“And exceptional at the occasional forgery.Allegedly.” Lee winked at him. “But, I’ll admit… Before I started disrupting the kind of power and bloodshed that could start wars and level cities, things were different.” His smirk suddenly dropped into something more serious—sad, even. “I used to be as coldhearted as you think I am. Maybe if I slid into this industry a different way, I’d be down in the lobby sharing drinks with those other bastards.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Ben said at once. “You would have made the right choice. Eventually.”
Lee gave Ben a meaningful look—one that evidenced a great deal of time shared. Regardless of how much I personallydistrusted them, I didn’t doubt that Ben would take a blade for Lee, and vice versa.
“Whatever the case, things changed when Ben came into the picture,” Lee said. “Unfortunately, he made me grow a conscience. The thought of other fairies being locked up for some sick use of their power… I won’t stand by and let it happen.”
Delilah put her hand over Lee’s. “I waited decades to find a reason to want peace,” she murmured as though she might only be speaking to him. “And I can’t have that if the world goes to anarchy. So it’s time to grow a pair and slit a few throats, or damn thousands of innocents.”
“There’s that selfless devil-worship charm.” Cliff gave her a cutting smile as he uncapped a third mini-bottle.
“Believe me, we prefer to work alone,” Delilah said. “We wouldn’t be asking if we didn’t think it was necessary.”
As much as I wanted to believe this was all some ruse on their part, I couldn’t shake the uncanny reappearance of theEroslogo. Whatever intentions were sitting across from us, this event needed to be stopped. Tammy had known it, too. The question was whether we really had to work withthemto pull it off.
My contemplation must have been noticeable because Lee added, “We’re taking these people for all they’re worth, if that sweetens the pot. Any non-life-threatening valuables are up for grabs. You’ll have your cut of the payout.”
Sylvia perked at once, her lips parting as she met my gaze.
A gemstone. It would be hers to claim.
Squaring my shoulders, I nodded. “Fine. We’re in.”
“What?” Cliff rounded on me with an incredulous glare.
But my mind was racing too fast to argue with him. I turned to Delilah. “We’re inifyou agree to help us with something.” Sylvia’s hopeful look made my heart stammer, and I said, “You’ll help us craft a spell after this is all over.”
Cliff huffed in understanding. His glare was burning a hole in me, but I couldn’t bring myself to face his realization of what I was gambling with here.
Delilah looked between us, intrigued and unabashedly entertained. “What kind of spell?”
“You can find out when we finish the job.” I gave her a dark smile to match hers.
Ben shot an apprehensive look at Lee as if to say,See? Savages.
“Well, well.” Delilah scrutinized me with a fresh and curious evaluation. “There’s more to you than those cheekbones and lust for violence. Are you any better than the bastards bidding in there, seeking power?”
“The spell won’t hurt anyone,” Sylvia assured, holding up her hands. “If you don’t want to trust a hunter, then trustme. It’s just… It’s important.”
Delilah’s appraising gaze settled on her for several beats before she relented. “If you’re true to that promiseandif it’s within my power, I’ll help you craft one spell. Agreed?”
I gave one resolute nod in tandem with Sylvia.
“And you?” Delilah asked Cliff.
His jaw ticked, eyes never leaving me. “Guess I’m in.”
Lee rose suddenly from his seat, breaking the tension before it could settle. “Wonderful. Now that that’s settled, I’ll see what I can do about altering the suits our previous recruits were going to wear.”
“In the meantime, there’s a walk-in shower in the guest bathroom.” Delilah stood too, toying with my collar as she walked by. “I suggest you take advantage of it. You smell like a wet dog.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised to find my clothes clean and folded on the bathroom counter after I left the shower, but the miraculous sight still gave me chills. Given how watchful my paranoia made me, I was certain no one had come in and touched my clothes.
Fucking witchcraft.
At least my t-shirt wasn’t enchanted to strangle me as I pulled it over my head.
As I entered the room, a glint of wings flitted behind one of the nightstands. I suppressed a chuckle. Even though this guest room would serve as our lodgings for only one day, Sylvia was giving it the same treatment as any other motel we stayed in, searching top to bottom for trinkets to add to her stash. My heart tugged, recalling my first glimpse of her collection under the floorboards of the Dottage Mansion back in North Carolina.
