I had killed someone.
Kaiden gaped at me from his spot by the wall.
“You little jerk,” I snarled.
Something cold touched my neck. Kaiden shot out of the room like a bullet from a gun.
“When something seems too good to be true, it usually is,” Derog said.
His sword pressed against my skin, forcing me to stand straight.
“Come with me,” Derog ordered.
He walked me out of the room, and we started in the direction of the courtyard door.
We turned the corner. Reynald blocked our way, all of the kids behind him.
“Go back downstairs or she dies,” Derog said.
If this was a movie, Reynald would pull out a gun and shoot Derog between the eyes. It wasn’t a movie. The metal of the sword was cold against my throat, pressing right where I could feel blood pulsing through my neck.
It was probably the adrenaline, but Reynald seemed to grow darker, while his eyes turned brighter, a piercing green. “Give me the girl.”
“Don’t make me cut her to prove a point,” Derog said.
I saw it in Reynald’s eyes. He would let Derog go to keep me alive. He would let him walk out with me.
Once Derog stepped out that door, he would vanish into the shadows and set about tracking us down one by one. We had made a fool out of him, and he couldn’t afford for it to get out. He would find the children and murder them. Killing him was the only way to ensure they survived. It had to end today, right here and now.
I met Reynald’s gaze. “Remember my name. Wait for me.”
I raised my right foot and stomped on Derog’s boot as hard as I could.
Ice sliced across my neck. The world went black.
CHAPTER9
Iwoke up to pain and the wailing of children.
The world was soft and fuzzy, out of focus. I blinked a couple of times and saw Reynald’s face. He was sitting by me, dark and scary, lost in thought.
It would be a great time to quip something witty, but everything hurt too much.
“Ow.”
Reynald’s gaze snapped to me. Relief shone in his eyes.
“Well,” he said. “‘Undying’ is a bit of a misnomer, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but ‘dying horribly and then waking up in a lot of pain’ is a bit of a mouthful.”
I raised my hand. He grasped it and pulled me into a sitting position. The little girl I had carried threw herself at me, sobbing. Double ow. I winced, hugged her, and petted her back.
Clover made a strangled noise. Her eyes were red, and tears stained her face. Her voice shook. “I thought you died, my lady.”
Aww.
Behind her, Kaiden stared at me, a desperate, vulnerable look in his eyes. He looked like a little kid who’d been pummeled by life so many times, he didn’t expect anything good to ever happen again, and my heart squeezed itself into a painful little ball.
