Before Echo could speak, Roark grinned. “What’s happening is that Echo sees William for what he is. Finally, the blinders have come off. Dearest Daddy is a monster, and Big Sis wants to save you from him.”
Echo bared her teeth. “What’s your agenda in all of this?”
His gaze raked over her. “I want to offer you a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
“You work with me to kill William so I can take over The Garm … and I’ll back off the fae hunt.” He jerked his chin at Elijah. “I’m not interested in the fairy. I am interested in the power and the money and the businesses.”
That Echo could believe. “You want me to sign it all over to you after William’s dead?”
“That … and you’ll be my mate.”
Revulsion roiled through her. “Never.”
He pulled Odette’s hair and she cried out.
“Stop that, you son of a bitch.”
Roark narrowed his eyes. “We’re good together, Echo. You can’t deny how good the sex was.”
Anger mingled with possessiveness hit Echo like a wave, and it took her a second to realize those emotions were not hers.Attention flying to Elijah, her cheeks flushed with humiliation that Roark had outed her shame in front of him and Odette.
Elijah’s fist tightened around the stake in his hand. He looked murderous.
“Keep your filthy mouth shut,” Echo snapped at Roark.
“I want you to be my mate. That’s the deal. Or I kill little Odette here, blame it on you, and help Dearest Daddy hunt you to extinction.”
There was a sudden blur of movement. So fast Echo could have blinked and almost missed it. One second Roark had Odette in his grasp, the next second his head was falling to the floor and thudding with gruesome dullness before bursting into ash. His headless body exploded at the same time.
Elijah stood behind Odette, his face a mask of cold fury.
He’d moved with a speed Echo couldn’t compute. It had been the same with Niamh Farren.
Echo was superfast.
Buttheymoved liked they were jumping dimensions.
Odette let out a wail and rushed into her big sister’s arms.
Echo wrapped her up tight, tears in her eyes as Odette sobbed. Her gaze locked with Elijah’s. “Thank you,” she whispered hoarsely.
He just gave her a grim nod and wiped a hand over his body. The air crackled with energy and the ash that had peppered his face and hair disappeared.
13
Hours in a cargohold was different this time. Only slightly. Instead of Echo soothing a scared dog, she held Odette against her. In Elijah’s mind, he’d understood that Odette was only twelve, but seeing her brought home to him that Echo’s sister was a child. An innocent child pulled into this dark, violent world.
If it was hard for him to process as an adult, how much harder was it for her?
She seemed to believe Echo’s explanation on the way to the airport, though the girl remained tearful and pale. She’d reluctantly agreed to stay with Elijah’s parents until Echo could make her safe.
After sobbing for a while, the girl eventually wore herself out and fell asleep nestled against Echo.
The cargo hold was loud, but like last time Elijah could hear with his fae senses, as could Echo with her supernatural hearing.
He tried to stop himself from asking but … remembering Roark’s taunt about how good sex between the vampire and Echo had been made him want to reverse time so he could rip off the predator’s head once more.
