Page 129 of Hellbound

And then the traveler all but sprinted into the house, leaving a trail of spilled coffee.

Marian exhaled slowly when she realized Vale hadn’t budged. He looked mostly human this morning. The cracks in his face were gone, and his eyes had reverted to their less unsettling state as he surveyed his backyard.

“Her mother’s surgery went well. She’s recuperating in the hospital. Paul will explain the situation to Tori.”

The information came out flat, like he was reading off a list of numbers with no significance. Marian’s eyes widened. She uncrossed her legs and set her coffee on the now-vacant table.

“Will she get to go see her mom?”

“Unlikely.”

Marian blew out a slow breath. “So close and yet so far.”

But there was no venom in her words. Despite his conditions, Marian found a sense of relief had come over her. Happiness for Tori? Bizarre, but true. One of them needed a win.

Somewhere in the aching hollows of Marian’s heart, she found joy. Not for herself, but another. She’d forgotten how good it felt. It filled her with resolve and something like confidence. And from that confidence came something new.

“I have an idea.”

Vale cast her a sidelong look. “Do you now?”

“Let me meet with Verinne. Somewhere less public than a gala. I’ll tell her I’ve got your artifact and that I’m looking for a better deal. I’ll bring Tori to sweeten the pot. Sell her some story about not trusting you anymore. Then I’ll kill Verinne.”

The monster’s gaze remained unreadable as he assessed her.

“That’s not a terrible plan,” he said quietly.

“Because I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were, my leiah.” He huffed softly before turning away. “Make the call.”

Vale had her phone in an unlocked drawer in his office all this time. He’d even charged it. Maybe Marian was an idiot after all. She’d never bothered to look there.

She went outside to call Verinne and silently patted herself on the back at how believably angry she sounded. She spat obscenities about Vale, channeling all that anger into a false story about the demon she was prepared to double-cross. Verinne ate up every word. They set a time and a place, and Marian heaved a tremulous breath after she hung up.

Marian walked back into the house when it was over and found it uncomfortably empty without Paul or Tori around.

But Vale was there, waiting for her in the doorway between the living room and the hall.

“Swim with me,” he said.

Marian frowned at him from the opposite end of the room.

“Is that an invitation or an order?”

“An invitation.”

“OK,” Marian pursed her lips. “No.”

The corner of his mouth quirked subtly. “Now it’s an order.”

Marian scowled at him.

Vale sighed. “A joke.”

“You’re really bad at those.”

“So you’ve told me,” He said with a wan smile. “The exercise would do you good.”