“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her head buried in her lap as she bent in two. “I couldn’t risk him finding me.”
“Husband?” I guessed, and she shook her head.
“Boyfriend. It was great at first, but you know how it goes.”
I didn’t. I’d never experienced domestic abuse, but I’d seen the signs. And it sounded like Beatrice had been a victim for most of her life.
“Okay. So you bought the witchweed, and then what?”
“I knew they’d know it was me. Veronica called me. She said I was a dead witch walking, and I would be the next sacrifice.”
“Where’s your phone?” I’d had a trace put on Mary’s phone, but she’d been smart enough to get rid of it.
Beatrice glanced at Keigan who nodded. “We have it. Our tech mages are currently working on it.”
I glanced at Keigan. “I need to talk to Samael.” Beatrice paled, and Keigan nodded. Rose didn’t dare say what her face said so clearly that she was thinking. Not with Vas in the room.
I stepped out and called Samael. He answered with video. And he was shirtless again, damnit.
Hewinkedat me. “Like what you see?”
“I was just thinking that you must have built that muscle throwing your minions around. How much does Vas weigh, anyway?”
His smile said I wasn’t fooling him. He knew exactly how much I wanted him, the bastard.
“Vas knows why I did what I did. He agreed to it before he entered the room.”
I stayed silent and Samael shook his head at me. “Believe what you want, witchling. I won’t apologize for helping you create that ward.”
I shivered at the memory and his eyes sharpened.
“I frightened you,” he crooned, and I shrugged. He was right. He had frightened me.
“I would never harm you, little witch.”
“I know.” Somehow I did know deep down that for all his faults, Samael wouldn’t hurt me… unless I betrayed him.
“Listen, I know who’s killing the demons.” I filled him in, and he listened intently until I was finished. “One more thing,” I said. “Is Malgron still alive?”
Silence. I really, really hoped Samael had managed to keep in control when questioning a demon who’d betrayed him.
“Yes. Why?”
“We found a feather from a high demon in Mary’s bed. We need to know if it was him, or if there’s a chance you could have any other traitors.”
All light drained from Samael’s face, and he looked like what he was: a scary motherfucker. His eyes were distant, the dark color of the kind of smoke you choked on.
“I will have Bael ask him.”
From the retribution written all over Samael’s face,askingwasn’t all Bael would be doing to the demon. I’d bet Samael had to get Bael to do his dirty work because he couldn’t be trusted not to prematurely kill Malgron.
“Thanks. Message me when you know. Uh, this clears up our little deal, right? When can I expect the bond to break?”
Samael raised one eyebrow. “You’re forgetting that our deal wasn’t to find the murderers, bounty hunter. It was to kill them as well.”
I took a deep breath and forced myself to speak calmly. “I’m tellingyouwho is doing it, Samael. It’s the McCormick descendants. We’re setting up a trace on all of their phones now. I know damn well that you’d rather kill them all yourself.”
“You won’t wiggle out of a demon bond that way, Danica. The bond knows when it has been fulfilled.”
