Demon's Vengeance The Complete - Jocelynn Drake Page 0,63
and that isn’t fair to me. We’re in this together. Correct?”
“Of course, but I have to think about the baby’s safety first.”
“I know and I agree. I have to keep you and the baby safe. What if I can do that? What if I can find a way that will keep you both safe from harm? Will you stay?”
“I don’t know,” she said softly, seeming painfully unsure now that I was being calm and reasonable.
“You said your only reason for leaving was an issue of safety. Is there something else?”
“No.”
“Then if I can keep you safe, will you stay?”
“I don’t know. I guess. How are you going to make it safe for the baby?”
“You and the baby,” I corrected with a warm smile. Some of the panic subsided as I managed to get that tiny concession. “I don’t know yet. I’m still trying to figure that out. I want you to give me more time. Can you wait?”
Trixie shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s winter. The longer I wait, the more dangerous it becomes. It’s better if I leave soon.”
“I understand. I just want you to give me a chance.”
She gifted me with a little smile that didn’t reach her sad eyes. “I’ll try.”
Quickly closing the distance between us, I gave her a swift kiss. “And you promise not to leave without telling me?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, pressing my forehead to hers. My heart ached to see her so troubled, but I appreciated that she was at least trying to give me some time to protect her and the baby. I just had to figure out how in the world I was going to accomplish that.
Grabbing my coat, I stepped out into the bitter cold, my mind turned to figuring out a way to permanently extricate myself from the Towers. Or at the very least, create a buffer that would protect Trixie and the baby from their notice.
But I didn’t get far.
Gideon was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, waiting for me.
CHAPTER 5
Sometimes, there’s no escaping it.
I stopped several feet from Gideon, watching the snow swirling through the air to land on his black suit. His cape flapped slightly in the breeze, as if to flick away any tiny flakes that might spoil his dark aura. While the warlock never looked pleased to see me, he was looking grimmer than usual tonight.
“Is it too much to hope that you’ve caught the bastard and I can return to my normal life?” I asked, stepping around him to walk down the alley beside the parlor. I had parked my car out front, but I didn’t want to risk anyone seeing me talking to a warlock. It was bad for my image of a harmless tattoo artist.
“Yes, it is,” he said, following a step behind me.
“So what’s new? Been out scaring little kids?”
“The council has decided to let you use the library in Dresden,” Gideon said in a low voice.
I stopped walking and jerked around to look at him in shock. “Really?” The Ivory Tower in Dresden was home to the largest collection of spell books and magical history tomes of all the Towers. I hadn’t expected them to allow it, let alone decide so quickly.
“On one condition,” he added, causing my stomach to knot.
Dropping backward, I leaned my shoulders against the wall of the building and shoved my hands into my coat pockets. “I knew it.” The council was never one to do anything the easy way.
“They will let you use the library as much as you like on the condition that you remove the protection spells on Simon Thorn’s rooms.”
My mouth dropped open at the mention of my old mentor. The bastard’s body was now buried under the street in a crappy part of town while his soul now served as the ferryman for the dead in the Underworld, thanks to yours truly. I couldn’t feel bad for him though. He’d tortured me while he was alive and succeeded in handing a chunk of my soul over to Lilith. At least he could say that he had steady employment for the rest of eternity.
“The spells are still active?” I’d killed Simon months ago. Someone should have figured out what he was using to protect his shit ages ago.
“Three have gone in. None have come back out.”
“Is the council sure they’re dead?” But even as the question left my lips, I knew it was stupid. This was Simon we were talking about. The man was a murderous psychopath on a