Morax, the Legion brother Caim had mentioned they’d lost.
“Sounds like it,” Phenex said in a strangely quiet voice. Usually, every word he spoke was a booming sound that echoed against the walls. “Mia promised she’d find him, and she’s gone and bloody done it.”
Bael cracked a grin, and then swiped a tear off his cheek.
I opened my mouth to ask for more details on this strange development, but Phenex continued before I could get a word in edgewise. “So, he’s not going to be able to come back to help us with this. He asked if I wanted him to anyway, but...we can’t take him away from the search. Not when they’re so close.”
The rest of the Legion grunted their agreement.
“He got Caim’s text, asking about his old witch friends.” The smile suddenly died. “Most of the witches Az was in contact with were killed awhile back. He doesn’t have any numbers we can call, but he does have an address. A possible lead on another coven’s location. He’d planned on reaching out to them when he returned to Manhattan, to make a new alliance. We could use some witches on our side, now more than ever. I think we’ve all seen just how powerful their spells can be.”
Phenex turned to me. “So, that’s our next step, and I think Caim will agree. We’re going after the witches.”
18
Eva
There was an upside to all this. Caim was determined to find the cure himself, and he didn’t want me out of his sight. So, that meant he wanted me to go with him to investigate the witches. I’d spent the entire morning and afternoon cooped up in his loft while the rest of the Legion drew up a plan to tackle the cult. I’d gotten itchy, desperate todo something. It almost felt like my skin wanted to jump off my bones and fly out the window. Right into danger.
Caim and I walked down the streets of the Lower East Side, our coats pulled up high around our necks. The late-autumn winds had transformed into the first signs of winter. All the leaves had fallen from the trees, and our breath frosted on the air. Clouds we passed through as we hurried along in the stream of holiday shoppers.
“I need you to promise me that you’ll let me take the lead here, Eva,” he murmured quietly so that no passerby could hear our conversation. “Don’t get involved. Listen to what I tell you to do. You’re not here to help. You’re here so I can make sure the cult doesn’t get you.”
And to prevent me from fully transforming into a murderous demon, but obviously he left that part off.
“I won’t do anything crazy,” I promised him.
He shot me a sharp glance. “No. That’s not what I said. You won’t do anything at all but stand there. Got it?”
I should probably be annoyed that he was being so demanding about this whole thing. I should rebel and insert my glorious independence. Argue that I could take care of myself. Tell him that I’d help if I wanted to, thank you very much. And while all of that was true, there was something about the way he said his words that curled my toes. The fierce protectiveness in his eyes shook me.
So, I smiled. “Alright. I’ll try my best not to do anything.”
He grumbled.
“What was that?”
“You sure that spell was trying to transform you into a demon? Because you’re acting a hell of a lot like a fae right now.”
I grinned. “Don’t the myths say that fae can’t lie?”
He stopped suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk, grabbed my shoulders, and pressed his forehead against mine so fiercely it literally took my breath away.
“Eva,” he said in a low growl as his eyes pierced right into the heart of me. “The witches we’re about to visit could be the very ones who have been trading spells with the Cult of Lilith. That means they’ll likely know who you are, and they will want to either kill you or kidnap you. This could be extremely dangerous.”
I swallowed hard. “So you’ve said. Numerous times.”
“I feel like you aren’t taking this seriously.”
“Trust me, I’m taking it far more seriously than you think.” Pressing my lips together, I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down my face. “The only way I can cope with all of this is to joke about it, alright? You know I’m not actually going to do anything against a bunch of witches.”
His stare still pierced me. “I don’t know any such thing. Don’t think I forgot what you did when we faced the cult in their headquarters. You rushed toward Charlie, ready to fight him.Andyou rushed toward me, trying to help me fight the ones who had surrounded me. Every time we’ve faced danger in the past, your bravery has put your life at risk.”
My heart flickered in my chest. I really had been joking around before, but...he did have a point. Ihaddone all that. And even though I remembered every second of it, it was almost impossible to believe that I’d ever done such things. I’d never thought of myself as particularly brave.
“That was only because I saw you needed my help.” I sucked in a rattling breath. “And the other thing...Charlie was two seconds away from draining Stolas’s blood. I had to do something to stop him.”
His gaze softened. “And I love that about you.”
