Rage and Ruin(35)

Air warped behind Faye’s head, and for a moment I thought it was my funky vision, but then Cayman stood there.

His long dark hair was pulled back from his handsome face. No romper today. Instead, he was wearing a purple velour jumpsuit that looked vintage. In his right hand he held what appeared to be a...contract.

Cayman grinned down at the witch. “The bargain brokered is voided.” Flames licked over the thick sheet of paper, leaving nothing but ash. “Blessed be, bitch.”

The demon broker gave Roth and I two thumbs-up and then disappeared in a ripple of air.

And then it happened.

A shadow peeled off Faye’s arm, rapidly expanding and thickening until I could see thousands of little beads. They swirled like a mini tornado and dropped to the floor, taking form and shape. Bambi appeared as a snake the size of the Loch Ness monster—a baby Loch Ness monster.

The familiar shot toward Roth, its rear waving like a puppy’s tail did when it greeted its owner after a long absence.

“My girl.” Everything about the demon prince’s face softened as he placed his hand on her oval-shaped head. Bambi’s forked tongue flickered in response. “Layla is going to be so happy to see you.”

Bambi wiggled joyfully.

The two of them were oddly adorable—

Hands slammed into my hips, rocking me backward. I tumbled off Faye as she scrambled to her feet, breathing fast. Her eyes were wild as she whipped toward the Crone. The two silent witches had moved to block Faye. She took a step back as I rose. She spun again, clutching something in her hand.

My dagger—she’d swiped one of my daggers. I braced myself for her attack, but she didn’t come for me, and the second I realized what she was about to do, fury exploded within me.

Faye threw herself at Bambi, her arm arced high, dagger poised to sink into the thick back of the familiar. It was iron, deadly to demons, and I didn’t stop to think.

Letting the grace finally rush to the surface, I welcomed the burst of strength as I snapped forward and gripped a handful of Faye’s hair. I tore her away from Bambi and Roth, throwing her to the floor as golden-white flames exploded along my right arm. My hand curled around the heated handle forming against my palm. The weight of the sword was welcoming as fire spit and hissed from the sharp edges of the sword.

“You know what you need to do, Trueborn.” The Crone spoke, her voice carrying high. “It is what you were born for.”

The words landed like a punch. What I was born for. A weapon from birth. I was not the child of my father. I was the Sword of Michael.

I lifted the sword and swung it down, catching Faye at the shoulder. It was like a knife slicing through air. The sword met no resistance, burning through bone and blood before it could even spill into the air. It took seconds.

And Faye was no more.

The grace recoiled, flowing back into me as the flames around the sword flickered and then extinguished. Wisps of smoke and golden, glittery dust danced in the air as the light seeped back into my skin.

I stumbled back, breathing heavily as I stared at my dagger, lying inches from a pile of ruddy brown ash. There was silence. Nothing outside or inside my head. Just vast emptiness in this moment of quiet, and all I felt was...

Anger.

The anger was still there, muted and a little more hollow, but present.

“Thank you,” Roth spoke, shattering the silence. Slowly, I looked at him. “Thank you.”

“It had...it had to be done,” I said, my voice sounding thready.

Amber eyes met mine. “It did.”

“It was unavoidable,” the Crone stated. “We do not choose sides, and Faye’s repeated actions could be perceived as such. While her aid favored you in the past, self-serving deeds cloaked as gifts always turn. There’s always a price to be paid,” she said to Roth. Then to me, she said, “Do you know what she could’ve done with just a quarter’s worth of blood from a Trueborn?”

I shook my head.

“She would’ve been able to overthrow me and acquire another wanted item without earning it. Greed for power is one of the most dangerous things, as volatile as a loss of faith.” The Crone lifted her sharp chin. “You have nothing to fear from the coven. Your identity is safe.”

I nodded my thanks as my gaze flicked back to Faye’s remains. I bent down, picked up my dagger and then sheathed it as I rose, thinking of the Crone’s words about what Faye had led to her coven. Something worse than demons.

