Thorn Queen Page 0,82

it-murderer. Jasmine swallowed. She was trying to look calm too, but her eyes betrayed her.

"How do you know I won't summon them and have them turn on you once my cuffs are off? You know I can't wear them and still have that kind of power."

I released the safety on the gun, which was still pointed at her. "Because I'll have this on the back of your head the entire time."

Long silence fell. Volusian was so still that I'd nearly forgotten he was there.

Finally, Jasmine said, "I hate you."

"So...that's a yes?"

I took her silence as a confirmation and put the gun away, putting the safety back on and feeling a bit surprised at the pounding of my own heart. Had I really just pointed a gun at a fifteen-year-old girl? Roland and Kiyo both believed dealing with magic could change the kind of person you were. Was messing with lightning and air turning me into someone who could easily threaten others to get my way? No, I decided. This had nothing to do with the magic. This was necessity. I needed to oust those fire demons, and this was the way to do it.

"Eugenie?"

A soft voice pulled me from my churning emotions. "Kiyo!"

He stood there in the hall, and I wondered how much he'd overheard. It didn't matter. I was just so insanely happy to see him. The heaviness in my heart lightened, and if there hadn't been so many witnesses, I would have run into his arms. He looked amazing, dressed in human garb: jeans and a plain gray T-shirt that hugged his muscles perfectly. The silken black hair curled around his chin, and his skin looked like caramel.

But his eyes...his eyes were hard.

I gave Jasmine a warning look. "We'll talk later."

"Fuck you, Eugenie," she called.

I caught hold of Kiyo's hand and walked back upstairs with him. Seeing him released all the nervous tension in me that had been building up since last night. I'd been so wound up, so worried and afraid. Now, it was like all was right in the world once again. The news about the baby was hard on me, but I still wanted to congratulate him. The words were on my lips as soon as we were alone, but he spoke first.

"Really, Eugenie? This is what it's come to?"

My head was still giddy over seeing him. "What do you mean?"

He pointed back toward the dungeon door from which we'd just emerged. "That! I never expected to find you with a gun to a teen girl's head."

"It wasn't exactly to her head," I said. "And she can help us get rid of those demons. Even if she can't summon true water demons herself, we both know she can call other water creatures." Kiyo and I had fought off some such creatures-including one that had caught us in a compromising position in his car and nearly killed both of us. "Those could give us the edge."

"And if she doesn't, you really are going to kill her?"

I sighed and stopped walking, leaning against one of the tapestry-covered walls so I could face him. "Do you really think I'd do that?"

"She seemed to think you would, and to tell you the truth, I kind of did too. I don't think you realize how scary you can be." He stood in front of me, with little distance between us, and there was an odd mix of sexual chemistry and antagonism in the air. "There's a strange feel to you...have you been practicing magic?"

I didn't answer immediately, which was as good as an admission of guilt. The look he gave me was almost more horrified than when he'd thought I was going to shoot Jasmine. "A little."

"A little! Eugenie," he hissed, leaning close. "There's no in-between with this stuff. You keep doing it, and you're just going to fall farther and farther down the rabbit hole."

I laughed and threw my arms up, gesturing to the castle. "I fell into Wonderland a long time ago."

"You know what I mean. I thought you weren't going to do it anymore. I thought we agreed it was bad."

"You agreed," I corrected, feeling my own temper start to rise. "I had a chance to learn more, and I decided to take it. And like I said, it's only been a little."

"Learn from who?" he asked suspiciously.

"A woman from Dorian's kingdom. She has some ability with controlling air and has been showing me how to use it. I might be on the verge of calling lightning