Skin Dominion Read online

  Skin Dominion

  Skin Hunter Book 3

  Tania Hutley

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Also by Tania Hutley

  One

  “You need to become President Morelle,” repeats Sentin.

  I sit gingerly back on my haunches and flick my tail from side to side, trying to wrap my mind around what he’s suggesting. I’m in pain, and the thought of becoming the President of Triton makes my head swim.

  We’re in Felicity’s bedroom, at the top of the Morelle Corporation building. Though Sentin’s not as badly injured as I am, he’s favoring one leg, and blood has dulled the shine of his Reptile Skin’s jewel-green scales.

  “Why me?” I demand. “Why don’t you use Morelle’s Skin?”

  He blinks slowly, his eyelids coming up from underneath. “I had intended to. But I couldn’t bring my human body up to the apartment. Your body is here, so I can re-code your chip.”

  My gaze drops to my battered human body lying on the floor next to President Morelle’s Skin. The window’s broken, and the curtains are billowing in the howling wind. Shards of glass litter the bloodstained floor around my body.

  How did it come to this? All I ever wanted was to get my Leopard Skin back.

  Okay, so that’s not entirely true. What I really wanted was to stop Morelle from destroying my family. But I also took back my Leopard Skin, and even though I’ve been shot in the chest and flank, and I’m in agony, I’m not ready to give it up.

  “If I transfer into President Morelle’s Skin, I’ll rule Triton.” I say it out loud to hear how it sounds.

  “You’ll only be the acting president,” he corrects. “And you need to transfer into the Skin quickly, so you can order her soldiers to stand down. Otherwise, they’ll come up here and kill you.”

  I flatten my ears, staring down at the two bodies lying side by side. President Morelle’s Skin couldn’t be more different to my human body. I look like I urgently need a team of doctors to keep me alive, while the worst damage Morelle’s Skin suffered in our fight was a torn blouse and a cut in its side.

  “I need a minute to think,” I tell Sentin.

  “We don’t have time.” The scanner is in his long reptilian fingers, and he’s holding it too close to my human body for comfort. One pass over my neck with that thing, and he’ll wipe my chip and send my consciousness back into my body.

  “One minute,” I insist.

  As though to emphasize how short of time we really are, a loud grinding noise and vibration comes from under my paws. Sentin disabled the elevator which is the only way up to the penthouse apartment, and now the president’s soldiers are working on breaking through the floor. It sounds like they’re getting close.

  I let out a huff of breath that turns into a growl. “I’m just a grunt from Old Triton. I don’t sound like Morelle. How can I act like her?”

  “It won’t occur to anyone to suspect anything. When you pretended to be Rayne, everyone believed you, didn’t they? People see what they expect.”

  “And once we’re safely out of here?” I ask. “You’ll transfer into the Skin yourself, and I’ll get my Leopard Skin back?”

  “I need to remain in my own body. There are things Sentin can do that President Morelle can’t.” His tone is as calm as ever, but a ripple of color runs over his scales—the only sign he may be more impatient than he pretends.

  “What things?”

  “Our priority must be to negotiate peace with Deiterra. I’m the only one the imperator will talk to.”

  Seems that Sentin has a clear plan for what comes next.

  Yes, of course he does. While I’m reeling from a suggestion I hadn’t even considered, he has the future all mapped out.

  In spite of the pain that goes with every movement, I push myself to all four paws and turn away from the twisted tangle of broken limbs that is my human body. I need to start coming up with my own plans. My reluctance to give up my Leopard Skin is clouding my thinking. What about all the things I could do if I become President Morelle?

  “If I’m the president, I’ll be able to help Ma,” I say slowly. “And not just Ma. Tori, and Spade, and Keren, too. As President Morelle, I could make the lives of every sinker better.”

  His scales ripple again, growing darker. “I should warn you, the Skin might change you. Using it will give you a heightened sense of power. You could become more confident. Perhaps reckless. Even narcissistic.”

  I don’t know what ’narcissistic’ means, but becoming more confident doesn’t sound like a bad thing. And power is something I’ve never dreamed of having. Especially power that’ll keep the people I love safe forever.

  Giving up my Leopard Skin was one of the worst things I could imagine, but all at once, it doesn’t seem too much to ask.

  “Guess we’ll have to take the chance I won’t go power crazy.” I move back to my human body before lowering myself gingerly onto my belly. In the lab, I used to stay on four paws when transferring back into my own body. But I hurt so badly, lying down is a relief.

  “You’re ready?” Sentin crouches beside my head.

  I drag in a breath, wishing I had more time to think this through.

  “Where’s Felicity?” I ask. “If she thinks Morelle’s Skin is her sister, she shouldn’t see it looking dead. Or coming back to life.”

  “She’s still hiding in the secret room. All this noise must be frightening her.”

  Sentin shifts my human arm, and I wince at the unnatural way it moves. My bones are clearly broken, and the scent of blood is so strong, it’s all I can smell.

