Lord of Chaos (The Dragon Demigods #7) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,74

choice?” I deadpan.

“Not really.” He turns his smug smile onto me and winks. The fucker winks.

I step to the side, my patience waning.

“Eggs and bacon.” Gaire sniffs the air. “Nice!” He nods a few times. “Good to keep yourself in tip-top shape.”

“Why are you here?” I interject. It’s a stupid question, but I ask it anyway.

“I’m here for my hellhound. Are you going to hand her over?” He acts like Nia isn’t even in the room. It grates me. He’s treating her like she’s an object instead of someone with feelings.

“No deal,” I say.

There’s another knock at my door. I feel my hairs stand on end. I feel my blood run cold. The knock sounds again. Softer this time.

“Don’t you want to see who it is?” Gaire goads me.

“No.” I shake my head. It feels like someone has just walked over my grave.

The knock sounds a third time.

“You should really get that.” Gaire folds his arms, looking smug. I fucking hate him!

I look at Nia. Her eyes are wide, and she looks pale. I feel an ache in my chest. I walk to my door, feeling like I’m in a daze. I open it slowly; my heart is in my throat. My mouth falls open. I knew it. I just knew. Gooseflesh breaks out over every part of my body.

Warrick grins. He’s exactly the way I remembered him. “Holy fuck, but you’re old,” he says. “Gaire warned me, but,” he sniggers, “I didn’t think you’d be this ancient.”

I take a few stumbling steps backward.

“So this is your place?” Warrick walks in and looks around. “It’s small. You always said you were going to live in a mansion.”

“Things change.” My voice is choked. “Your priorities change when you get older.”

“What do you do for a living? You said you wanted to be a lawyer.”

I push out a laugh. I had forgotten about that. “No.” I shake my head. “I haven’t been in such a good place since…since… I didn’t study. I make my money with these.” I hold up my fists. “I couldn’t…I didn’t have the concentration after…after you…”

“After I died?” He raises his brows. He doesn’t look upset or angry.

Fuck! “I’m sorry,” I choke out. My voice is thick with emotion.

“I was an asshole,” Warrick says. “I should never have believed Bella. I knew you were crazy about her. I—”

“That’s enough.” Gaire clicks his fingers, and Warrick disappears.

I shout his name. He doesn’t come back. I shout it again. I know it’s futile, but I have to try. I grab Gaire by his leather vest and give him a shake. “Bring him back!” I snarl.

“Let me go.” Gaire stays completely relaxed. His eyes are on my hands. “I said, let me go. We can talk about it.”

I let him go on a growl and pace away before turning. I can feel my power; it’s right there. I’ve never been more tempted to let loose before.

“You can have your friend back,” Gaire says. “Just say the word, and he’ll be here, in the flesh. Not just for a minute or two, but to stay.”

My throat hurts. My eyes are stinging. I look at Nia, and she nods. “It’s okay,” she whispers.

Nia is as sweet as they come. She’s selfless. Sacrificing her would be far from okay. What Gaire is doing is wrong.

“My friend is dead. That’s on me. He’s not coming back.”

“You’d let Warrick rot for her?” Gaire points at Nia. “A woman you hardly know. Not even a decent lay…just lies there.” He snorts.

“Don’t talk about Nia like that,” I snarl.

“So you have it bad for the bitch. So bad you’re going to let your best friend rot in hell? I thought you’d want to help him since you put him there.”

“There is no way that Warrick is rotting anywhere. He was a good person. An amazing person. I’m sure that if you brought him back, you’d be taking him from the Elysian Fields. From paradise.” I know it in my heart.

“Are you sure about that?” Gaire lifts his brows.

I nod. “I’m very sure. I’m glad I saw him again. You gave me closure. Thank you for that.”

I watch Gaire’s face turn crimson. He gets this tic in his jaw, and his muscles bunch. He’s not happy at all. “I guess we’ll have to fight it out. At least until you run like a coward. I will keep coming for you, and your friends won’t be able to save you every time. It just isn’t possible. You understand that, right?