Aidan’s blue eyes lightened. “You’re right, it wouldn’t, but somehow I don’t think that would stop you.”
She smiled sweetly. “Maiming is fine when killing won’t do.”
Defeated, he released a slow, suffering exhale and pulled a sheathed dagger out of his back pocket. “Thought you might want one.”
Red gems encrusted the bronze handle. Weighty and just right in her hand, she grinned until Aidan plucked it back out of her palm. She started to protest, but then the man knelt on one knee, his hands sliding up her thigh, carefully buckling on a leather holster and securing the dagger against her. Hands still pressing into her thigh, he looked up and Elysia almost combusted on the spot.
His fingers squeezed gently. “See something you like, Thorn?”
Her eyes pinged around the god below her, from his hands to his face and back again. “Absolutely not,” she mumbled with bright red cheeks.
Aidan grinned. “And where are younotgoing?”
She pursed her lips in silence.
“It feels like I shouldn’t have to say this, but stay away from the king. Stay away from his spawn. If you setonelittle foot in that godsforsaken land?—”
“You’ll wait for the next fated mortal girl to tumble through her dreams into your Deathlands? You need me every bit as much as I need you, so I’d be careful with those threats.” She kept her voice pleasant.
An inhuman growl sounded in the back of his throat as his hands tightened on her thigh. “Try me, just try me.”
Elysia blinked, her tenacity running from the room like she should have.
Smiling at her stunned silence, Aidan took advantage of her mouth not flapping. “You go to Bellia. You learn what you need to learn from those who have kept the god of the dead’s stories alive. And you comehome.No detours.” His final words were both a threat and a warning.
She twitched, growing damp with perspiration beneath her heavy sweater. He needed her. And couldn’t stop her. It would be fine.
She managed a nod.
“Good. I spoke with Maya and while you will need a natural source of water to travel from the mortal realm to here, youshould be fine without water for all other travels. The fates’ mark on your ear allowing you to travel is a boon, and I amaskingyou for the last time to not abuse it or endanger yourself. Can you respect that?”
Not waiting for an answer, he spun her around and gave her a little push as if she were about to go through the front door instead of disappearing from one realm to the next. She forced herself not to look back. She really hadn’t planned to do this two inches away from him. It kind of ruined everything, but she was nothing if not determined and possibly obstinate. Leaning away from him, she whispered as quietly as she could.
Gage, Gage, Gage.
But not quiet enough. She could still hear Aidan’s curses ringing in her ears as she landed.
Chapter 6
Elysia duckeda fist flying at her face. Classic sounds of a bar brawl—glasses breaking, noses crunching, obscene hollering—crashed around her. Elysia dropped to the ground, grinning as she crawled as fast as she could on her hands and knees to the edge of the room.
Popping back up, her blood sang as she took in the ransacked tavern. Throats were slit and boots were stomping unmentionables. She winced as someone got thrown into the fireplace.
By the gods.
This was why you never snuck up on Gage.
A man spotted her and came at her with a roar. Grabbing the wooden chair beside her, she clobbered him as hard as she could. Wood splintered with a sickening sound as the chair broke against his face. The man slumped to his knees before falling sideways.The chair won that round.
Elysia scanned the room, trying to stay out of the fray. It was terrible, she supposed, but she’d secretly been dying to do that ever since she’d first seen Jessa attack without mercy and with only a chair during Topp’s traitorous raid below the sea.
Not subtle, very effective.
A familiar hand grabbed her by the collar and yanked herclose, throwing her behind him. Elysia huffed at the manhandling. “For fuck’s sake, I’m fine. Did you see that chair move?”
Gage let a throwing star rip across the room. “You shouldn’t be here.”
The fighting simmered to a low boil as Gage’s men cut down the last few people standing.
