“You didn’t read far enough down,” he said giving me a relaxed smile. He thought he had me right where he wanted me. “If you’d read past the guarantee of success section you would have seen the second part. The one where you must present yourself on the day of the selection if you haven’t solved the case.”
I couldn’t pull out my phone to check the truth of his statement. Not without taking my eyes off him, which would mean instant death for me given how fast he could move.
“Unless you’ve found the witch who placed the hex or a descendant.” His voice made it clear he thought that unlikely.
It burned that he’d guessed right.
“I’ve narrowed the witch down to two strong possibilities.” I was guessing, but he didn’t have to know that.
“Not good enough. I need the actual witch plus proof.”
“There was nothing about proof needed in that contract.”
He shrugged. “It’s assumed. I can’t just run around town killing any witches you might suspect.”
He had a point.
“And the other part?” he asked.
I gripped the gun tighter. “If you would wait until Caroline wakes up.”
“No, I don’t have time for that. You reveal the names of a descendant now, or you attend the selection with me. Choose neither and you’re in breach, which means you’re effectively part of a clan for the next two hundred years.”
Two hundred! That was outrageous.
“The claiming is only for a hundred,” I hissed.
He gave me an unamused smirk. “Consider the extra hundred years interest for the difficulty it took dealing with you.”
Arrogant, obnoxious ass.
I wanted to shoot him so bad. Make perfect little holes in his smug little face.
Seeing my frustration, his smirk widened. “Your choice. I’m good with either.”
I was stuck, and he knew it. Now it was just a matter of which choice presented the least objectionable path.
Caroline groaned behind me. My grip loosened on the gun. It’d never been a choice, really. I would not leave my friend to face the same fear and confusion I had.
“You should go with him,” Peter said, interrupting me.
I looked back at him.
“You should go,” he said again, raising his eyes to meet mine. “I’ve got her. She won’t be alone.”
As nice as his offer was, I couldn’t. He might not be a total stranger anymore, but he also wasn’t her best friend.
“You’re going to need to be a free agent once she’s completed the transition.” His eyes seemed to send me a warning. I stared back at him.
He was right. I wouldn’t be able to help her if I was locked down by a clan. They could send me hundreds of miles away. I needed to stay clear of vampire influence in case Caroline needed a bolt hole.
“You don’t leave her alone,” I ordered.
“I’ll stay with her until she wakes up.”
I lowered the gun.
Liam was on me before I could finish, his hand around my throat, squeezing gently, and his face close to mine. His other hand caught my arm as I tried to raise the gun again.
