"Nim?" Stryker asked.
Zephyra glanced at him over her shoulder. "An inutile slug demon Jared adopted."
"I did no such thing." Nim had adopted him, and he'd been trying ever since to get rid of him. The demon was a liability he didn't want or need to carry. Honestly, he was sick of Nim hanging around and complicating his worthless life even more. All the demon did was get him into trouble. And worse, Nim got him tortured.
She dragged the dagger's tip down the divine markings on his left arm. At one time he'd worn them with pride. Now they only reminded him of his humiliation. They marked him as a slave. The last of his kind.
"Is he here?" she asked.
He hissed as she laid open the length of the tattoo. His blood beaded under the line, trickling down his flesh. Stryker turned away as if the sight sickened him.
Zephyra wasn't so kind. "Looks like I guessed wrongly."
Jared met her gaze without flinching as his anger snapped. "I told you he left."
"Really?" She trailed the dagger over his collar bone. "I'll bet he's hiding on your back."
Jared gasped as she plunged the dagger deep into his shoulder, through the tattoo that was there. Pain seared him.
"Zephyra, stop!" Stryker snapped. "There's no need for this."
"Trust me, it's the only way to get his compliance. But don't feel bad for him, Stryker. He slit the throats of his own people, didn't you, Jared? Those he didn't kill, he led to the slaughter."
Pain and fury mixed inside him. "Shut up!"
"Why? It's the truth. You've never cared about anyone but yourself. So give us the demon and let me end your suffering where he's concerned."
Against his will, he jerked as she trailed the knife over the tattoo that wasn't branded into his skin. It merged with the others, but it wasn't his . . .
"Aha, found the little bugger, did I?" She clenched the dagger tight, pressing it into his skin where Nim was resting.
Jared ground his teeth. If she stabbed Nim while he slept on his body, it would kill the demon.
"Shall I liberate you from your annoyance?" She pressed the tip in, drawing blood.
Jared tried to pull away, but he couldn't. The chains held him tight and gave him no choice. "Stop!" he growled. "Don't hurt him."
"Kill Gautier and I'll let your demon live."
"And if I can't kill him?"
She jerked his hair hard, slamming his head back into the wall. "You don't want to find out. Trust me." Snapping her fingers, she used her powers to open his shackles.
Jared fell back against the wall and slid to the floor, his entire body aching. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been freed. From the sensation of his stiff muscles, it felt like centuries and it probably was.
Zephyra stood over him, looking down. "Clean yourself, dog. Bring me the head of the Malachai and I'll give you two days to wench and drink before I call you back. Betray me and you will think these past centuries were paradise."
Jared laughed bitterly. "Your mercy is beyond reproach, my lady."
"Sarcasm . . . such sweet music to me." She kicked him hard in the ribs. "Now go and carry out your orders."
Stryker met Jared's searing gaze. Hatred burned bright, but something told him the hatred was directed more inwardly than out. The poor creature. It would be kindest to kill him.
"Are you sure he can do this?" Stryker asked Zephyra as she sheathed the dagger back into her boot.
She led him out of the room and into the hallway. War pulled up their rear. "Don't let his sniveling fool you. He was created to kill."
"So was the Malachai."