Fuck.
“Miss Avery, wait. Please. I’m sorry—again. Just… just let me explain.”
She pops her hands on her hips, bare foot tapping the floor, eyes narrowed like she’s about to roast me with a glare. “Talk fast, gargoyle. You’ve got thirty seconds to convince me you’re not acompletetool whose sole M.O. is hurting everyone who comes into your orbit.”
“I just mean that Jude is… He’s volatile.Extremelyvolatile. And he’s fiercely loyal to those he cares about—especially to you. That combination makes him downright dangerous.”
“No, that combination makes him someone I’m downright grateful to have in my corner. Aren’t you?”
“Of course. It’s just… He had a hard enough time making rational decisions and showing restraint before you came into our lives. Now? You’re all he bloody talks about.”
“Really?” She blushes again and flashes an unexpected smile, looking like a damn teenager with her first crush. “Like, what kinds of stuff does he say?”
“All manner of things that continue to convince me he’s completely lost the ability to think clearly.”
“You’re something else, aren’t you?” Her smile vanishes. “Don’t you see how much he respects you? Looks up to you? Goddess, they all do. I’ve only been around you guys for a hot minute, but it’s so obvious to me that the gargoyles would do anything for you.”
“As would I, for them.”
“Then how can you stand here criticizing Jude? Talking about him like he’s an annoying, misbehaving kid who—”
“Jude is my brother in every way that matters, Miss Avery,” I counter, my voice rising. “We have stood by each other for nearly a hundred times longer than you’ve even been alive.Neverquestion my gratitude for him.”
The little mortal is smart enough to wipe that condescending look off her face. In a slightly more contrite tone, she says, “If that’s how you feel, then why are you lecturing me about how volatile he is?”
“Because that’s just a part of who he is—a part you need to be aware of. And while his loyalty is commendable—and much appreciated, believe me—it also means he has a tendency to overreact and under-think. When it comes to eliminating threats against those he loves, Jude’s rash behavior and consistently bad calls have put our organization in hot water with the human feds more times than I can count, and—”
“Oh, yourorganization,” she says, making air quotes around the word. “Right. I keep forgetting what the priorities are here. For a split second there, I thought we were all about breaking the curse and taking down our mutual enemies. My bad! Phew! Thank the Morrigan you’re here to keep me on task!”
“Thosearethe priorities, Miss Avery, but I can’t focus on them if I’m stuck doing damage control after Jude’s gone off on another bender.”
“That’s what you’re calling it? A bender? He’s planning to take down a pack of dark mages who terrorized me when we were kids, spent their adult years committing felonies and hurting who knows how many other women, have connections to the same society that planned to bind me to a demon, and you think that’s abender?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, Draegan. I really don’t. Because as far as I can tell, he’s just trying to follow through on the promises you made. Promises you haven’t done a damn thing to—”
“What promises?”
“To keep me safe. To rid the world of the Forsythes and all the vile mages in their employ in exchange for my help stealing and translating the Cerridwen Codex. That was the deal, remember? So far, I’ve kept up my end of the bargain. Can you say the same?”
The fact that she’d ever question me on my word has my wings rippling with indignation.
I step out from behind the counter, crowding into her space, forcing her to tip her head back to meet my furious gaze.
In a dark voice, I say softly, “You think I’m reneging on our deal, little mortal?”
“I… I don’t know. Are you?”
“You think I haven’t been working tirelessly every waking hour—on top of all my other responsibilities—to ensure no harm comes to you? To build an airtight plan of attack against the Forsythes, against Zorakkov, against your parents, against every single attendee at that sham of a wedding?”
She lowers her chin and drops her gaze, but I’m not letting her off the hook so easily.
Gripping her jaw, I tilt her face up once more and lower my mouth to her ear, careful to enunciate every word. “Donotquestion my ability to do what needs to be done to ensure your longevity, little mortal. Promises are not a thing I make lightly. Not to my men. And most certainly not to you. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.”
