She wasn’t sure how long it took her to recognize the young woman as that gambler’s daughter.
She had the same dark hair and shifty emerald eyes. Truly, Freya hadn’t been paying too much attention at the time as she’d just been freshly put into the new body, and had been blind for so long. The additional curse of the soul bond had been Lydia’s idea.
I think I’ve uncovered the secret to immortality, sister. We can pick a body based off its magical attributes and make it impervious to disease and suffering by farming the damage to some magic-less nobody. Imagine. A life devoid of pain.
And for a time, Lydia had been right. It’d only been these last couple weeks that had shown the cracks in her theory.
“If you step any closer, I’ll shoot.” The girl smiled, her eyes unseeing in the dark. “I know you’re there,Freya.”
Freya blinked, a bit amused at this woman’s attempt to cow her. Slowly, she levitated the man and child down. “And just what,” she whispered, “do you think killing yourself will do, child?”
“It will incapacitate you at the very least, and I don’t think this is the sort of place where you can take a dirt nap and wake back up.”
She scoffed, a little annoyed that the girl was right. In all truthfulness, she wasn’t sure what a bullet through that girl’sskull would do to her. If the girl was horrifically injured, then some of the damage would transfer to Freya. In most cases, she could automatically just transfer that damage right back. But to compete with a bullet’s speed? Freya knew even she had limits; that was why they’d paid so much money to keep the little magic-less bitch in a hospital, constantly under surveillance.
She had to get that gun out of that girl’s hand. Slowly, Freya twitched a finger in an attempt to—
The other woman cocked the gun, her finger squeezing onto the trigger in a way that made Freya’s heart stop. “Nuh-uh. I saw your hands glow. Any more of that and it’s lights out for the both of us.”
Freya growled.
“Are you ready to negotiate now? Or do you still need more time? I have a deal that I think will appeal to you.”
“And whatdealwould that be?” The witch sneered, as she couldn’t think of a single situation where they could both walk out happy.
A few moments’ silence as the girl just sat there, her finger tapping on that trigger. Then, “I’ll let you stab me through the heart with your bone needle, break our bond so that you can scurry off like the rat you are.”
Freya blinked, her brain not processing what the woman had said. “And do tell, dear,whywould you let me do that?”
“Because you have something that I want. The man and the child. I want you to let them go. Then you can kill me.”
The witch stared at the girl in disbelief. That had to be the dumbest deal she’d ever heard of, and yet she couldn’t see a trace of deceit on her blind face. Freya prided herself on her ability to read people. She was being serious. “But I don’twantto give them up,” she bit out, frustrated. “The girl is strong and the man killed my sister.”
The girl started to pull the trigger again—
“—Wait!” Freya took a step forward, the adrenaline of a bullet wound erupting through her head all too real. “Just wait a minute. You’re right. This is a good deal. I get my freedom and you get your people to safety.”
“Excellent. Now, stay still.” Not moving the gun an inch from her temple, the girl lifted a flashlight with her free hand and turned it on.
Dark turned to light and messed with Freya’s spelled eyes, but she didn’t dare admit the weakness.
“I want you to wake them up. Palms facing them only. Any wrong moves and then we’ll all be vamp food.”
Scowling, Freya clumsily turned to the child first. She pressed a palm against the girl’s head and whispered a simple awakening spell. The pathetic thing sputtered to life, clawing at her locked throat once more. Freya then moved on to the man and did the same. He was thankfully far less dramatic, waking with a start.
“I want you to unchain Kit’s feet so he can walk.”
She drew the line there. “So you can have him help you escape? I don’t think so.” His wrists cuffed with iron or not, she could clearly see that the man was dangerous.
The woman set the flashlight to the side and dug into her pocket. She pulled out a piece of paper. “Look at the man’s neck. He owes me a Favor. I’ll explicitly tell him to take the child and to leave right away and to not return. Then you can untie him. Does that sound acceptable?”
Freya thought about it for only a second. “Show me it’s real and then yes.”
fifty-eight
Gentry
Without hesitation, Gentry put the paper between her teeth and tore the Favor, ignoring the utter betrayal in Kit’s eyes. Ever since Freya had woken him up, Kit had been struggling and gesturing for her to run. She inferred that the witch must’ve spelled him to where he couldn’t talk.
