“Like hell it isn’t,” Ryder said. He was a warmth behind me, a strength, and stood at my back, so close I would only have to lean an inch to touch him. His hand was still tightly in mine, making it very clear we were a united front.
“Don’t be so quick to encourage her, warden. You don’t know the steps to this dance.”
“I know exactly what song is playing,” Ryder said. “You took her soul, because without it you are nothing, powerless, weak. Without it, you can’t even gather enough power to walk across our border.”
Really? Was that right? Also, how had Ryder found the time to research into demons when he’d just found out about them this morning?
“You really don’t see what is right in front of you,” Bathin said. “The contract that you agreed to? Well, there is some fine print you might want to read.”
“No. There is no fine print.” I looked over at Ryder to see if he agreed with me.
He was frowning.
“A little awareness of this kind of exchange between our species. How it affects both of our lives.”
Bathin lifted the cigarette one last time and sucked it down until the cherry burned against his fingertips and then turned to ash. He flicked the ash to his feet.
“Got it yet, contract boy?”
Ryder stilled. “Shit.”
“There you go,” Bathin agreed.
“What?” I asked. Bathin just exhaled smoke and stared at Ryder so I turned to Ryder. A scowl carved shadows into his face before his features smoothed. He didn’t take his eyes off Bathin, didn’t make any move.
“If he dies, you die with him.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “Well, that sucks. What if I die first? Will it free me from our deal?”
“He has your soul, Delaney. He had your dead father’s soul before that. You’ll be dead, but your soul will still be in his hands.”
“Got it.” I speared Bathin with a smile that probably looked a little crazy. “If you touch my sister, I will kill you anyway.”
“You won’t.”
“I will. It would be worth dying to know she will not be hurt by you. And hey, it’s not like I’d feel any regret over it, right?”
He licked his bottom lip, then tipped his head. “And here I thought your father played hardball.” He grinned. “You are just so much more entertaining than him. I definitely traded up.”
I sort of hated him. A lot. Unfortunately, the emotion drifted on past leaving me with nothing but the faded awareness of it.
This was getting old fast.
“You should go in.” Bathin nodded at the door behind us. “Your sister’s tapped.”
I didn’t ask him how he knew that. Could be that about five minutes had passed. Could be that he was tuned into blood things. Or Myra things.
I didn’t want it to be Myra things.
“They’ll call us when they need us,” I said. “Tell me what happened tonight.”
“You are under the mistaken assumption that I will do what you tell me to do, Delaney. That’s not how this story plays.”
“You’re a part of this town now,” I said. “I’m the chief of police here. If I want you to give me evidence, you give me evidence. If you don’t, I can kick you out.”
“Still have your soul.”
“Don’t care. You won’t be here with it. And I can lock this town down so you can’t get back in.”
