“He’s not dead yet.” He spoke each word slowly, with careful enunciation. “I’ve learned when dealing with these bastards to take nothing for granted.”

She gave a sarcastic half laugh before she pulled his cell phone off his belt and dialed it.

In theory, the phone shouldn’t work in this nether realm. But never ones to let the humans get the better of them, his Spathis had found a preternatural wave that could carry the signal out of Kalosis and up into the human world. It was a dubious trick that served them well.

Satara gave Stryker a bored look as he heard the good Apollite vet in Seattle answer the phone. “Is he dead yet?” she asked, mocking Stryker’s earlier tone.

He could only hear the faint muttering of the Apollite on the other end.

Satara gave an evil laugh. “Ooo,” she said, wrinkling her nose in a seductive manner. “You’re so nasty, gelding him before he dies. I like that.”

Stryker reached up and grabbed the phone from her. “You’ve done what?”

Even over the static of the line, he heard the Apollite sweating. “I… um… I’m planning to neuter him, my lord.”

Stryker saw red at that. “Don’t you dare.”

“Why not?” Satara asked in an offended tone.

Stryker glared at her as he answered for both her benefit and that of the vet on the other end. “For one thing, I don’t want Kontis out of that cage until after he’s dead—he’s too dangerous for that—and for another, I won’t stand by and see a worthy opponent emasculated. He’s earned the right to die with some dignity.”

Satara scoffed. “Some dignity. His head’s going to explode. Where’s the dignity in having your brains splattered all over a cat box because you wanted to look up some human whore’s dress? If he’d truly been worthy, we’d have never caught him so easily.”

Stryker tightened his grip on the phone. “Trickery isn’t worthy of our species.”