“What choice would you make if it came down to your lover or closing the rift?” Kerilyn asked.
“I will do whatever I need to in order to protect human life,” Darcy said. She felt Jaral’s gaze on her like a physical touch but refused to turn.
After a moment, Kerilyn inclined her head. “No matter what Arawn did to save me, I’m a hunter first. I would not have traded my life for the safety of this world. Not ever. What do you need from me?”
Darcy drew a syringe from her bag. “I have to draw some blood. I doubt we’ll need much.”
“Take it,” she replied without hesitation.
They worked together in silence to sanitize the area in the bend of Kerilyn’s elbow and find a vein.
“This might hurt a little.” She threaded the needle into the vein under her fingertips and pulled on the plunger.
Dark black blood flowed into the syringe, rising to fill the whole container.
Kerilyn made no sound as Darcy withdrew the needle and capped it.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Let’s hope this works,” Kerilyn replied, applying pressure to the wound. “Either way, you leave my family the hell alone.”
Darcy inclined her head. “I have no interest in pulling an innocent into this conflict. If the rift closes up, I will forget I even know of Sarah’s existence.”
“You’d better. If you run with demons, Darcy, one might be justified in wondering about your loyalties.”
“Says the spirit queen.”
“What can I say?” Kerilyn said. “He was worth it.”
Darcy watched the former hunter turn to gaze at her mate and was awed by the unconditional love she saw on Kerilyn’s face. For better or worse, the hunter had made her choice.
She glanced at her Jaral and the spirit lord talking in hushed tones. Part of her wished she could trust Jaral the way Kerilyn so obviously trusted Arawn. But while the impossible might have worked for Kerilyn, there was no guarantee the same miracle would happen for herself.
“Kerilyn,” she whispered, her voice quiet so as not to be overheard by the men. “Do you know any way to stop a demon from tracking you with his magic?”
Kerilyn arched a brow. “Not so sure about the man in your bed, Darcy?”
“Did you welcome Arawn with open arms the night you met?”
“Point taken. How is he tracking you?”
“He healed me and passed on a piece of his magic to me temporarily.”
“Interesting.” The spirit queen’s eyes swept over her before landing on her wrist. “Give me your bracelet. Quickly.”
Darcy undid the simple silver chain and handed it over.
Cupping it in her hands, Kerilyn whispered a few words Darcy couldn’t understand. A black flash shimmered along the length of the chain before vanishing. Kerilyn held the offering out to Darcy.
“What did you do?”
“Tied a touch of spirit magic to the bracelet. I’m pretty new to the spirit game but as far as I know, spirit and demon magic are not compatible. If you put it on, I’m pretty sure the two magics will cancel out. That should hide you from your lover, but it will also subdue any positive effects the power transfer might be having. Clear?”
“Clear.” She tucked the bracelet into her pocket. “Thank you.”
Kerilyn’s eyes looked older than they had months ago when Darcy had last seen her. “Be careful,” the former hunter said. “And my apologies for my role in this. I would never have put my life above others.”
Darcy inclined her head and watched the other woman walk back into the arms of her lover.
“Let’s go,” she whispered to the spirit lord.
“One last thing, nephew, before you make your choice.” The spirit lord’s smile was chilling. “I’m in possession of a valar blade.”
Jaral stiffened.
“Think on my words.” With a last look, the spirit lord and his mate stepped back into the shadows and vanished from sight.
For a moment neither she nor Jaral moved.
“What did he mean?” Darcy asked. “I’ve never heard of a valar blade.”
“It’s a weapon my father was fond of using eons ago. A special blade that, when bathed in blood, has the ability to traps it victims within. Stab your enemy and watch as they are drawn into a dagger for eternity. Several of my brothers still hang in my father’s throne room, trapped in steel.”
She shuddered. “Would it work on Abaddon?”
Jaral was silent for a long moment before saying, “It wouldn’t hold him permanently, but yes, for a few dozen centuries it would contain him.”
“That’s a good thing, right? It gives us another advantage.”