“No, not terribly. There’s no threat to the larger community. No impending war. My captor was my sister.”
“Huh. Well, that makes sense. I was curious who was brave enough and powerful enough to hold you.”
“She had to summon ancestral magic to do it, but she did.”
“And did you massacre her too?”
“No. She’s alive and well. Listen, Kallis, I know you’re not a fan of mine, and for good reason, but you helped when you didn’t need to, and I appreciate it.”
She stares at me for a moment until her lips turn up in the slightest smile. “Say it again.”
“No.”
“Oh, come now, Rune. Let me enjoy this. We both know it’ll be the only time I hear those words from your lips. I’m surprised you can even pronounce them.”
I huff. Fine. I deserve a bit of humbling. I’m not exactly known for it in the community. I meet her gaze, forcing a smile to my face. “Thank you, Kallis.”
She draws slightly closer. “For?”
“Helping rescue me.”
Her smile grows. “Does it hurt?”
“No. I’m not the devil you think I am.”
“I don’t think you’re a devil. The devil can be reasoned with. One more time, and I’ll never ask again. We’ll put this whole business behind us.”
Glaring, I fold my arms across my chest. “Do I have your word?”
“Oh yes. Gleefully. Just let me taste your humility a bit longer.”
Exhaling slowly, I focus on all that I’ve gained because she helped. “Thank you for helping rescue me, Kallis. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, Rune. Now, shoo. I have a reading for a client in ten minutes.”
“Tarot, Kallis? How droll.”
“You make money your way, I make it my way. Pleasure.”
Nodding, I excuse myself, happy to step back outside where the air is lighter. All I want to do now is get back to Atlas and continue this new chapter of my life.
With Atlas.
EPILOGUE
ROMAN
It’s too damn hot. I tug at my shirt with a huff, then snort, trying to clear the burning scent of sulfur from my nose. The fluttering sound of a page turning is so soft it’s irritating, getting under my skin and making everything itch. A quiet growl builds in my throat, and I pace a circle around the overstuffed couch Cas is sitting on.
“Do I need to put a leash on you and take you out for a walk?” he mutters without looking up from the book he’s reading, swirling the blood in his wineglass before taking a sip.
The slurping sound of the sip is even more grating than the sound of the pages turning. I growl again in response and tug my shirt all the way off, tossing it aside and making another loop around the couch.
“Or I could get Grim in here to wrestle with you,” he offers, still sounding bored.
“I already wore him out earlier.” I sigh.
“How many days until the full moon? Two?” He takes another sip from his glass.
