"You always did like to wear pretty faces, Mercer," Atlas snarled, golden energy instantly crackling around his fists. "But Anola? That's desperate even for you."
Anola's body moved with unnatural fluidity, void-black eyes tracking each of them with calculated precision. Mercer's consciousness peered through her features, twisting her aristocratic smile into something predatory.
"Desperate? Hardly. Strategic." The voice was a disturbing blend of Anola's refined tones and Mercer's deeper resonance. "She was already partially void-touched from our previous work together. The perfect vessel for consciousness transfer when I sensed your father's little sacrifice play."
Sarah stepped forward, golden energy flowing beneath her skin. "You planned this contingency all along."
"I've had centuri
