The Sweetest Burn (Broken Destiny #2)(68)

Costa replied with a burst of Greek that sounded as furious as he looked, and with his handsome features mottled from rage, that was saying something. Whatever his tirade was, it pissed Adrian off to a fantastic degree, too, because Zach had to catch his fist before he slammed it into Costa's face.

"Was that a confession?" Jasmine cried, coming over to me.

The look Costa threw our way was more scalding than his response. "Quit acting, Jasmine! We both know it has to be you."

"Fuck you, no it isn't!" she screamed back at him.

Zach still had ahold of Adrian's wrist, and when Adrian attempted to pull free, the Archon tightened his grip.

"Not until you are in control," Zach said coldly.

"If you'd just confirm who it is, we can end all this," Adrian snarled.

"No," Zach replied. "Until you are able to figure it out for yourself, you are not ready to accept the truth."

His cryptic response only made things worse, but when Zach didn't want to reveal something, all the raging in the world wouldn't make him. Plus, while we were fighting, demons could be descending on that former church site in France. As serious as the prospect of Costa's betrayal was-and after Zach's comment, I was 100 percent convinced it was Costa because that's the only truth Adrian wasn't ready to accept-getting the staff before the demons found it had to come first.

"Stop it, everyone," I said, raising my voice to a shout. "We have a staff to get, so Jasmine, Costa, you two are waiting here. You'll be safe," I added with a hard glance at Zach, whose oblique nod confirmed that he was staying with them. Good, because now, I didn't trust Costa around Jasmine. "When we get back, we'll figure this out."

Zach released Adrian's wrist. He rubbed it while his gaze landed on the three of them, seeming to make silent promises that I couldn't decipher. Then at last, he looked at me.

"Ready when you are, Ivy."

* * *

IT FELT LIKE I had twenty pounds of rocks in my pockets. Good thing I'd worn jeans to the campus last night. If I'd had on a skirt, I wouldn't have been able to store nearly as much. I still didn't have on a bra, not having found it during our brief, former visit to Adrian's loft. I did have knives, holstered and strapped beneath my thankfully baggy T-shirt. As for shoes, well, I hadn't found mine in the trashed loft. If I hadn't been so upset by the betrayal revelation, I might have remembered to ask Jasmine if I could borrow her shoes before we left.

I hadn't been thinking about my feet, though. My thoughts had been split between Costa's betrayal and the possible fight we were walking into. Those thoughts were briefly put on hold when we tumbled out of the light realm in Lyon, France, which was as close as we could get to the chapel's original location of Chasse-sur-Rhône. We landed in a wooded area, with a huge, towering white structure that looked like a cross between a castle and a church looming above us. Amber-pink rays of sunrise highlighted the gorgeous Gothic building, making it appear to be a vision from the medieval past. If Brutus weren't so afraid of the sun, the gargoyle would've looked perfect soaring around the high, pointed turrets.



       
         
       
        

From Brutus's cringing, he wouldn't be doing any soaring in the sunshine soon. The leafy trees kept most of those bright rays off us, but too much was getting through for his liking, and with the time jump, that would only get worse. I'd estimated it to be around midnight in Milwaukee when we left. Here, it was the beginning of the day.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the castle/church.

Adrian glanced up. "The Basilica of Notre Dame. I wasn't sure where the light realm would spit us out, but I've been here before. Like Zach said, there's a dark realm nearby, and the basilica is a tourist trap, so there should be lots of cars."

I don't know why I thought that meant we were going to rent one. Neither of us had our passports or other identification, and I certainly didn't have any money. But still, I was surprised when Adrian snuck around to a parking lot, picked out an older-looking van and smashed out the back window.

Brutus shared none of my hesitation. He practically flew over and dove into the back door Adrian held open. I hurried over, too, but far more cautiously, looking around to see if anyone had seen and was now calling the police.

So far, no one was. I got in the passenger seat and Adrian got in the front. As soon as he did, he ripped some wires down from the base of the steering wheel, and in moments, had the van revved up and moving.

"How long have you known how to hot-wire?" I asked.