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Before Butch could explain, the distinctive, echoing voice of the Evil weaved in and out of the wind, in and out of his head. “So you are the one, are you not? My…son, as it were.”

“Never.”

“Butch? Who are you talking to?” V said.

“Did I not sire you, then?” The Omega laughed some more. “Did I not give you part of me, then? Yes, I did. And you know what they say about me, don’t you?”

“I don’t want to know.”

“You should.” The Omega reached out a ghostly hand, and though it closed no distance between them, Butch felt it on his face. “I always claim what is mine. Son.”

“Sorry, my Father position is already filled.”

Butch dragged his cross out and let it dangle from its chain. Dimly, he thought he heard V curse, as if the brother had figured out what was going on, but his attention was only on what was in front of him.

The Omega looked at the heavy piece of gold. Then flicked his glance over Rhage and V and the house behind. “Trinkets don’t impress me. Neither do the Brothers. Nor the sturdiest locks and doors.”

“But I do.”

The Omega’s head whipped around.

The Scribe Virgin materialized behind him, totally unrobed and glowing like a supernova.

The Omega instantly changed shape, becoming a wormhole in the fabric of reality, no longer an apparition but a smoky black pit.

“Oh, shit,” V barked, as if he and Rhage were now able to see everything.

The Omega’s voice emerged from its dark depths. “Sister, how fare thee this night?”

“I command thee back to Dhunhd. Go thou, now.” The glow of her intensified until it began to encase the Omega’s sinkhole.

A nasty growl drifted free. “Think you that banishment cures my presence? How simple you are.”

“Go thou, now.” A stream of words flowed from her into the night, neither the Old Language nor any other tongue Butch had ever heard.

Just before the Omega disappeared, Butch felt the eyes of the Evil bore into him as that horrible voice echoed out, “Lo, how you inspire me, my son. And may I say you would be wise to search for your blood. Families should congregate.”

Then the Omega disappeared in a flare of white. As did the Scribe Virgin.

Gone. Both of them. Nothing remaining except a bitterly cold wind that cleared the clouds from the sky like curtains ripped away by a savage hand.

Rhage cleared his throat. “Okay…I’m not sleeping for the next week and a half. How about you two?”

“You all right?” V asked Butch.

“Yeah.” No.

Jesus Christ…he was not the Omega’s son. Was he?

“No,” V said. “You’re not. He just wants to believe you are. And he wants you to think you are. But that doesn’t make it true.”

There was a long silence. Then Rhage’s hand landed on Butch’s shoulder. “Besides, you don’t look a thing like him. I mean…hello? You’re this beefy Irish white boy. He’s like…bus exhaust or some shit.”

Butch glanced over at Hollywood. “You’re sick, you know that?”

“Yeah, but you love me, right? Come on. I know you feel me.”

Butch was the first to start chuckling. Then the other two joined in, the weight of the heavy-duty, high-powered weird-out that had just happened draining away a little.

But as their laughter faded, Butch’s hand went to his stomach.

Twisting around, he looked to the mansion, searching the pale, frightened faces on the other side of the leaded windows. Marissa was right in front, her brilliant blond hair reflected in the moonlight.

He closed his eyes and turned away. “I want to take the Escalade back. By myself.” If he didn’t get some time alone, he was going to scream. “But first, do we need to do anything about the glymera and everything they saw?”

“Wrath will definitely hear about this from them,” V muttered. “But as far as I’m concerned they’re on their own. Besides, they can pay their therapists to work through this shit. Not our biz to calm them out.”

After Rhage and V dematerialized back to the compound, Butch started for the Escalade. As he deactivated the SUV’s security alarm, he heard someone running across the ground.

“Butch! Wait!”

He glanced over his shoulder. Marissa was jogging down toward him, and when she stopped, she was so close