“It’s worth its weight in gold, and you’ll be hungry enough to wish you had taken it by the time this is all over.”
“Look, I appreciate the whole good cop/bad cop thing you’ve got going on here, but it isn’t necessary. Whatever it is you’re after, you won’t get it from me.”
“She’s a brave one,” Blondie says. “Or are you stupid?”
I ignore him, and the hammer he’s holding, keeping my eyes on Boss.
“I am sorry we had to handle things this way,” Boss says. “It’s just that there’s only so many ways to deal with a creature who’s invulnerable.”
So this is about Arcayos. It’s about whatever he did to Tyruse and his pack. These men must be members of said pack. Except they are nothing like the warm, romantic, protective wolves I’ve read about.
“So you’re going to use me to punish him.”
Boss shrugs, looking almost regretful.
“Whatever he did, killing me won’t change any—”
“What he did?” Blondie lunges forward, grabbing my hair so suddenly I almost cry out.
Throwing one foot behind me to keep from falling to the floor, I wince at the pain in my scalp and claw at his arm. He ignores it.
“He destroyed our pack,” Blondie snarls. “A hundred years ago, we were two hundred strong. He decimated our people, almost wiped us out on his father’s orders. We spent years rebuilding what he tore apart. You cuddle up to a monster thinking he’s the hero, well I have news for you, Detective. There is nothing good in him. It’s all a lie.”
He releases me. Then he swings the hammer right into my gut.
I cough in pain, double over, and drop to my knees, clutching my stomach.
“Raul,” Boss says. “Back off.”
But I notice he didn’t bother saying anything until this guy struck. He waited. Raul. I catalogue the blond one’s name, filing it away while I catch my breath and wait for the screaming in my stomach and lungs to subside.
Raul backs away to the door, but he’s swinging the hammer back and forth.
Certainty settles on my chest like a brick. I’m not getting out of here alive. Unless Arcayos comes thr0ough that do0r now, or through that Gate of his, I’m dead.
Where the fuck is he?
“Stand up,” Boss orders.
I want to tell him to go fuck himself, but there’s no point in giving Raul a reason to punch a hole in my gut. Ignoring the pain, I drag myself to my feet, trying to pretend I’m not hunching.
The Kid grabs the chair and sets it down behind me. I ignore it. He might be offering me comfort, but he might also be waiting to tie me to it.
“You’ll have to forgive Raul,” Boss says. “He’s never been good at holding his temper. The Champion is a touchy subject for him.” Yet again, he nods to The Kid. “This is why you’re here. To see how to handle an enemy the right way.”
Ah, employer-employee bonding.
“Let’s say I don’t,” I say.
“You’re call. It changes nothing.”
I meet his too-calm gaze and allow a smile I know probably looks as insane as he is. “He will come for me.”
The grin that Boss gives me now isn’t pleasant at all. It’s a madman’s grin. “I’m counting on it.”
25
The Ward
There is a barrier around the place. As soon as I step through the Gate, I can feel it, like an energy field tingling along my skin.
The house is stately and opulent, almost a mansion. Two floors, and it sits in the middle of the same wood where Cassidy and I met with Damon, a few miles from Windswept Pines Lodge. There’s also a symbol of Va’halzoret glowing on the double doors at the rear of the house. The barrier is closed around the home, offering no opening. So they’ve put the ward on every entrance, then.
I creep through the woods toward the house. Cassidy is close; I can feel her danger pulsing in my head in time with the Ak’tar’s keening. What torture is my mate being put through for my mistakes? I quash those thoughts down, regaining my focus. I’ve doomed her, but that’s a matter for later, when she is safe.
Did Damon betray us? Did he call Tyruse there to ambush us when we showed up? Did he or Tyruse order her taken?
Crouched in the thick trees at the edge of the yard, I scan the large property. The double doors let in from a large garden and a generously sized swimming pool. Lights cast the well-kept yard in a soft,