Lu’s judgmental silence told me just how much she believed that.
“We can heal her and nullify the vampire bite,” Cassia said. “But we’ll need Dominick’s blood.”
“Magical healing, for vampire bites. Why haven’t I heard of that?” Lu said, locked in a staring contest with Variance.
“You aren’t a part of the coven,” he replied.
“What about Variance?” Abbi said. “Shouldn’t Variance get healed too?”
He jerked and his eyes flooded deep red again.
“No,” Lula said. “He’s beyond magical healing. Even with Dominick’s blood. Aren’t you?”
“They held me for three months,” he said in an implacable tone. “There is no return for me.”
“You want us to get his blood,” Lula said.
“I want him dead.”
“We want Rhianna home,” Cassia cut in. “No one kills him until we have her back. You understand that, Variance. That is the only way to save your daughter. We bring Rhianna home and heal her. That is how you save her. That is what matters.”
He didn’t respond, still caught in the staring contest.
“What is our part in this?” I asked. “What is our payment?”
“You help us get Rhianna home,” Cassia said. “You help us get Dominick’s blood. We know who has the spellbook of the gods. We know who has hidden it.”
It wasn’t that easy. Nothing about that damn book was this easy.
“That is our offer,” she said. “We can tell you where the book is and how to retrieve it. In exchange, you will help us save our child.”
Easy enough terms for me to agree to. Hell, I’d rescue the girl even if we weren’t being paid. But Lula? Lula had been restless lately. Making deals without me. Pulling away and following her own compass.
It bothered me. No, it scared the crap out of me.
If Lula couldn’t see the human side of this, if the need for revenge caught her by the throat, and she followed the urge to kill Dominick, or hell, Variance—there would be no reasoning with her, no bargaining.
There would be nothing I could do to stop her.
Lu hadn’t immediately gone on the attack, hadn’t drawn a weapon on Variance.
She was still talking, which meant she could rein in the urge to kill. That was something.
“The full moon is tomorrow,” Cassia said. “We will need your answer by then. If you cannot agree to our terms, then we will do this without you.”
There was a shift in the air. Nothing I could put my thumb on, but I knew every witch in the bar was ready to call upon magic to protect, fight, or run.
We were in their territory. No matter how welcoming they had been, this was not our place of power.
“Your terms are…difficult,” Lula said.
“I agree,” Variance said.
“Good,” Cassia said.
“I agree that the terms are difficult,” Variance clarified.
That got a slash of a smile out of Lula. She relaxed. Not completely, but enough.
