“With all due respect, I’ve played scarier games. Are you willing to hear me out?”
He frowned at that, pinning her with a stare. “You’ve thought this through? There’s no shame in changing your mind. You haven’t even tried to read me with your magic yet.”
Elysia stiffened. “I’m not so presumptuous as to think I can freely use my curse on a god.”
The allure of reading this man’s secrets felt criminal, it was so tempting. She looked at him plainly now. The serious crease to his brow. His eyes shifted between a fissuring coolness and passionate embers of heat. There were some things even she knew not to touch.
“I’m here for a deal. I don’t need your secrets to do it.” Her voice came out terse, and she sat up a little taller. She wasn’t going to let some handsome stranger get under her skin.
And yet her eyes went back to his face, seemingly of their own magnetic accord. It was no wonder the god before her had no difficulty swindling those who came to him for deals. She could just imagine the women panting after him while he barely even noticed. He appeared to be the kind of man so entrenched in his own endeavors and passions that for him to look up at all would be a miracle.But if he did…She couldn’t help but wonder how his intense severity translated tootheractivities. To have that type of focus, attention to every last detail… Her thoughts trailed off, and her cheeks went pink as the sound of his voice drew her back in.
The undead god of the dead looked at her warm cheeks, his mouth lifting slightly in response. “Perhaps I’m feeling amicable. Look, listen. Do your worst. Learn my secrets while I’m giving you the chance.” He leaned across the table, not looking apprehensive in the slightest.
She blinked, thrown by his fervent words. Cautiously, she allowed the volume of the whispers surrounding him to increase. Within a moment, the whispers became screams, and then it was her own voice joining them as her hands covered her ears, body doubling over until her head was between her knees. As if her physical hands could stop a sound that wasn’t even there. Abruptly, her magic cut off, the sound dying. Chest heaving, she stayed curled over until her head quieted.
Tears leaked out of her eyes, leaving wet tracks down her face. The god of the dead looked pained, his fingers clenched and jaw hard. His mouth opened, but she closed her eyes, diving back into her magic’s grasp. This time she focused specifically on whatsheneeded to close this deal withhim.Instead of an onslaught, tiny threads and wisps came to her.
Eyes open, she found a hint of nerves in his expression before he dashed it away. Her voice was a rasp. “The weight of all their pain will kill you.”
He gave her a tight pinch of a smile. “Temporary fix for a temporary problem. What did you discover in your second attempt?”
Elysia considered her response, making him wait. Hoping it made him sweat. “I learned there is something you deeply, desperately want, and you hate that it is so.”
She could have heard a pin drop.
The intensity in his blue eyes blazed like the sapphire fires of his realm. He turned his face as if struggling with himself before he came back to her, and when he did, his voice was cutting and harsh. “You did not go deep enough nor are you understandingcorrectly. Given the chance, you looked away. Remember, you had both opportunity and choice, Ms. Parker. Let us move on to the deal, then.”
Heart beating faster, she shook her head, feeling as though she had made a fatal error. “I… I can look again. My magic is new.”
Composure restored, the god across from her gave a clipped shake of his head. “No, we need to move on. What are your opening terms?”
Rattled, she steepled her fingers and appraised him. “I have reason to believe you played a role in my kingdom, Kava, losing access to its natural relationship with magic.”
His jaw ticked. “And?”
“And I would like this remedied.”
His chest strained beneath the black shirt and jacket he wore. Each breath seemed to be a strain until he finally spoke. “That’s what you want? No matter the cost?”
“Can you do it?”
He stared at her and she worried at the scrutiny in his gaze, the tension lining his shoulders.
In an abrupt movement, he crossed his arms, his stare still heavy. “You’re asking me to break someone else’s deal.”
She frowned. “It was adealto end Kava’s magic?”
“Dealer-client privilege.” He shrugged, appearing indifferent to the shock ringing through her.
Anger reared its head in response to his evasion. His blatant disregard for the ramifications of what he had done set off the fury that slumbered within her.How could one person be so thoughtless and careless?She took in his face, devoid of empathy or compassion.And such an asshole.
Elysia fought to keep her own face neutral, but based on the way his eyebrow was rising, she wasn’t winning that battle.Leashing her anger, she responded with a shrewdness that would make her father proud.
“You made a deal to cut off Kava’s magicforever?” She smiled knowingly.
The undead god pursed his lips, running one hand through his midnight hair. “No, and as much as I enjoy your aptitude for the finer aspects of a magically binding deal—it’s not that simple. I can’t just give Kava its magic back.”
She looked back at him, challenge lighting her eyes and a taunt lifting her voice. “Too difficult? Impotence problems?”
