AllFreeNovel
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Ahead was a mental door. She opened it, walking into a small room decorated in white, the bed covered with a fluffy duvet and thick pillows. The lights were bright. It was okay. No shadows where warlocks could jump out to scare her. Soft music played in the background. Her favorite books were on the shelves. The scent of patchouli candles filled the air. Karen was safe here. If she could just close her eyes to rest. To escape the monster.
Pain broke through the vision. Unwelcome, hard flesh filled her mouth. She retreated to her safe space, crawling beneath the white sheets and bed covering.
Another pang of agony. A heavy body pressed on top of her. He was hurting her. He was… No. She returned to the security of her clean, fresh room, surrounded by peace. Let the evil man do what he wanted to the body which wasn’t hers. It was none of her business anymore. The monster was raping a stranger, a desperate woman. It wasn’t her.
I am hidden. I am safe.
****
“I told you she was pissed, Kole.” Roark snapped to his feet and righted his fallen chair.
Indy was gorgeous even while she was spitting mad. Her hair, though tamed in a braid, whipped back and forth. A shitload of bracelets crashed against one another as she threw out an arm to point at him. For added impact, she stomped an angry, sandaled foot.
Kole smirked when the witch glared his direction. “We were just talking about Roark’s convo with the Arisen Dawn general. Come in. Sit. It seems everybody feels free to bring their complaints to me like I give a shit.”
Roark flopped back into his chair, staring at the weapons mounted to the wall behind Kole. He had asked about them, Bounty explaining it was the commander’s way to honor fallen frerons. On the anniversaries of their deaths, he removed their blades, bows, or spears to clean them. The latest addition to his collection, she said, had belonged to Sig, a rookie demon who died in a skirmish against Arisen Dawn.
“Tell Indigo what you told me, Roark.” The huge-ass demon commander tented his sparking fingers.
“If she’ll listen. The witch stormed out without even hearing my side.” He clasped a hand to his heart. “I’m well and truly hurt.”
“You’re still alive and not bleeding.” She flung herself into the chair beside him, her eyes narrow slits when she twisted in her seat to face him. “I knew you weren’t on our side. I just didn’t want to believe it.”
“But I am on your side.” He cocked his head at an angle.
“Prove it.” She crossed her arms.
“I’m trying to by getting the sword for Team Good. Until then, you must trust me, Indy.”
“Impossible. And don’t call me Indy.” Her narrowed gaze shot daggers into his heart.
“Okay. Give me time to earn your trust. Don’t bail at the first sign of trouble.”
“Remember, I heard you with Cerberus’s pervy general.”
“You did. What should I have said to Lort? Should I have told him I was getting the sword for the Firebrands? Asked him to send a shitload of bad guys after us?”
Indigo’s pupils flipped from side to side as if she were thinking. Maybe he was penetrating her hard head a bit. The angry foot started tapping. When her mouth hardened into a thin line, he realized he needed to keep up the defensive banter.
Roark swiped a weary hand across his jaw. It had been a hectic few days. On a jet from the States to Egypt. A dusty museum. No sleep. Portaling back here to defend himself. “Indy, Lort contacted me five times. I didn’t answer. I didn’t return his calls. I finally talked to him because we don’t need anybody on our asses waiting to snatch the sword from us once we find it. He has to believe I’ll come through for him.”
Scrunched eyebrows spoke for her. He was sure she wanted to zap him with a crotch-rot spell. Instead, she swung toward Kole. “‘When I get it, I’ll bring it directly to you.’ That’s what Roark said on the phone to Lort.”
Kole’s gaze was angled downward as he read some file on his desk. “Hmm.”
“What did you expect me to tell him, Indy?”
She jerked to the edge of her seat, still arguing her case with Kole. “He told Lort the sword had belonged to Alexander.”
Roark waved a hand in the air. “I did, but he can’t do anything with the intel.”
Twisting toward Roark, Indy said, “You told him we were following a new lead.”
“Sure I did, but none of what I said is useful.” He stared at her lips, realizing he’d prefer shutting her up with a kiss. He doubted Indy would appreciate the gesture.
“You told him,” her breath hitched, “I was expendable.”
“Of course I did. Let me ask you, do you think I’m stupid enough to proclaim all this shit and mean it while you’re in earshot?”
