The guard knocked on the door and it opened. Finvarra stood from behind his desk, nodded at his guard, and then glanced back at the door, which closed behind me as I stalked inside.
If I wasn’t going out of my mind with rage and grief, I might admire the unseelie king’s taste. His office was spacious and comfortable, with large windows on one side and a well-stocked bar.
“You’ve been taking your problems out on my people,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.
“They got in my way.”
Silence. I sighed. “I won’t touch them when I leave.” It was all I had.
Finvarra shook his head as if fighting amusement. “Drink?” he offered.
I shook my head. “Barely clinging to control,” I admitted. “I don’t think alcohol will help.”
He studied me, and something that looked a lot like pity flickered through his eyes. “You’ll burn it off before you leave here.”
I shrugged, and he glanced at the bar. A few moments later, two glasses of whiskey appeared on the desk in front of me.
I took one and gulped at it. Finvarra watched me out of eyes that had always reminded me of Scylla’s.
“I’m sorry for your–”
“If you sayloss, I will forget that we are allies. For now.”
He smiled, sitting back in his seat, but his eyes were hard. “Fine. I assume you are here to talk strategy.”
“Yes.” Also, because Bael was using Hannah in an attempt to contact some of our spies in the underworld, along with those we were attempting to turn to our side. He’d made it clear that any demons who were on the fence were unlikely to cooperate if they saw my shaky grasp on control. Then he had not so subtly hinted it would be a good idea for me to leave for a while.
“My forces can be mobilized within six days, your time.”
“I won’t have the pocket realm for eight.”
Surprised flashed across his face. “And how did you convince Taraghlan to give you one ofthose?”
“It was his advisor who betrayed him. Who delivered Danica to Lucifer.”
“Ah. And you threatened to wage war until he fell in line.”
“He will betray me. I can smell it on him. The only reason he would do such a thing is if he was hoping I wouldn’t be around to kill him for it later. I have no doubt his plan is to ensure I’m dead so he can attack you without risking my demons allying with you,” I told Finvarra, and his eyes burned at my words. “Unfortunately, I have to play his game for now. But the moment he double-crosses me, he is dead.”
I sipped at my whiskey and placed it back on Finvarra’s desk. It automatically refilled.
“You believe if you go into the underworld, there will still be someone left to save?” He raised a hand. “Don’t attempt to kill me. The question is relevant. You had no plans to war with Lucifer yet, and we both know that being ill prepared for him means you riskallof your people. How do you know Danica will still be alive?”
“The same way she knew she could save my life.”
“You are fortunate to have a woman so devoted to keeping you alive,” he said. While his expression remained carefully blank, I could hear the truth in his words.
“More fortunate than I could have ever imagined,” I agreed. “And I know she can keep herself safe, at least in the short term.” It was that faith in her that allowed me to cling to the little control I did have.
Finvarra raised his own glass to his lips. “Our combined forces may be able to decimate Lucifer’s people, but how, exactly, do you expect to kill the underking?”
I got to my feet. “Leave that to me. Just ensure your people are ready.”
* * *
DANICA
My grandfather’s office was intimidating. His desk was a huge slab of black marble, mined from the quarries of Tartarus. Hades had an arrangement with my grandfather, and it was said that the evil souls who mined the marble empowered it with their blood, tears, and regrets.
