still had that gun to his head, and neither of us thought he would survive a bullet to the brain.
“Kartane took his eyes,” I said simply.
“Ah. That’s regrettable. He started a power transfer then. Hopefully, Eliphas can kill him and reclaim or destroy his eyes before they’re used against him.”
“Um…” I don’t know what my roommate was thinking, but I figured it was time to ask the obvious.
“Nakul, I swear on our gods not to kill you if you lower your weapon off Raphael and let him continue with what he was doing, so long as you don’t attack either of us.” Crossing my arms, I waited.
The gun lowered slowly, Nakul flicked the safety, then tucked it into the pocket of his prison jumpsuit.
“I swear on our gods, I will not bring you or yours any harm and that I’m here to help you without considering myself in the matter,” he replied, lifting his now empty hands.
“I’m taking you back after this,” I told him, staring at his now dark eyes. “I won’t ever let you walk free.”
“I understand,” he said softly, nodding his head. “Who knows what might cause me to snap again.”
“Exactly.” He seemed like the uncle I knew as a child. I had known when we caught him, even before, he had lost his mind. Grief did terrible things to people. Nakul and I were the two nagas who took things to different extremes when it came to the loss of our families.
If anyone could even remotely relate, it was me.
Maybe that’s why I hate him so much.
“Back to the eye thing…” Raphael stepped out from between us. “Why is that a thing?”
“Eyes are windows to the soul, and for witches, taking the eyes of another witch can do a number of things, from transferring one’s power to another or controlling them. It’s a very dangerous thing.” Nakul shrugged. “I’m assuming Kartane wants Eliphas’ raw power. He’s not strong enough to control Eliphas’ soul like a puppet.”
“There are other body parts they like for different reasons, but yeah, eyes are special,” I added, shaking my head. “Sit down with me in the next room, Nakul. We’ll talk.”
I didn’t want him near Raphael. Instinct told me Raphael was more important than my own life, something I had to ride with. Nakul was an imminent threat, and I wanted distance between them.
“Of course.” He followed me out of the kitchen and dining area into the living room. I stared at the windows, wishing I could see the night sky, but large metal plates blocked the view.
“Who wants to kill me?” I asked softly as he stood next to me.
“I don’t know. I don’t think the situation between Eliphas and Kartane relates. They never really liked each other, so that’s almost expected. Everyone knew Eliphas had to watch his back around his second, yes, including the prisoners like myself.”
“Who spoke to you?”
“It was…” he trailed off and frowned. “I don’t remember. I remember the person introducing themselves. I remember hearing a name and shaking hands, wondering why I had a visitor, but…I don’t remember any of the details. Everything is blurry…” He sat down slowly on my couch, staring into space. I watched him carefully, wondering if it was an act, but as he grabbed his hair and tugged in frustration, I heard a hiss. I assumed he wasn’t lying because I needed something. Any lead I could work with, and he was right in front of me.
“Your memory was tampered with then. Fantastic.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Not your fault,” I said, shaking my head as I sat across from him. “You can tell me what you can remember, and if you can’t remember anything else, I might be able to find someone to talk to about that. I know a lot of fae. I’m pretty sure the Phoenix witch coven can help as well.”
Not that I can probably trust them right now. Maybe Paden? Maybe Cassius? Like ‘em both, but there’re problems with both right now.
“You would do that for me?” He looked up, his dark eyes wide.
“If it keeps me and mine alive? Yes.” I couldn’t take any chances, and if that meant helping a serial killer who was teetering on the edge of insanity, so be it.
When this is all said and done, he’ll go back to where he belongs. Hell, maybe he’ll die during this and solve an assortment of problems for me. First, I need to use him for all he’s worth.