Page 81 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

“No.” My voice cracked with fear. No, with panic.

She tilted her chin up. “No? I’m a wili. I’m not mortal anymore, and Rothbart isn’t an undead. He’s just a sorcerer.”

“But going alone isn’t a good idea.”

She pointed at the fairy earl. “And Lord Morquen will come with me.”

“Excuse me?” Morquen stopped cleaning himself. He sounded outraged.

“You’re a wizard,” Irene said. “You’ll be helpful.”

“I can’t use magic to attack. It’s against my values.” He flushed, and the scent of his blood was quite enticing, even though I was annoyed. “I can only defend myself and others.”

“Excellent.” Irene’s smile was forced. “You’ll defend me.”

The thought of watching her disappear into the dark tunnel with a fairy as her bodyguard made me sick to my stomach.

“I won’t confront him until I find Darius.” Irene peeked inside the tunnel. “But he might want to know that you’re stuck here.”

Cold sweat dampened the back of my neck. For one reason or another, I was useless. First, my fear of touching had almost ruined everything. Now my bloody curse prevented me from following her.

“Please don’t go.” I squeezed her hand.

But I knew that determined expression.

“I won’t put myself in danger or do anything stupid. I promise.” She kissed my cheek and entered the tunnel with the useless wizard.

30

NEMESIS

Irene

Itook a peek into the narrow corridor stretching in front of me, and the sight wasn’t cheerful. My moment of bravado seemed rather foolish now.

“Careful.” Alex held my hand until I crossed the threshold of the entrance and he couldn’t follow me.

His pain was so potent that it reached me as if I could detect his feelings.

Our bond was taut like the rope of a wire walker, and the worry in his gaze almost made me change my mind. But the urge to find Rothbart was stronger than my doubts. I’d always thought I didn’t care about revenge, but a side of me looked forward to confronting him and, yes, killing him.

I waved at Alex, who was leaning against the wall, and went on.

“Lady Irene, are you sure?” Morquen had none of Darius’s cheeky attitude.

“Very sure.”

“Take care of her,” Alex all but growled.

Morquen swallowed hard. “Who’s going to take care of me?”

Just as Graves had told us, the corridor widened after a few yards and gave way to a dimly lit passageway that smelt of rotten vegetables and humidity. The floor was slippery, and now and then squeaks sounded from the dark.

Rothbart lived like the rat he was.

“This place is filthy.” Morquen tiptoed around a dark pool on the ground that could be anything from water to blood.

“Perhaps we should keep quiet. We don’t want to warn Rothbart of our presence.”