“Why?”
“So that we can sell it.” The copián glanced to his companions. “Time is the most precious commodity in the entire universe. The most sacred. And yet it is the most often squandered. From the moment of our births, we’re only allotted so much of it. And for even an hour more, there are those who are willing to give up anything for it.” An evil smile curled his lips. “Even their immortal souls.”
Urian shook his head at the truth.
The copián stepped down to approach Medea. “Surely a child of the Apollite race can understand that driving desperation better than most.”
He was right about that. Nothing like being damned to only twenty-seven years for something you didn’t do to make someone realize just how precious life was.
Even more so while watching everyone around you die long before their time.
For one more breath, their race was willing to take human lives and destroy their immortal souls. Unlike Urian, Medea’s one saving grace was that her mother had sacrificed her own soul to save her from having to make that choice.
She’d never had to live like Urian and his siblings had. Medea had never made the hard choices they did.
The copián cocked his head. “You’ve heard the expression ‘living on borrowed time’?”
“Yeah.”
He gave Medea a crooked smile. “We’re the ones you borrow it from.”
But only an idiot played their game. Urian had heard too many horror stories about those who’d bargained with them and been burned.
There was never any such thing as a free lunch, and when you bargained with the paranormal, you always came up with the short end of the stick for it. The deck was stacked against you and they played with loaded dice.
The copián swept his sinister gaze over them. “My price is simple. An hour from each of you and I’ll open the portal.”
“An hour?” Falcyn sputtered. “How ’bout I just rip some heads off all y’all until you yield?”
Urian liked that idea.
The copián smirked. “You could do that, but you can’t open the portal without me.”
“Sure I could find someone.”
“You really want to chance it?”
Falcyn’s expression said he was willing to gamble.
The copián tsked at him. “So very violent from an immortal who can spare an hour with no problem whatsoever. Think of it like those humans who donate spare change for charity. An hour is but a penny and you have a jar full of them just sitting in your home that you’ll never use. Why not give one to someone who could really use it?”
“Because you’re assuming they’ll use it for good, when I know for a fact that most people who barter with you don’t have kindness in their hearts.”
“True, but sometimes that trash they take out on their way to the grave is a service in and of itself, is it not?” He cast a pointed stare toward Urian.
You son of a whore.Urian could have done without that dig.
Blaise sucked his teeth in sharply. “Word of advice when dealing with these two? I wouldn’t go for the twofers on the insults. Even with the zeitjägers as backup. I mean, let’s face it. They’re not being peaceful at the moment because they don’t know how to be violent … however, I’ll be the first to say have at it if you can get us out of here. You can take two hours from me.”
The copián scowled at Blaise. “Two?”
“Yeah. One for me and one for Brogan. I’ll pay her fee.”
She gasped at his offer. “Why would you do that?”
Blaise shrugged. “Being stuck here has been punishment enough for you. As noted, I won’t miss two hours out of my life. I’d have just wasted them in a movie theater, anyway. And this way, I get to do something useful with them and be a hero to you. That’s a twofer I can live with.” He winked at her. “Besides, I don’t intend to leave here without you.”
“Suck-up, show-off,” Falcyn muttered. Then louder, “Fine, take mine.”