  “The damage to your body is severe, and I have no anaesthetic or pain relief to offer.” Sentin’s reptilian face shows no expression, but his tone is grim. “When I wipe your chip, you’ll be jerked back into your human body. I’ll re-code the chip as quickly as I can, but you’ll have to bear the pain until you can transfer into the President’s Skin.” He lifts my human head and cradles it with one hand, readying the scanner.

  “Wait. I need another minute.” This is all happening so fast, and who knows when I’ll get to be the leopard again?

  “We’re out of time.”

  I’m opening my mouth to tell him to give me another damn minute when my consciousness lurches sideways, slamming back into my human body so fast, I feel like I’ve fallen over and hit the floor.

  Agony sears through me. Every cell of my body lights up with unbearable pain. My limbs are on fire. I open my mouth to scream, but there’s no air in my lungs. If I manage to make a sound, I can’t hear it over the pounding in my ears.

  “Transfer!” Sentin must be shouting in my ear, but the sound is distant, muffled by the roar in my head. “Transfer now.”

  It takes everything I have to focus on what he wants me to do. Somehow I manage to close my eyes and force my mind sideways again, fighting my way out of the pain, searching for the President’s Skin.

  I find it.

  At first, all I feel is relief that the pain has stopped. Then, in an exhilarating rush, other sensations hit me.

  I’m so full of energy, I want to bounce to my feet. Instead, I ease up to
sitting. I’m wearing a blouse with a small tear in the front, and a tight, long skirt. I can’t even feel the cut on my side. My skin is the colour of mahogany, as richly bronzed as any New Tritoner. I bring up one hand, flexing my fingers. I’m used to having hands that are covered with calluses and the marks left by years of hard labor. Morelle’s fingers are long and smooth, tipped with perfectly-groomed nails painted with a clear, shiny coating. And when I put my hand to my face, my fingers glide over a silky cheek instead of twisted scar tissue.

  “How do you feel?” asks Sentin.

  I look up at the Reptile Skin standing over me. His scales have turned deep green. I can make out every smear of blood that mars their color, and detect the way his breath catches slightly on his exhalation, as though it hurts him to breathe. My vision is so sharp, it’s even better than when I was the leopard. Every detail stands out so clearly, it’s overwhelming. My brain can barely process it all.

  “Milla, how do you feel?” repeats Sentin.

  “Powerful.” The word comes out in Morelle’s voice, cold and authoritative. This Skin must have a voice synthesiser, because I sound exactly like her.

  “Better than your Leopard Skin?”

  Instead of answering, I push myself to my feet, the movement so easy it seems as graceful as running water. My veins could be filled with rocket fuel instead of blood. I’m acutely aware of the way my muscles tighten and release when I flex them. This Skin is incredible. If I wanted to, I bet I could punch right through the floor.

  As the leopard, I was strong. Now I’m even stronger.

  The feeling’s intoxicating. No wonder Edward Morelle believed he could rule the world.

  Sentin turns and limps out of Felicity’s bedroom. I follow him through her toy room and into the hallway, where the floor is littered with deactivated Knight Skins, their chips ruptured with Sentin’s sonic pulse weapon. My long, fitted skirt means I can only take short steps, but even the simple act of walking feels good, especially in bare feet. I spot Morelle’s high-heeled shoes, which must have fallen off when Sentin carried this Skin into Felicity’s bedroom. Though I stop to pick them up, I follow him into the living room without putting them on.

  Sentin stops once we’re well away from the dead knights. “Use your band and tell the soldiers to stand down,” he says. “It has a thought interface like a mind pad, or you can control it manually.”

  I run my fingers over the delicate gold band on my wrist. It’s finer than any band I’ve ever seen, with an intricate design etched into it. I have no idea how to use the thought interface, so I touch the sensor. When the control panel comes up, the number of apps it shows is dizzying. Is there anything this band can’t do?

  “There.” Sentin extends his long forefinger. “Switch it to broadcast settings so I can interact with it.”

  I select the option he points to, and a 3-D projection of a Knight Skin appears above my band. The knight has a cat’s pointed ears, an animal’s snout, and is covered with black armor.

  The knight salutes. “Yes, President Morelle?” It has a woman’s voice.

  Before I can speak, Sentin leans in. “The emergency is over.” His tone is clipped and authoritative. “Order has been restored. Call your men back to their posts.”

  The knight salutes again, its yellow eyes unblinking. “Yes, sir.”

  That’s right. I’d forgotten that the knights answer to Sentin as well as President Morelle. Edward Morelle must have trusted him to give him so much authority.

  “One more thing,” I say to the knight.

  “Yes, Madam President?”

  I open my mouth to give an order, then hesitate as the magnitude of the moment ploughs into me. I’m President Morelle. I have an entire army loyal to me. I could tell the knight to do anything at all, and she’d rush to do my bidding.

  What if I ordered her to take all the floaters down to Old Triton to fill the shelters, and bring all the sinkers up from the darkness to move into their sun-filled mansions? Could I change the world with one command?

