He glanced around and then leaned toward her, his voice low. “I know why Fate wants you.”
“Bullshit,” Garrett muttered.
Heat rushed down Janie’s torso. “Why does Fate want me?”
Triumph curled the prophet’s lips. “Help me get free, and I’ll tell you everything. The big reason you’re prophesied, and more important, why so many species want you dead.”
Well. “Don’t sugarcoat it, Guiles.” The man didn’t deserve the title of prophet. “As far as I remember, you wanted me dead because I’m going to end up wearing your prophesy mark, which means you die.”
He shook his head. “No, no, no. That was just a manipulation on Fate’s part. You don’t end up with my marking . . . but you do end up changing the world.”
“For the better?”
He lifted a lean shoulder. “There are two paths, as usual, and it depends which one you choose. I can offer guidance as well as a road map.”
She couldn’t trust him, but he might be telling the truth. “What do you want from me?”
“Freedom,” he said simply. “Help me get away from the king and out from under his thumb. I just want to be left alone.”
Janie eyed the guards at the door. “Not sure we can take them, Guiles.” She had absolutely no intention of helping the betrayer, even if he did have useful information.
“Fair enough.” He coughed. “Now.”
The first guard turned and shot Garrett in the chest. He fell back, blood arcing.
Janie cried out and reached for her brother. In a surprisingly smooth movement, Guiles dodged forward and slid a needle into her neck but did not depress the plunger.
Janie stilled. What the hell? She hadn’t even seen him move, and she was trained. What was in the syringe? Fear buzzed through her brain, and she had to shove the sensation aside to concentrate. “This is a good way to get yourself killed.”
The guards at the doorway slipped inside and shut the door.
Janie blinked. Why weren’t they reaching for weapons?
The prophet chuckled against her hair. “You’re not the only one with allies.”
Janie gulped and glanced down as Garrett shoved himself to his feet. Blood flowed from his chest, and his eyes had turned a furious aqua.
“Shoot him again,” Guiles said.
“No. Wait.” Janie kept still so he wouldn’t inject her. “Don’t shoot him. Let’s talk.”
Prophet Guiles tightened his hold. “Now you want to talk?”
“Sure.” She kept her gaze on Garrett so she’d be ready when he made a move.
Garrett planted a hand on his wound. “What’s in the syringe?”
“Cyanide,” Prophet Guiles said. “Your sister hasn’t been mated long enough to become immortal. If I release the liquid, she’ll die. Painfully and in front of your eyes.”
Garrett eyed the two guards. “When I’m done with this Fucktard, I’m ripping your heads off.” His tone remained nearly conversational.
God, he reminded Janie of their father so much lately. She cleared her throat and struggled to keep calm. The guards would shoot her brother again, and if they ganged up on him, they could probably kill him. Sure, he was trained, but so were they, and they seemed a lot more seasoned. “Let’s all get out of here alive, shall we?”
Guiles breathed into her neck. “I like you being accommodating, Miss Kayrs. Too bad you mated that demon. I always thought we’d make a nice pair.”
She swallowed as bile rose in her throat. Gross. The man was like centuries and centuries old. “What’s your plan here?”
“My plan is for my two friends to stow us away and drive right out of here. Then we’ll get to safety and my allies.” He pulled her away from Garrett and toward the door.
