Sighing, she grabbed the ball of fluff, pulling it onto her lap. The dog gave her a solid lick before showing Gage its teeth again in warning.
“Can’t wait to see what you bring home next. Did I mention the raccoon showed up again? I can’t get it to leave.”
Preoccupied, Elysia didn’t hear him. She ran her fingers through the dog’s fur, checking its collar for a tag.
She squinted.
CRUSHER
How fitting. She looked down at the pint-sized dog. “You should have been called Daisy or Sweetpea.” The dog grunted disagreeably.
Drawing her attention back, Gage questioned her. “Where are you headed?”
“About that, I need a favor.”
He folded his perpetually tanned light brown arms, already looking like was going to say no. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to like what you’re about to say?”
She offered him a rare, genuine smile as she scratched the pup’s ears. “Because you actually know me.”
He snorted. “That I do.”
Looking at him seriously, she held his gaze. “I want in.”
The words weren’t even fully out before he was shaking his head and frowning.
“Will you at least hear me out? Aidan’s going to be sending me all over the godsdamned world in search of this talisman.”
“And how is the Reyez family going to help you with that?”
“Don’t be dense.” She spoke crossly now. “You don’t have to like it, but you know it’s practical. Your family’s business sprawls all over this side of the world. Either I have their protection, or I will inevitably come up against them. You call me family, now make it true.” Her words ended in a growl.
Gage stared at her before finally speaking. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I know exactly what I’m asking.”
He pulled out a small knife and toyed with it as he settled in to clean the battle out from beneath his nails. “Really don’t think you do.”
“Then tell me,” she demanded fiercely.
Gage gave a dry laugh and looked up at the ceiling. “You want in the family? Do you know the cost of being in thisfamily?”He gestured grandly at the tavern below them. “This is a casual Monday, Elysia. Do you think I can just brand you and then you’ll get a free pass? You’re already indebted to a death god. Isn’t that enough?”
She snarled right back at him. “You’re the heir to the entire organization, so yes, Idothink that you can do that, and I need you to, so that I don’t end up dead as I hunt down treasure for said death god.”
A bitter silence fell between them.
“What good is he if he can’t protect you?”
“You taught me to protectmyself.”
His voice softened. “You know you can’t escape him, right, Lys? Not even my family’s that good.”
“Godsdammit Gage, I’m just trying to cover my ass. Will you help me or not?”
Despite what he showed her, Elysia could tell he was angrier with her than he had possibly ever been before. He never spoke much about his family or the Reyez empire, and she’d never forced it, but things had changed, and he knew it as well as she did. The Reyez family brand would mean she could find a safe haven in almost any city she entered. Maybe she would get lucky and not be in need of their protection, but she’d be stupid not to have it.
Frustration all over his face, Gage wrested the bloodied signet ring off his finger and used an iron poker to start heating it up in the woodfire stove.
Trepidation snuck into her tone. “I thought you just tattooed people.”
