He’d made the decision long before he’d entered the prison. Tam wasn’t going to leave this room alive.
Desperation tore across her face as he advanced. “Wait. Stop! The things I can tell you—they’re not just about Argent. There’s something you don’t know about Amryn. Something dangerous!”
Carver’s steps didn’t falter. He didn’t acknowledge her words, but something must have shown on his face because Tam’s eyes slowly rounded. “Oh,” she breathed. “Youknow. Don’t you?”
He paused two paces in front of her.
A slow smile curved her lips. “You know she’s an empath. And you haven’t turned her in. Oh, Saints, this isdelicious. The emperor’s favored general, protecting an empath.” Her eyes fairly gleamed in the lamplight. “If anyone finds out, you’ll lose everything.”
“You’re only giving me more reasons to kill you,” Carver ground out.
Tam bit her lip, her thoughts clearly racing as she stared at him. “What if I promise to keep your secret—and Amryn’s—in exchange for my life?”
“You’ll stay silent if you’re dead.”
“You can’t kill me.” Panic made her words come out fast. “I can take you to Argent. I was going to transfer him to the Rowan, but I can give him to you instead!”
“Argent is dead. You killed him.”
“I didn’t. I swear!”
“I don’t believe you, so your promises mean nothing.” He shifted his grip on his dagger, drawing her eye to the sharp blade. “Last chance, Tam. Tell me where Argent’s body is, and I’ll make it quick.”
“Wait!” She lifted her hands in a staying gesture, the chains around her wrists rattling. “I’m not lying. Argentisalive. He’s with some of my men right now. But if they don’t hear from me in one week, they’ll kill him.”
Carver ground his teeth. “A convenient story for you.”
“Are you really willing to risk Argent’s life like this? Just consider it. What if Iamtelling the truth? What if you had the chance to save his life, and you didn’t take it?”
Carver hesitated.
Tam latched onto that. “If you spare my life, I’ll take you to Argent.”
“Just tell me where he is.”
“I’m not an idiot,” she snapped. “If I tell you, you’ll kill me. The only way this works is if you take me with you. I’ll guide you there one step at a time. When you’ve got Argent, I go free.”
Carver laughed once, the sound hard. “You think any of us are going to let you walk away? Jayveh wants to kill you more than I do.”
“But I bet she wants Argent back more than she wants me dead,” Tam countered. Her hands fisted. “That’s the deal, Carver. Argent’s life for mine. But you’d better decide soon. It will take us four days to reach Argent, so time isn’t on his side.”
Carver stared at her, his thoughts racing. He didn’t trust Tam. Not for a moment. She was playing a desperate game. Saying anything she could to preserve her life.
“What if you had the chance to save his life, and you didn’t take it?”
His fingers clenched around the hilt of his dagger. He knew Argent was dead. Amryn had confirmed that, with the bloodstone’s help. But Jayveh would never know peace if Carver didn’t allow this to play out. Suddenly, that was something he couldn’t stomach.
He exhaled, his sharp eyes digging into Tam. “The second you try to utter a word about my wife, I will slit your throat.”
The skin around her eyes tightened. “I’ll stay silent.”
His eyes narrowed. “If Argent isn’t there, I will also slit your throat.”
Tam’s throat flexed as she swallowed. “He’s there.”
Carver had no idea what she would lead them to. Argent’s body, a trap, or nothing at all. The only thing he knew for certain was, at the end of this, Tam would be dead.
“She’s just trying to torture Jayveh,” Amryn said, the tightness in her voice communicating her anger.
