When Lenore sat back, I stared at the ceiling, unable to move. A strange euphoria came over me as all the pain melted away along with the sensation in my body. I couldn’t feel the temperature or even the seat beneath me. But I could see, and I could hear.
Lenore sighed. “I suppose Christian knows about this. No wonder.” She reached over and tucked my bag behind my head so I could see her. “I don’t like it when things get messy. I plan meticulously, but I couldn’t have prepared myself for a half-breed. Immortals like you are an abomination. Immune to both stunners and impalement wood? That’s an impressive gift. There’s so much I’d love to ask you. Like why you don’t have physical power or black eyes. Or are those supposed to be the top half of Chitah fangs?” Lenore brushed at the bloodstains on her blouse. “While I could call it fortuitous that we ran into each other, I’m more inclined to think it’s serendipitous. The fates gave you to me. You’re an important figure, and I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize that earlier. You won me a victory in more ways than one, and now I can be rid of you.”
Be rid of me? Who the hell did this woman think she was?
“Before you’re blinded by jealousy, it’s not Christian’s love that interests me. I want his loyalty, and I’ll never have that as long as you’re in the picture. I’m sure you know that he’s loyal to a fault, and that’s worth more than gold. You have too much influence over him, and if I were to make you leave Keystone, he would follow.”
What the hell was she talking about? How could she make me leave Keystone? Unless working for the higher authority gave her a lot of power over how Viktor ran his organization, but he had never given me that impression.
“You make Christian weak,” she continued. “He gave you his heart, and as long as you have it, you’ll be the one who rules over him. Don’t take it personally. I don’t hate you, darling. In fact, I admire your potential. In another life, I might have mentored you. But as it stands, you’re a liability. I could charm you to find out how much Christian has divulged about our past, but it doesn’t matter.” She smiled obliquely and leaned in. “I bet you don’t even realize that I’ve charmed you before. Remember when I asked what your passion was, and you answered, ‘killing men’? I’m so good at what I do that you can’t even feel it. Both you and Christian are equally valuable to me, and I see potential in each of you. This wasn’t an easy decision to make.”
I tried to move my pinky, but I couldn’t feel my body. Not my arms, my legs, not even the sun on my face. All I could do was blink and breathe.
Lenore gazed out the window as the buildings blurred by. “I have ambitious plans, and I won’t make the same mistakes twice. Raven, I want you to consider what’s happening to you very carefully. You still owe me a large favor for the money, and we return favors in our world. It’s never what we desire, but it’s the only thing that keeps order—the only currency we can count on. And those who don’t pay up will live to regret it. I want to give you peace of mind that you’re clearing your debt with me. No matter how you feel about what’s happening to you, just know that when it’s all over, we’ll be even.”
The more she talked, the more fearful I became. Was she making me her indentured servant? Or was I about to go on the chopping block? The latter put a chill up my spine. Just the thought of lying in a guillotine, unable to move because of this stupid spell, made me sick to my stomach. Even worse was the level of trust that Lenore had been building between us. She kept trying to twist my relationship with Christian around, and though I’d never doubted him, I’d felt empathy for Lenore because there were always two sides to a story. I had fallen for it.
Now I just wanted to watch her burn on a pyre.
The buildings disappeared from view, replaced by the occasional tree. The car slowed and then stuttered across a rocky surface. I’d busted my ass