Dark Champion (Flirting with Monsters #4) - Eva Chase Page 0,42

inside, Snap hustled to my side to escort me to the table and tuck his arm around me there. Ruse had picked up pizza to indulge in, and they’d left a few slices for the one member of the party who actually needed that kind of food.

After I’d downed one of those, I didn’t feel half as exhausted. I leaned back in Snap’s arms, letting my other hand come to rest on Thorn’s thigh where he’d sat down beside me, bolstered by the presence of all four of my lovers and the other allies who’d followed us this far as well.

“From what Tempest said when we met up with her and what Ruse got from the guy here, we should make our move soon,” I said, looking at Omen. “She survived an onslaught of wingéd in the past. How are we even going to get close enough to attack her?”

“With extreme difficulty. But it’s occurred to me that we may have already hit on the perfect strategy. One that doesn’t involve our own wingéd, at least not right away.” He glanced from Thorn to Flint with a slightly apologetic tip of his head. “No criticism meant to present company, but the wingéd aren’t exactly known for subtlety or slyness. I’m not sure we’ll ever get her in a position where we could attempt that kind of onslaught again, let alone succeed in it.”

“Unfortunately, I suspect I can’t charm her into going along with our requests,” Ruse said.

“No. But another aspect of our mortal’s recent plans may point us in the right direction.” Omen let out a sharp breath. “There isn’t much Tempest cares about other than her own satisfaction—but she did value the association she and I had enough to reach out to me rather than simply rebuffing us. She offered us the chance to join her based on that association. I think we may be able to work with that.”

The thought of cozying up to Tempest in any way made my skin crawl, but I nodded. “In what way?”

“I can put out word that I’ve reconsidered and I’d like to join forces with her. She’ll be wary, but she’ll believe it enough to meet up again. Her ego is too big for her to dismiss the possibility entirely. You and I will go alone. I’ll present you as a weapon we can use for her cause, as if you’re under my control. When her guard is down, you’ll strike—hard enough to at least give me an opening to finish this.”

“And by ‘finish’, you mean…?”

Antic did a little dance between the table while dramatically dragging her finger across her neck. Omen grimaced at her, but he didn’t object to the gist of her suggestion.

“She should have left this world centuries ago. It’s time that reprieve came to an end. As long as she remains living, she’s proven herself an immense threat to mortals and shadowkind alike.” He paused, his gaze settling on me. “And the Highest will be much more likely to grant you a reprieve if we have irrefutable proof that you dispatched her.”

He was willing to kill one of his former friends—but after what I’d seen of her, I couldn’t summon much discomfort at the thought. I’d burned up dozens of mortal Company lackeys so far. If they’d deserved it, then Tempest did a thousandfold more for urging them on.

Thorn stirred next to me. “I believe I should speak to the other wingéd nearby in case we require more manpower after all, concerns about our capacity for subterfuge aside.”

“It never hurts to have a backup plan. Tell them what they need to hear.” For the first time ever, Omen sank onto the sofa-bench across from me. He rested his forearms against the edge of the table. “Sorsha and I will need some time to go over our opponent’s weaknesses. One thing I can say without a doubt—we’re only going to get one chance at this trick. And if we miss the mark, Tempest will make us pay.”

12

Thorn

Standing in the vast courtyard, looking up at the peaked dome topping the majestic building ahead of us, an uncomfortable tightness spread over my limbs. The columns framing the courtyard and the weathered stone of their construction brought back far too many echoes of the archaic times before the war that had nearly ended the entirety of the wingéd race. The fact that Flint and I were on the verge of addressing two more survivors of that catastrophe didn’t do anything to