  While I’m still hesitating, Sentin speaks up. “There’s a girl here who requires urgent medical attention.” He catches my gaze, and I realize he’s talking about my battered human body.

  I nod, quelling the urge to do something momentous. There’ll be time once the current situation is cleaned up.

  “I want repairs to the elevator started immediately,” I tell the soldier. “Send a doctor to this floor as soon as you can get access to it.” My Leopard Skin needs treatment too, but it can wait.

  “Yes, Madam President.”

  After running and hiding for so long, being able to give orders feels like an impossible luxury, too good to last. “And another thing,” I add, wanting to make the most of it. “Find William Scully. He’s a soldier in my army. I want him back in his real body. He’s not to transfer into a Knight Skin again. Bring him here, unharmed.”

  “Not up here,” murmurs Sentin.

  He’s right, we can’t start letting people into this apartment. Not with Felicity here.

  “Take him to…” I hesitate, glancing at Sentin for guidance.

  “There are bedrooms on level four.”

  That’s a good idea. We lived on level four when we were training to compete in the Skin Hunter contest, and William will be comfortable in those rooms until I’m ready to see him. If I’m ever ready to see him.

  For years, Ma and I talked about how much we wanted to find my brother and be a family again. But after watching William murder Doctor Gregory, that dream has soured. I owe it to Ma to keep him safe, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him.

  I give the order, then dismiss the knight. Uncertainty is whispering through me again, because not knowing where to take William has reminded me there’s a lot I don’t know yet, but it’s a quiet voice in the back of my mind. Mostly, there’s a fire burning through my veins. All the things that are wrong and unfair in Triton can finally change. I can change them.

  The room has gone silent. The sounds from the apartment below have stopped, which means the soldiers have stopped trying to break through the floor. The knight believed I was President Morelle.

  Sentin was right, I can do this.

  I’m still holding Morelle’s high-heeled shoes. I’ve never in my life worn a pair, but maybe this Skin will have muscle memory to guide me.

  Easing my feet into the shoes, I wobble to the largest living room window, the one designed to catch and frame the most impressive view. Once there, I lift one hand and press it against the glass.

  The Morelle scraper is so tall, we’re almost in the clouds. The sun is close enough to look like it might brush the top of the building as it goes by. I’m closer to it than I’ve ever been, but this Skin’s eyes must automatically adjust to the brightness outside, because I don’t need to squint.

  The view over New Triton is dizzying. I glimpsed it before, but now I have more time to look. And my eyes immediately go to the swathes of green on the other side of the wall. The green fields of Deiterra. I never imagined there’d be so much land not filled with buildings. It’s both completely shocking and outrageously beautiful.

  There are some buildings in the distance. From this height it’s difficult to tell how tall they are, but they don’t seem even as high as Old Triton.

  “Are the Deiterrans farmers?” I ask Sentin. “Do they grow their own food? No food factories needed?”

  Sentin’s silent for a few moments, as though he’s reluctant to talk about Deiterra even though it’s laid out in front of us. Then he inclines his head. “They haven’t needed to manufacture food, although the war has taken its toll.”

  Smoke rises in the far distance, like a fire is burning, but the expanse of green in front of the wall is what draws my gaze. The fields are sectioned off, with different colors of green in different areas. Different plants, I suppose. Near the breach in the wall, some incredibly tall trees are stretching their branches to the sun.

  “How much damage has b
een done by the war?” I ask.

  “That’s a conversation for later.”

  I glance back at the smoke. Could there still be knights in Deiterra? Is that where the war’s raging?

  Edward Morelle must have gazed out at this view every day for years. On this side of the wall, scrapers fill the city, bristling into the sky like a forest of sleek silver trees. But on the other side is all that empty space. No wonder Edward wanted to unite the two countries. If Triton could expand into Deiterra...

  The thought fills me with air, like endless possibilities have just opened up in front of me and I’m about to take off and float through them. If the wall were to come down, Old Tritoners—my people—would have space and sunlight beyond their wildest dreams.

  I can feel Sentin’s gaze on me. He’s studying me, his scales rippling with shades of blue and his head slightly tilted, as though he can tell what I’m thinking and doesn’t like it one bit.

  Reluctantly, I force myself to turn away from the window. I have a million questions about Deiterra, but now’s not the time to ask. There’ll be time later, though. I’ll find out everything I want to know and decide what’s best for Triton.

  “I need to talk to Cale and make sure he’s okay. And I need to check on Ma and Tori.” With every word I utter, I realize it really will be as easy as that. I’m in charge. All I need to do is say what I want, and I can make it happen. My army will make it happen.

  I can’t wait for Cale to come up here and gaze over the green fields of Deiterra with me. We can make plans together. And I can give Ma and Tori all the things they’ve been dreaming of. Money. A home to live in. Safety and security.

  My fingers go to the band on my wrist, running over the delicate circlet of gold. Edward’s entire corporation now belongs to me. I own hundreds of factories and shelters, and I control the lives of millions of Tritoners.