actually agree to help us remains to be seen.
“I know.” Ryland keeps his gaze focused on our surroundings as he answers me. “I think we’re actually close. Isaac dumped us in the middle of a public space, but it was closer to where we need to go than I initially thought.”
He leads us down several more streets, sometimes taking a longer way around to avoid busier areas. Even though Trinity has managed to calm Ford to the point where he’s not radiating fury anymore, we still get the odd look here and there. I’m sure the way the seven of us are clustered so tightly around Trinity looks a bit strange, but there’s nothing to be done about that. I’m not leaving her exposed to the leering eyes of the corrupted, even with her demon mark partially obscured.
Just when I’m about to question Ryland about whether he actually knows where we’re going, he slows his pace slightly, lifting his chin. “There.”
I look where he’s indicating and see a battered wooden sign hanging outside a building. Most of the structures in this city are made of stone, looking more like they rose up out of the ground than were built by any sort of design. The surfaces are rough and uneven, and a layer of grime seems to coat everything.
The sign itself is so dirty that it’s hard to read, but as it sways in the hot breeze, I pick up the words scrawled into the wood.
Flynn’s Knicks, Knacks, and Other Things.
“Is that it?” Trinity whispers. I’m not sure who she’s asking, but both Ryland and I nod. “That name would almost be cute,” she adds, “if the sign didn’t look like a serial killer wrote it.”
I suppress an amused snort. She’s not wrong about that. Instead of flowing calligraphy, the letters look like they were scratched into the wood with a rusty nail. It makes the sign look more like a warning than an invitation to enter the shop.
Not that it stops any of us.
Ryland pushes open the door and steps inside, and the rest of us wait for Trinity to follow after him before slipping in after her. Her grip on Ford’s arm falls away as he looks around the dark interior of the space curiously.
The second the door closes behind us, a ball of fire hurtles toward us from the back of the store.
“Fuck!” Remi curses as he and Knight dive for cover.
A second fireball flies through the air, and Ford wraps his arms around Trinity, whirling around so that his back is to the flaming ball of magic. He grunts as he takes the hit, his enchanted leather jacket repelling the worst of the flames.
“We come peacefully! Isaac sent us!” I bellow, my voice cutting across the commotion. The sorcerer warned us that his contact could be skittish, and if we don’t get the situation under control quickly, we’ll end up having to hurt the man we came here to ask for help.
Not that I particularly have any moral qualms about that, but it would be impractical and counterproductive, two things I loathe.
“Isaac?” The voice that emerges from the back is husky and raspy, and when a man pops his head around the corner, I notice that his gray skin seems to smolder. “He sent you? What does he want?”
“He wants nothing,” Ryland says smoothly, taking a step forward. “We want something, and he believes you can help us.”
“So you’re not here for Kai?” the demon presses.
“No.”
“Then fuck off.”
“But we haven’t even told you what we need yet!” Trinity interjects, looking flabbergasted by the idea that the demon would send us packing without even asking our business. I almost laugh. She looks adorable when she’s incensed, her deep brown eyes flaring wide as her jaw sets. If that expression were directed at me, I’d pull her into my arms and kiss those beautiful lips until they softened against mine. Until they parted to allow my tongue entry.
Of course, if this corrupted tries that, I’ll fucking kill him.
“Don’t care,” he calls from the back, and I stride forward, annoyed by the stubbornness I can hear in his tone.
“I think you will care,” I say, keeping my voice cool and measured. “When you find out what we’re willing to offer for your help.”
“What?” The man steps a little farther out, more of his body appearing in the doorframe. “What are you offering?”
My greed flares as my instincts rebel at offering him anything. But I can smell his own greed