“In four days.”
Killian took a deep breath and said a silent prayer for his manhood. “I will help you if, for the next four days, you help repair the damage Lazarus has done.”
“Absolutely not.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“Then I guess I’ll have to lose on purpose,” Killian said with a shrug.
Elyse took a threatening step closer and pointed her finger at him. “If you do, I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again.” She thrust her finger into his chest, right on top of his scar. “I’ll make you beg to join your siblings.”
With a wave of his hand, Killian projected his shield. Elyse was forced backward a few feet, but she kept her balance, never breaking eye contact.
“Don’t,” Killian seethed. “Do not speak of them.” His skin burned hot as he thought of his siblings, taken tragically long before their time. Elyse spoke of them like they were nothing more than pawns to manipulate him with.
She stared at him through the glimmering shield with a ravishing, wicked smile. “Did I strike a nerve?” she taunted.
“Look,” Killian said through gritted teeth. “If you won’t do it for the people who need your help, then do it for yourself. Whatbetter way to piss off Lazarus than by cleaning up the mess he’s made?”
Elyse’s posture relaxed as she considered it, though her glaring did not relent. Killian waited, fearing these were his final moments with his body fully intact.
“What better motive is there than spite?” he chanced.
She cocked her head slightly. After a moment, she said, “Fine. I am fond of spite.”
Killian exhaled. “Good. Then we have a deal.” Killian dropped his shield and held out his hand for Elyse to shake.
“You better win,” she huffed as she pushed past him, disregarding his hand. Her shoulder collided with his side, shoving him off balance.
“We’re leaving for Vincennes here soon,” Killian said, pivoting toward her. “Will you be ready to go?”
“I’ll be ready,” she snapped as she flung the door open. She paused on the threshold, throwing one last look over her shoulder. There was nothing in those gray eyes, not one ounce of caring. She disappeared into the hallway, her magic slamming the door behind her and leaving him just as she had before.
Killian dropped to his knees, and finally, he unraveled.
8
Elyse
Elyse couldn’t believe she’d ever been in love with that moron.
She sauntered down the hallway, right past the door to Manny and Sera’s room. She would put off talking to them as long as she could. Manny would be skeptical of her, which was justified, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be irritating. And Sera would likely fawn over her, trying to reinstill their friendship, failing to see that Elyse didn’t give a devil’s fuck.
Maybe Elyse would poison them, if only to get them out of her hair.
She’d been watching Killian, Manny, and Sera for a day, observing their movements with a detached curiosity and waiting for the right moment to approach Killian. Breaking into his bedroom while he slept had seemed like the most amusing choice, which turned out to be accurate. He’d looked like a fool,drooling in his sleep—so much so that she’d nearly reconsidered her plan.
She launched down the stairs and into the inn’s dining hall, which was deserted compared to how crowded it had been the night before. It’d been easy to hide among the horde of diners and revelers, using her magic to eavesdrop on her former friends. Too bad they had nothing interesting to say, and no solid information on Lazarus’s whereabouts. They were equally as lost as she was.
Elyse had tracked the demon’s destruction ruthlessly, desperate to discover a pattern to his havoc. But if there was one, it evaded her. He likely acted on a whim, choosing his victims at random. Then again, she’d never caught on to his reasoning behind each full-moon ritual, at least not until it was too late to interfere with his plan to become corporeal. And now that he no longer relied on humans to do his bidding, he was practically unstoppable.
That was the very reason she sought to kill Lazarus. The demon had used her. For eight-and-twenty years, she’d been little more than a pawn in his scheme, enslaved to his will. He’d manipulated her, caused her physical and mental anguish. That wasn’t something she planned to let slide.
Heat smothered her as she stepped out of the inn and into the street. It would be another scorching day in Rhodan.
Rivaling the heat was the desire for revenge that burned Elyse’s veins. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of helping people—about talking to people, even—but Killian had made a fair point. Reversing Lazarus’s mayhem would aggravate thedemon. It might even provoke him enough to show his face, instead of conducting his magic from the shadows.
But it would do no good to go toe-to-toe with Lazarus until she had a plan—and a weapon. The Blade of Hanael was the only tool she knew of to end his reign of terror. And even with the Blade, she would still need a solid strategy—some way to outsmart Lazarus.
That was why she hadn’t torn Killian to shreds for his arrogance. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed allies to take Lazarus down. And that started with Killian’s card-playing skills.
