“I can’t.”
She tapped into the magic, frustration blasting through her when nothing happened.
“I told you I would pay,” she reminded the fairy, an edge of desperation in her voice. “I have the money—”
“It’s not that,” Pheral interrupted.
“Then what do you want?”
“To survive long enough to enjoy my rare stroke of good luck. Something I doubt would happen if I released you.”
“You’re scared?” Wynn taunted, trying to hide her own stab of fear. She’d seen this fairy fight his way through a rabid pack of goblins with nothing but a hexed dagger with a smile on his lips.
What could make him turn away from a promise of more money?
“Damned right, I’m scared,” he admitted. “When I called the number on the poster to say I’d captured you I could feel the demon’s power.” He grimaced. “It gave me the heebie-jeebies.”
“Through the phone?”
“I can’t explain it, but I’m not stupid enough to ignore what I felt. I’m going to get my money and disappear.”
Wynn sent him a glare, still struggling to release her magic. Dammit. Now wasn’t the time for a dud.
“Coward,” she accused.
“Guilty.” Pheral stepped closer, once again running his fingers down the line of her jaw. “But the mystery demon warned me it might take some time for him to get here. We might as well have some fun until then.”
Wynn gagged in disgust. “Fun?”
“You’re a beautiful woman and I don’t mind your vicious attitude.” He traced her lips. “I think sassy females are sexy.”
Wynn clenched her muscles. She was going to knee the bastard hard enough to knock his balls into his throat. Her leg was lifting when she felt the sudden tingle of magic trying to breech her barriers. She froze, recognizing the spell. Pheral had his famed hexed dagger hidden beneath his sweater.
The hex had been created by a powerful fey who’d used blood sacrifices to infuse the blade with the magic. Usually she was careful to avoid absorbing that sort of magic. There was always the risk of being cursed when a spell was created at the moment of death.
Now, she was willing to take a chance.
Lowering her shields, Wynn allowed the magic to seep into her, creating a thick twisted strand that looked dead next to the other vibrant weaves of power. Despite its appearance, Wynn could feel the dull, heavy thud of magic.
Queasiness rolled through her stomach, but she forced herself to continue absorbing the hex.
“Sassy?” she forced herself to ask, lowering her leg. The closer the dagger was to her, the quicker she could deplete the magic.
Unaware he was losing his most treasured possession, Pheral wrapped his fingers around her neck.
“Sassy and mouthy and unpredictable.”
“I get that a lot.” The fingers tightened around her neck. Wynn had heard that this male enjoyed hurting his lovers. Even killing them during sex.
“Probably because it’s true.”
The thick stench of the fairy’s arousal nearly choked Wynn. “Are you going to release me so I can participate?”
“Not a chance in hell.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You don’t need your hands for what I’m going to do to you.”
