the exotic; ground ginger and warm apples and something undeniably female. Had I been born a different type of woman I might have enjoyed that softness, but to me it was an earthworm sort of soft. The softness of slugs. The tenderness of raw meat. She withdrew her tongue before I could bite it off. I cleared my mouth and spit as she fell back.
    “What are you doing?” Liam asked, sounding more horrified about two chicks locking lips than most men would be. We both ignored him.
    She pulled back, gazing intently into my eyes. “Just an experiment,” she murmured.
    “Sorry.” I rubbed my mouth against the back of my hand, fighting back rage at being manhandled. “But I’m not into girl-on-girl.”
    She stared at me another moment, assessing; running her tongue over her lips, tasting. Then the speculation clearedfrom her eyes and she smiled playfully. “What? No final wishes? No regrets?”
    “Not in that regard.” Though that wasn’t exactly true if we were speaking about my love life in broad terms. I allowed one word to float through my brain— Ben —then banished it before the accompanying scent leaked out. I’d hate to lead her on.
    “Well, I’ve had enough with experiments,” Liam said, glancing suspiciously around the aquarium. “Let’s just do this and get out of here.”
    The woman smiled apologetically at me. “No sense of foreplay.”
    “Bet he always has to be on top too.”
    Liam rammed his forearm across my neck, cutting off my words and my breath as he leaned in close. His scent was one of moldering skin, dusty bone, and the bitter tang of bile. I’d gag if he kissed me. “You want to find out?”
    “Oh God, Liam. That’s so caveman,” the smaller Shadow said, pushing him away. “Have it your way.”
    She stepped back, readying my conduit as Liam lifted me to my feet. Oh God. They were really going to do it. I was going to die, and I realized a part of me hadn’t thought I would. The Tulpa hadn’t been able to kill me…and that had made me careless.
    “I wish you’d let me do it,” Liam said, holding me in place.
    “You lost the toss,” she replied, motioning him aside. He grunted and backed away.
    “You guys tossed for me?” I grimaced. Now not only was I humiliated, I was insulted.
    The female Shadow smiled and raised my conduit so the arrow was centered between my eyes. I could see the other arrows lined in the small chamber, and the shiny onyx metal glinted at me in the short distance. “I got heads.”
    I closed my eyes, tensed for the impact, and wondered so many things in quick succession, I felt dizzy. What was it going to feel like to die? Would it hurt? Would there be a bright light at the end of a dark tunnel?
    Would Olivia be there with outstretched arms, forgiving me for not being able to save her?
    Senses primed, I flinched when the spring action on the bow caught, though it almost sounded like it was done in slow motion. The arrow was nocked, and the string sang as the bow reached full draw. I held my breath, not wanting my last emotion on earth to be fear.
    Behind me, Liam screamed. His hold on me gave suddenly, and I opened my eyes.
    “Fuck!” he hollered through gritted teeth. He was clasping his right shoulder, fingers wrapped around the shaft of an arrow. “You have bad aim, you stupid bitch!”
    The woman tilted her head. “Now why would you say something like that to a woman with a weapon?” She shifted and shot out his other shoulder, then looked directly at me and jerked her head, the universal signal for Get the fuck out of the way. I did.
    She shot out his knees in quick