CHAPTER ELEVEN The DuplicateI sat up and forced my lips to clamp shut. Lily watched my face for a reaction and I determined not to give her the one she expected. Reaching out a finger, I touched the raised bumps which climbed the line of her spine. The bees twitched beneath my caress. “Does it hurt?” I whispered and she nodded.
“It started after we left. I slept in yer bag because the cold wore me out. It began on the journey. It doesn’t hurt when I’m in bee form, but it pains me when I shift.”
“I remember the burning.” My gaze glanced at the raised effigy just visible beneath the neckline of my sagging collar. I hitched it higher and sighed. “The rawness stops hurting eventually, as long as you do what they want.”
Lily reached behind her and her fingers explored the visible joint at th
