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ChapterFive
Vori’s breath whooshed out, and she bounced on the seat.Perry had pushed her off his lap so fast she hadn’t braced.Not that the shove onto the cushioned leather had hurt.No more than her pride.He’d wanted the beauty but had been disgusted by the beast.
No one knew the value of skin-deep pretty more than a supermodel, but his rejection—again—stung.She’d saved him from a kill squad, and for what?
He rubbed his palms against his filthy pants as if he’d touched something contagious.“I won’t do it.”
“Do what?”She dressed, sliding her jacket on last like strapping on armor.“You’ll have to clarify what you mean.You toss around ‘it’ to mean so much.Including people.”
He moved farther from her.“You must be joking.A goblin?It’s…”
“There’s that word again.”It.As if she needed reminding of her other self.
Alys cut him aserves-you-right-stupidlook.“I told you she doesn’t like that pronoun.”
“We should’ve left him in that cell.”Alexei cranked the Hummer and headed for the highway.“Any cleanup needed on the van you went after?”
“No.”The last thing Vori wanted was more connections between this Senate jailbreak and her cousins who loved and accepted her—goblin or not.Dread soured her stomach every time she thought of traveling to Kradnovtl without them, but that was her world.Not theirs.“I took care of it.”
“You killed those people.”Perry launched the accusation at her with a how-could-you finality.
“No.”The nerve of the attempted murderer.“As if you have room to judge.Knocking out hired guns from the Senate sent to kill you isn’t the same as blasting a helicopter of Legacy heirs out of the sky.”
“Those guards were actually coming to execute me?”From the numbness underlying Perry’s voice, he either couldn’t believe the Senate might want him dead or he’d been waiting for the day.
“Yeah.With real grenades and guns.Not the nonlethals I carried—”
Alys interrupted.“Did any of them see you before going nighty-night, cuz?”
“Of course not.”Vori kept that side of herself hidden.If only Alexei hadn’t flashed the headlights, she would’ve had more time to prepare Perry.Though given the way he pressed his hand to his stomach, extra time wouldn’t have made a difference.
He stared out the window into the darkness.“I can’t have any relationship with you.Not even a pretend one.”
“You agreed to talk about our temporary arrangement.”She managed to keep her voice steady, reasonable.
“Before I knew what you were.”He sounded as if she was worse than the mother of all demons.The one he’d agreed to join because of his powers-and-politics ambitions.
Her blood pressure skyrocketed.“WhoI am.NotwhatI am.”So much for keeping calm.
“Should’ve left him to rot,” Alexei said.“We can pull over, toss him out.He’ll never survive the exposure out here.”
“He’ll die.”Vori couldn’t have that on her conscience.Not in this realm anyway.“Or the Senate-sanctioned killers will find him.”
Her cousin lifted a massive shoulder.“One less witch.”
Electricity danced across Perry’s hand.
“What did I say earlier about controlling your magic?”She was a goblin, not a snake shifter, but if she had been, her question would’ve come out on a hiss.And she would’ve bitten his too-critical witch ass.Risking electrocution would’ve been worth it.“We’re not getting stuck out here because you fried the Hummer.”
“I’m trying.”
“Try harder.”
“Not helping.”Frustration, anger, maybe worry—feelings crackled off him as tangible as the actual voltage.
She pinched the bridge of her nose.Her shadow magic had been a faerie gift, but it’d taken her years to control it.He was still a powers rookie.“Do emotions trigger your magic?”It did for some.
“I don’t know what to think or feel,” he said.The white flared brighter.“One minute I’m in the Senate prison, the next you set me free.I’m shocked, drugged, and locked up.Again.Then you’re there.Again.You’re a…a…”
