“Don’t worry, Sire,” I huffed, as Melek and I both dropped back to circle, never taking eyes from each other. “I’ve always held back with him so he wouldn’t know my true strengths. He’s going to discover he doesn’t know me nearly as well as he thinks he does,” I said through my teeth.
Melek’s eyes glittered, but he held the spear in both hands, steady. Thank God he didn’t have two.
Gall stood to the side of the room, eyes wide, watching both of us.
“Go find your mate, Gall. Make sure she’s safe. I’ll handle this.”
“Yes! Istral. I’ll get her!” Gall panted, racing for the bedchamber doors.
The moment he moved, Melek grunted and I leaped forward. Our spears met in whirling blurs, clanging and clacking until Gall had plowed through those double bedchamber doors, then Melek bared his teeth and shoved me back so we parted again.
Then, as Gall disappeared inside the next room, Melek sagged. “Thank God. I don’t know what Lucifer did to get me back here, but my head willnotclear. And the arm that hound bit is fuckingkilling me—”
He cut off, as I flipped the point of my spear up, placing the point right at his throat, in the soft, unprotected skin there. It would take only a shove ofinchesto plant that through his throat and right into his skull.
Melek froze.
Our eyes locked.
His hands tightened on his spear, but we both knew the moment he moved, I could thrust that spear into his brain faster than he could place his blade anywhere life-threatening on me.
Neither of us spoke at first. Melek’s eyes narrowed, and we stared at each other.
“I just realized,” he whispered.
“What?” I bit the word off, cold.
“Your eyes are still yellow.”
I smiled, in the way I’d seen Lucifer do it. “Yours are still green. I caught the relief in your gaze when you relaxed, Melek. Perhaps your wounds hurt a little more than you wanted to admit? Please, feel free to share any weakness I can exploit.”
My best friend glared, his teeth gritted. But he couldn’t drop his chin, or my spear would pierce his throat. “What the fuck, Jann?”
“I’ve been tasked with removing you from this earth, if Gall isn’t strong enough, and I will do it, Melek. Icando it.”
His gaze grew wary. “What happened? What’s Lucifer told you? I wasn’t lying, I’ve figured out that bastard’s weakness—”
I shook my head. As much as it sickened me, I wouldn’t be thwarted. “I only waited until Gall and others were gone, because I had no desire to humble you further. The palace drips with blood already. I’m not greedy for it.”
“What the fuck, Jann?! What’s he holding against you? Youknowit’s a trick. He can’t make you—”
I stepped in and nudged that spearhead a fingernail higher. Melek’s chin rose and he went still, eyes still gleaming and locked on mine. “Lucifer can do whatever the fuck he wants,” I snarled. “That’sthe problem.”
“Jann, listen to me. I’ve figured it out. I can prove it to you. I’ve seen it—”
“You shut your fucking mouth or I will silence you,”I growled, hating the darkness and death that was about to enter the world by my hand, but I saw no other recourse.
There was only one way through this that kept my family intact for whatever time we had left.
When Melek tried to argue, I snarled at him, and hissed graphic, unflinching pictures of what I’d already seen. The images Lucifer placed inmyhead to warn me—my mate bleeding out, losing our child. My only son. The only son I’d ever have, because once he was born, the countdown on my curse started ticking.
“Jann… brother… I’ve seen those things too—butthat’shis weapon. It’s your fear. Don’t you see?!”
“I take no joy in this, Melek. Stop trying to—”
“Hear me, for fuck’s sake, man! Have you ever seen Lucifer actually kill a person? Anyone?”
I hesitated.
