Still trapped in his fear, Dagan shook her, hard. “You summoned a fucking Edge demon. He would have demanded a payment that would tie you to him forlife!”
“You don’t know that.” Her chin wobbled. Anguished, red-rimmed eyes speared him in the heart. “You’ve ruinedeverything—”
“I saved your damnhide!”
“I have money, I would have paidhim.”
“By the heavens—” Cursing in his language, he bit out, “Think, Shae. Think. They aren’t human. They’d want your blood or your damn soul inreimbursement.”
“Then I would have given him my blood,” she yelled. “At least it’s good enough forhim!”
At the low blow, his temper flared. “You ever do something this perilous again, so help me, I’ll lock you up in one of those monk cells wehave—”
“I don’t care what you do. You destroyed my only chance of finding…” Her voice broke. Tearsfell.
Frustration and helplessness tearing at him, he gentled his hold on her upper arms. “Look, when we get back to New York, I’ll help you find yourmother.”
“It’s not my mother,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. She pulled out a dagger from her boot that looked a lot like his with the intricate etchings on the guards, except for the color and black stone on the hilt. “I want to know who used thislast.”
“You could have asked me,” he snapped, temper risingagain.
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t know—you didn’t tell me. I thought it was just withpeople.”
Hell! It wasn’t like he made a point of talking about his abilities. Furious at himself, Dagan took the damn blade, and his breath caught like he’d taken a blow to his belly. The sheer evil of the person who’d wielded the weapon twisted his gut. Images flashed through hismind…
Pain drenched him, the dagger plunging repeatedly into his chest. Blood flowed…a blurry face with dark hair appeared above his, cruel laughter echoed.“I will have what ismine…”
Dagan pushed harder, needing to hear the rest of the assailant’s words…but it was allfuzzy.
“Do you seeanything?”
Shae’s voice hauled him out of the darkness in the blade, and the visions faded, but his own frustration escalated. He’d felt the victim’s agony and had gotten a hazy visual of the attacker, but nothingelse.
Meeting her hopeful, wet gaze, he hated having to keep this back, but he had to be sure before he said anything. “Vague images only. Where did you get thisweapon?”
She wrapped her arms around her waist as if holding herself together. “I pulled it from my father’schest.”
He frowned. “No one looked for it? Thecops?”
“I don’t recall. But I always had it. Uncle Lem said when they found me hiding in a nearby building, I was in a daze. I remembered nothing. The therapist I saw explained that I’d been too traumatized and had blocked my father’s death from my mind. It was the only way I could cope with the trauma… Untilnow.”
“What do youmean?”
“I was asleep…” She took a hiccupping breath. “I dreamt of my mother, then the next thing I knew, I was in a parking lot. Dad had taken me to buy ice cream. When he didn’t return to the car, I went looking for him. He…he was lying there on the asphalt, blood and melted ice cream all around him. I pulled that blade out of his chest. Then I heard his voice in my head. He said I must hide from them. Who’sthem, Dagan?” she rasped, pressing a hand to her throat. “There was just a dark shadow surrounding him, and then it vanished, but no one was there. It’s why I have to find out who used this blade to kill him—who would do something so evil. My father was a kind and gentle person. God, I hate that I ran andhid.”
“You were just a child, Shae. You did what he asked.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “Let me keep the blade for a little longer, okay? I want to see if I can pick up anythingelse.”
“Ok—” Shewinced.
He reached out and gently stroked her pale throat, and the healing light flowed through his fingers, but the glow flickered a few times and died. His lips thinned. His restorative power wasn’t as strong as it should be, and he knew why. He lowered hishand.
“Thank you—” She swallowed, her voice still husky. But at least she could speak clearer now. He drew her close and dematerialized them back to themonastery.
While she changed into her pajamas, he made a cup of tea, liberally laced it with honey, and headed back. He found her sitting on the edge of thebed.
“Get in.” He pulled the covers back, and she climbed in, looking so beaten. He wanted to go and find the faceless bastard responsible for her anguish, show him the true meaning of pain. Instead, he put all of that on the backburner for now, sat beside her, and held out the tea. “Here.”
“I’m notthirsty.”