“May I ask you a question?” I asked.

The Crone’s eyes were shrewd. “You may ask one.”

Did she mean that literally? I didn’t want to ask in case she did. “Do you know who or what the Harbinger is?”

Those ancient eyes fixed on me and then shifted to Roth. “What did I tell you the last time you were here, Prince? That what you seek is right in front of your own eyes.”

Roth stiffened but did not respond, and I had no idea what that could mean since the Harbinger wasn’t right in front of us. I didn’t get a chance to question her further.

“You both need to leave.” She shuffled around but stopped. She looked over her shoulder, her gaze meeting mine. “I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again, but not with the prince. You will bring me something I have not seen before. A real prize.”

Uh.

I had no words. None whatsoever as I watched one of the witches lead her out of the restaurant. Only Rowena remained, and she was staring at the mess in a way that told me she had just figured out that she was going to have to clean this up. My gaze found its way back to the ash.

“A real prize?” Roth said. “I’m kind of insulted that she doesn’t consider me a real prize.”

“Well, she didn’t consider me one, either, and I’m part angel, so...” I really needed to stop staring at Faye’s ashes. “What did the Crone mean when she answered my question?”

Roth didn’t answer immediately. “I’m not sure. The last time she said that, I thought she was talking about Layla, but then she would’ve been wrong.”

“The Crone is never wrong,” Rowena snapped, and when I looked up, she was carrying a Dyson.

She was going to vacuum up what was left of her coven.

That was...

I had no words.

“I don’t know what she meant,” Roth added. “But I’m sure one day, when it’s too late, it will be glaringly obvious.”

A tap on my shoulder snagged my attention. I turned and swallowed a shriek of surprise.

Bambi’s diamond-shaped head was mere inches from mine. Her ruby-red forked tongue flicked as she opened her mouth.

And smiled at me.





16


I’d lost my damn sunglasses—and they were my favorite pair—somewhere between having a table slide into me and killing a witch. Luckily, the sun was behind thick clouds and, based on the color of the sky, it looked like it would stay that way. My eyes would still ache, but it wouldn’t be as bad.

Dammit.

“I don’t want to go home—I mean, back to Zayne’s place,” I announced, and that was the first thing either of us had said since we left the restaurant, Rowena muttering under her breath as she began to vacuum up what remained of her coven.

When he didn’t answer, I looked at him. Roth’s fingers tapped the steering wheel as he navigated the congested streets of the capital with more patience than I imagined most humans had. Bambi was much smaller now, ensconced on his arm, with half her body hidden by his shirt. Her head was tucked just under his collar, but every couple of minutes I had the strangest sensation that something was staring at me, and when I looked at Roth, Bambi’s head would be visible on his neck.

“She likes you.”

“What?”

“Bambi,” he explained. “She’s trying to keep an eye on you while she’s resting.”

Yet again, I wondered if Roth could read thoughts. He claimed he couldn’t. “I’m...happy to hear that.”

“You should be. Normally she likes to eat people.”

My brows lifted. “Did you hear what I said?”

“You don’t want to go home. Where do you want to go?”

I had no idea. “Surprise me.”

“Do you think that’s wise?”

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You out in the city without Zayne.” At a stoplight, he tipped his head back against the seat. “He thinks you’re back at his place, waiting on his arrival.”

“I don’t need his permission to go anywhere, nor do I need anyone to babysit me.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this. “I can take care of myself. I’m confident you already know that.”

“I do.” He lifted his head off the seat and the car revved as he went through the intersection. “I’m fairly observant. Did you know that? I notice things.”

“That’s what observant means.” I felt my forehead crease. “Hopefully you’re observing my expression right now.”

He chuckled at that. “You don’t see very well, do you?”

My lips parted on a sharp inhale.

Roth slid a brief, knowing glance in my direction. “That’s why you were doing the blindfolded training. That’s why you jerk or flinch when something gets too close to your face.” A pregnant pause. “Why you didn’t see the witch go for your daggers.”