Verena stared deep into my soul, eyes flickering between mine as she contemplated her reply. Sweat trickled down my temple, my numb fingers trembling as I waited for her to spoil everything.
“Nothing important,” she said, her expression greyed from what could only be shock or disbelief. “A few dark things he wants to do to you… that’s about it.”
I wondered if she’d really just not found anything. Perhaps her Gift was weakening too. But then Verena looked to the same corner of the room, her eyes lingering there for a beat too long before she returned to Tomin’s side.
“I don’t need your Gift to know that, Verena,” Tomin said. “Everyone in positions. We wait as long as it takes for my son to show.”
“Can I sing you a song whilst we wait?” I asked.
Tomin paused, looked over his shoulder at me, and scowled. “Actually, I’ve changed my mind. This is taking far too long. I think we need to give my son something to encourage him.”
When he lifted his gun and pointed it at me, I refused to turn away. I faced the barrel, staring down its eye with my own, knowing that whatever pain was promised in the moments to follow, it wouldn’t lead to death.
After all, Tomin needed me. He’d made that clear.
“I’mwaiting,” I said, jutting out my chin.
Tomin’s grip was steady, the mouth of the gun staring me down. “Shall we get some practice out of that scream of yours, Hector?” Tomin asked, finger slipping onto the trigger. “The more believable the better.”
A serpent of pure shadow shot across the floor. No, not a shadow but a spear of fury, fang, and scale. I caught the movement out of the corner of my eye a beat before it sprung up, long teeth bared, and sunk them into Tomin’s wrist.
Tomin’s scream was a call to my soul, as was the clatter of the gun as it hit the ground.
Emon, who’d finally revealed himself, was dropped to the floor, Hunter blood dripping over him like rain. With a great swish of his tail, the gun skidded in my direction and thudded against my knee. I reached for it with both hands, hissing as the bindings tightened. All the pain meant little to me as soon as my hands held the handle of the gun steady and aimed at the man I hated.
“I think I preferred your scream over mine,” I said, pulling the trigger and unloading a bullet into Tomin’s chest.
The room exploded into chaos.
Death might not shock Tomin anymore, but that didn’t mean he was without pain. He clutched his bloodied arm to his punctured chest, gasping like a fish out of water.
So I hit a lung, good.
Before Tomin dropped to his knees, the Hunters swelled like a wave. Eyes trained on me. I prepared to be met with a shower of bullets in return, but it was Verena that cried out a command.
“Stand down,” she cried out, placing her body before mine like a shield. “No one harms the Briar witch. We need him. Hold steady.”
Most slowed, but there were a few of the Hunters who decided they were stationed above this woman’s authority.
Unfortunately for them—but fortunately for Emon—they’d made abigmistake. The demon was already slithering after them, ready to spill more blood.
“Have your way with them,”I forced the command out across our bond.
“I take it that I do not require your acceptance to tear through these people?”Emon’s question thundered through my head.“No rules, no limits?”
“Knock yourself out, and enjoy the feast,” I spat aloud, fumbling with the gun in my hand to put a bullet back in the chamber.
“That may be the first thing you have said to me that I can stand behind, witchling.”
I focused my attention on the back of Verena’s head just as the bullet finally clicked into place. Instinct was telling me to lift the barrel and blow her skull to smithereens. Perhaps she sensed it, because she looked over her shoulder and offered me a single warning.
“I really don’t suggest you do that, Hector,” Verena said, danger littered in her eyes.
“Why?” I laughed. “Do you have a phobia of staying dead too?”
She shook her head. “You kill me, these Hunters will have their way with you before Tomin revives himself. I’m the only thing keeping you from death’s door.”
“You’re wrong.” I shook my head with the brightest of smiles on my face, courtesy of the gargled bellows of Hunters clutchingthroats that Emon had just torn out. “Actually, I think I’ll do just fine without you.”
