“Like I said.”She thrashed for a few fruitless seconds, then sighed.“Faithum.Obviously.I used faithum to enhance my voice, okay?Now let me go.”
“Why?”
“So assholes like you take me seriously.”She crossed twig-like arms over her chest.
I lowered her onto the slab of driftwood.
She grunted from effort but couldn’t move enough to take a single step.“Not fair.Let me go all the way.”
“No.Just ’cause you’re small doesn’t mean you’re not dangerous.”
“I’ve been telling everyone that my entire life.”
“So you’re dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“Then why would I release my hold over you?”
“If you won’t do it to be decent, then do it because I’m acting under the authority of the emperor of Domdurro.”
My thoughts raced in Teo’s direction; my heart thudded.
“There is no emperor of Domdurro.He’s just a king.”
The creature harrumphed.“Just a king…” She shook her head.
“He has no authority here.”
Fuchsia hair sliding this way and that as she swung her head, glancing in all directions, she hissed, “Don’t say that shit around me.I don’t want trouble.”She flicked another look over a shoulder.
“There’s no one else here.”
“You mean, no one else but the people”—she uncrossed her arms just to jab a finger up at me—“you killed.”She stared at me.
I stared back.Bloodlust was a sänglure’s downfall.Our kind liked to pretend it was a strength, but once anyone experienced it, they knew the truth.
“There is no emperor,” I insisted.
Another panicked glance tossed around.“Is this so I’ll let you off the hook?’Cause I won’t, you know.”
“I didn’t commit murder.”
Those thin eyebrows arched in disbelief.“You’re covered in blood from your tits to your ass.And there are two dead bodies over there, drained of blood.Are you really trying to sell me oncoincidence?”
“I’m not trying to sell you on anything.If I killed them?—”
“You did.”
“IfI did, then it wasn’t like I wanted to.”
“Oh.Yeah.Right.Of course.”She bobbed her head up and down obnoxiously.“You murdered themby accident.Okey dokey, sure.You’re off the hook, then!”She imbued her already high voice with extra gaiety.
I frowned.
“Under the power granted me by the emperor of Domdurro, you are under arrest.”
I didn’t move.
