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The fact that Santino had taken it upon himself to help her recognize what was a test had me extremely pleased.
Aside from my cock hardening, forcing me to take refuge behind a tall shelf long enough to resituate, I found the burning emotion finally simmering down into something that was much more controllable. I blew out a soft breath and pulled back into the aisle once the bulge in my pants trimmed down.
Calianna jolted back against the book rack with a gasp.
I immediately went still, allowing her to pull back from me. Her heart was pounding in her chest to the point where it was echoing in my ears. Gritting my teeth until my jaw throbbed in agony, I locked gazes with her. “Suicide is a sin, little sister. Even for our kind. Would you really condemn your own soul just to escape the life chosen for you at birth?”
Silence flooded the room as she peered back at me, struggling to keep those tears from falling down her cheeks. She finally lifted her chin again and murmured, “I’ll die before I accept that life for myself, Asher. If my actions condemn my soul, then so be it. I’ll be bound for Tartarus either way.”
Well, that certainly wasn’t the answer that I had expected. No demon in their right mind that had been born on this side of the barrier ever willingly tainted their soul. Pressing my lips together, I studied Calianna while she struggled to keep herself from averting her eyes. It was admirable that she was taking such a strong stand for what she believed in.
Damn everything else, it seemed.
I pulled back slightly and mused over her bold admission. Allowing her to take matters in her own hands that way would simply drag me down with her. If this was how she wanted to play games, then so be it. I jammed my hands into my jacket pockets and narrowed my eyes. “I suppose you’ve forced my hand, little sister.”
She paled, pressing her back against the books as much as she could without completely merging with them. “W-What are you going to do?” Her eyes widened when I responded with a nonchalant shrug.
“If you want to condemn yourself in such a manner, who am I to stop you?” My tone was even, not an ounce of rage leaking from the words.
Calianna seemed even more horrified that I no longer seemed to give a damn compared to the conversation we’d carried on the phone. She had spent a full ten minutes trying to convince me just to meet her here — to hear her out without interruption by our father or my demon lords. My initial reaction had been exactly the type she’d expected. This one left her ready to crumble. “A-Are you serious, Asher?” Her words were nothing more than a faint rasp.
I cocked my head to the side. “I doubt you would allow me to bring you back to Father without attempting to follow through with your promise…so then I’ll leave the matter be. Go. Run. Disappear into the shadows.”
Her fair lips parted. It seemed to take her several long minutes to be able to convince her body to work in sync with her scattered thoughts. She brought a hand up against her chest, almost as if she was trying to use her own frantic heartbeat to bring herself back to her surreal reality. “You know what Father will do if he finds out that you let me go. Why would you risk the empire for me?”
A quiet chuckle escaped my lips. “I’m not letting you go without a few conditions, Li. If you want the chance to start a new life, you’ll have to take care of a few things first to ensure this bold move of yours doesn’t take me down with you.”
Calianna’s amber eyebrows furrowed. “Things…like what?”
“You’re going to have to fake your death to keep him off both our backs.” My lips twitched and I didn’t fight the urge to keep the smirk off my face. Turning on my heel, I started pacing through the aisles. It didn’t matter where I went within the small bookstore, I could feel Calianna moving just to keep me in her sight. “You aren’t against the idea of lifting a body from the local morgue, are you?”
“M-Morgue?”
The gulp was so audible that I almost completely lost it. The cackle wedged in my throat and I was forced to seal my lips shut until the overwhelming desire finally died. I nodded slowly, keeping my hands in my pocket. The necklaces were burning a hole against my chest, reminding me of the true end game here.
A quick glance in my little sister’s direction revealed that she’d averted her eyes. Hell, she’d even wrapped her arms around herself for a little self comfort. “If that’s what must be done to earn my own life…” she whispered.
“Good.” I altered my course and drifted right back toward her. “A little bird did this quite recently and the method seems to work very well. Hot wire a car and drive the body to a public location, Li. Set the whole damn thing ablaze. The more witnesses you have, the better your chances are to convince Father you’re gone.”
Calianna studied me, a weary energy lurking in her aura. “What about you? Won’t Father take it out on you for my death?” She shook her head and shifted her attention toward the books surrounding us. “He won’t believe that body is me.”
“No,” I agreed. “That is why you need this.”
Her blue eyes snapped back toward me as I reached into my suit pocket and produced the small necklace Archer had given me. She immediately honed in on the lion coiled around a young cub. “Where did you find this, big brother?”
The most I could offer her was a one shouldered shrug. “Perhaps I was feeling a little nosy before I left for the States.”
My sister’s eyebrows furrowed again.
“It would seem that you’re not the only one that pondered suicide.” I held it out toward her. “This was Mother’s. I think it’s time it was passed on to you. Leave it behind on the body. The crime scene techs will recognize it and they’ll alert Father. You’ll finally achieve your freedom and not a damn bit of it will come down on me.”
Surprise leaked into my veins when Calianna hesitated. There was a part of her that was completely consumed by the hopeful symbol the necklace held. It would be enough to survive the fire and give her the out she desperately needed. Yet, there was a small piece that wasn’t sure how much I could be trusted. So those hands remained close to her body, yet to take the simple piece of jewelry dangling from my fingers.
“I also came across a duplicate…which leads me to believe that suicide wasn’t Mother’s original intention.” I retrieved the second necklace, waiting until her gaze shifted back into my direction before I held it up. “One to keep with her for when she ran…with the other to leave behind as proof of who the body belonged to.”
Her lips parted slightly.
I arched an eyebrow at her. “This is how it’ll go down if you want that freedom, Calianna. I refuse to leave loose ends that can be traced back to me. Father will not accept that scorched body as yours unless there’s something on it that is from our family.”
