“There are so many possibilities.”
I glanced at my not-watch again and muttered a curse through clenched teeth. “Well, what do you want from me specifically?”
“How about I tell you what you want to know now, and I’ll get back to you?”
An open-ended favor to a demon thug? That sounded like a really bad idea. I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I’d gotten this far already; it would be a shame to waste this opportunity. “Fine, we have a deal if you also get me in to see the warden. I’ve heard you’ve got a special relationship?”
His furry brow rose, and he rubbed his pointy horn. “That was with the former warden, unfortunately. Warden Campbell and I are still forging our working relationship.”
“So you can’t do it?”
His eyes narrowed, and he spat out the cigar. “That’s not what I said.”
“Then we have a deal?” My feet were twitching to get out of there.
With a grin, he extended his hairy, clawed hand. “You drive a hard bargain, but we have a deal, little girl.” Again, his gaze flickered to my demon mark before rising to meet my eyes. “From what I heard, the manager of some new Fae club called the SIA in when you attacked one of their patrons. Somehow, you managed to evade the agents and escape into the Fae forest. From there, they lost you for a few hours, until the authorities were alerted of the massacre.”
My lungs constricted, and all the air whooshed out. Blurred images raced through my mind—the beautiful open-air courtyard, figures dancing, the bar... The last thing I clearly remembered was that demon buying me a drink. “How many did I kill?” I finally choked out.
“Counting the SIA agent who tried to bring you in, thirty-seven.”
My heart smacked against my ribs before grinding to a halt. No. It can’t be. Blood curdling screams echoed across my ears, and a carousel of ashen faces and vacant stares flashed through my vision. I squeezed my eyes shut, chasing away the horrifying images. Gods, no wonder I ended up here. I was probably more of a monster than most of these inmates. My thoughts rushed back to the night I’d been brought in and what the guard had said. You killed one of our own, little girl. Was the SIA agent who they’d been talking about?
“It’s pretty impressive, especially for one as young as you.” Delacroix’s raspy voice brought me back to the present.
I snapped my jaw shut before I admitted something stupid. According to Hayden, having a bad rep was better than having none at all.
“Strange you don’t remember though.” His black eyes searched mine, but clenching my jaw, I held his unwavering gaze.
“Sometimes I black out,” I finally replied.
He glanced at my shirt sleeve again, or rather what was under it, before picking up his cigar and bringing it to his lips once more. No one had ever paid so much attention to it as in the past few days—first Delacroix, then Talon. Weird.
“I see.” His lips encircled the cigar, and the sweet, smoky scent filled the air again. “Regarding the second part of your question, I’ll have to get back to you when I’ve seen the warden.”
I nodded and jumped up, eager to get the hell out of dodge.
“No so fast, little one. There’s one more thing we need to discuss.”
I froze mid-step. Dammit, I should’ve been faster. Whirling back toward him, I quirked a brow. “What’s that?”
He slowly stood and moved toward me until his hot breath swirled over the top of my head. “I don’t know if your Triad friends told you, but all the inmates at Darkblood tend to pick a side. Either you’re with me, like the majority of our residents, or you’re not.”
I steeled my spine and stared up at him. “Nope, they didn’t mention it.”
“Well, consider this me mentioning it. Most inmates are required to make an immediate decision, but since we’ve already begun to cultivate a relationship, I’ll give you until our next meeting.”
“That’s very generous of you.” I bit my tongue at the sarcasm lacing my tone. Oops. “And what if I decide I don’t want to be on anyone’s side?” I asked a little more sweetly.
He shook his head. “There is no option three, Azara.”
“Good to know. I’ll get back to you then.” I spun toward the door and barreled through Delacroix’s minions. I stayed too long. Sprinting down the corridor and praying I didn’t run into the jagga demons or anyone else, I