to him. It will be your choice, so thank you for that. The deal will be null.”
“Those are technicalities,” she sputtered, color flooding her cheeks once more. “He’s asked you to do this.”
“But I’m not the one asking you to be released from the deal.” Smugness dripped from Roth’s voice. “And you know that’s the only thing that matters.”
Faye began to tremble with anger or fear or possibly both. “And if I refuse? You’ll kill me? You’ll kill everyone in here? Because that’s what will happen. If you attack me, they will defend me.” She dipped her chin, and a blast of hot air flipped a napkin over and stirred the tendrils of hair around my face. “I will defend myself.”
“Did you just do that? Cause a breeze to roll over the table?” I widened my eyes. “Scary. That was so very scary, I’m actually quaking in my shoes over here.”
Roth snorted.
“And when did I say I’d allow you to live after you gave up Bambi?” I continued, my chin still resting in my hands. “That’s pretty presumptuous of you.”
Faye inhaled sharply.
“After all, you want me dead. You actually need me dead to make use of all my glorious parts, which I doubt will be used for the betterment of anyone but you or your coven,” I told her. “How in the world could you ever think you would walk away from this alive?”
“That’s a damn good question,” Roth said. “And you should listen to her and make this easy. Release Bambi and null the deal. You know what to say. ‘I end this deal bartered by the demon Cayman and release this familiar.’ That’s all. Say it.”
“I...” Faye shook her head and then shuddered. Her hand floated to her arm, to where Bambi rested. She was going to release the familiar even though it was too—
She raised her hands.
The table between us slammed into Roth and me, pinning us into the booth. Pain lanced across my stomach as Roth cursed.
Okay. That was definitely not a breeze.
I worked my fingers between the table and my stomach as Faye rose from the booth, her black hair lifting from her face as her fingers splayed out. Her skin flushed and her dark eyes flashed a cinnamon brown. My gaze dropped. Yep. Her sensible black heels were several inches off the floor.
She was levitating.
I wished I could levitate.
“That’s the best you got?” Roth laughed, and I really wished he’d shut up, because the table was now digging into my palms and it was starting to hurt. “You need to do better.”
“I haven’t even begun to show you what I can do.” Faye’s voice was thick like mud.
“And neither have you seen what I’m capable of.” Roth placed his hands palms down on the table.
The scent of sulphur hit the air and the table shattered into dust within a nanosecond. Everything that had been on the table—the glass, the tea candle, the napkins—was gone. Even the journal Faye had had.
Okay. Now that was really cool.
As I shot to my feet, the witch’s rage pulsed like a shock wave, rippling through the restaurant, and my grace answered, sparking to my skin.
“Deal with her.” Roth spun toward the dining area. “I’ll deal with them.”
Them happened to be the other twenty or so witches who were also levitating.
Faye lifted a hand, and the air seemed to vibrate above her palm. Her lips moved in a low, quick chant I couldn’t make out. A ball of fire appeared.
I darted to the side as the softball-size ball of flames hit the booth I’d been sitting in. The wood caught fire, swallowing the entire booth way too fast, reminding me of the fire the demon Aym had wielded.
“That was so not nice!” I spun back to the witch.
Instinct kicked in, and I could feel my grace powering down my arm, demanding to be used. I couldn’t. Not yet. Not with Bambi still on the witch. If I killed her, it would kill the familiar.
Another ball of flames formed above her hand as a shriek of pain and a blast of heat came from the direction of Roth. Faye’s gaze darted to our right.
I charged her, catching her in the stomach with my shoulder. She shouted as I brought her to the floor. The ball of flames flickered out as her body bounced off the hardwood. I went down with her, digging my knee into her stomach. She grunted as she swung her hand toward me.