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All that’s left to do is make sure Kai is occupied long enough for me to get to the boundary, poke a hole, get outside, and seal it up. If I can’t, he’ll come after me and drag me back here kicking and screaming. There’s no way he’d ever let me go after Finn, but he won’t have much of a choice if my plan goes well.
I’ll wait until he goes to sleep. The hell flame is nearly gone, and he’ll want to rest after the last few days we’ve had. That’ll be the best time for me to hit the road and sneak away into the good night.
Clasping the necklace, I touch the stone laying against the hollow at the base of my throat. My lungs expand, then release as I call upon the bloodstone spike, and it pushes through the caging of metal holding it. I prick my finger on the tip, clenching my teeth as it draws on my power.
This will work.
I’m doing the right thing. I’m sure of it. It’s a win-win situation. The only reason they aren’t considering it is because they know it would have to be me or Kai to go get him while they wait for the Elves. Lucifer won’t risk his son, and his son won’t risk me, but both highly underestimate my lady balls.
Letting the spike slip away, I walk down the center path leading out of the library and head toward the foyer of the castle. Torches spark to life as I walk down the long hall, illuminating the path. My slippers are silent against the stone floors, even as voices flutter through the air. Some of the men are laughing, as if this is the time for it, others are talking business or flirting with the staff.
Reaching the mouth of the hall, I spot the Lords, collecting their ladies and heading off toward the guest rooms. However, it’s two dark-haired men on the far side of the room who draw my eyes. One of which leans against one of the large gargoyle pillars, nearly disappearing beneath the candelabra glow overhead.
Kai and Lucifer.
His father stands tall and proud, pasting on a fake smile as the Lords and village masters pass by. Only to mumble under his breath to his son moments later, but it’s the flickering of his eyes between blue that clues me in on his true emotions. They flip so fast, it’d be hard to see if I weren’t watching intently.
What could have made him so flustered? Did Kai tell him what I saw?
I step closer to the wall, using my magic to push through the room until I can hear all the conversations. I shut my eyes, homing in on the sound of Kai’s voice and plucking out the static of others.
“I’m fully aware of what she did. You don’t need to go into the specifics.” Kai says, his words short and clipped.
“She abused her privilege and invaded not just my privacy, but your mother’s. Did she tell you what she saw or even try to explain why she did so?”
I hold my breath, the seconds feeling like minutes as they tick by.
“No… Just that she was worried we wouldn’t return. She said you stopped her before she saw much of anything.”
Kai lied…He kept my secret. Does that mean he believes there’s a thread of truth to it?
“Seeing as she’syourresponsibility and you’re bound to protect her, I’d make sure she doesn’t try something stupid again. It would be a shame for me to use her as an example, wouldn’t it?”
Bound to protect me? What does that mean?
“You should go, Alice,”Kai says inside my head. Pushing the thoughts on me as if he was whispering in my ear. My heart picks up the pace as my eyes flare open. How did he know?“Go on, little witch. Run on home. If I can hear your heartbeat, so can he.”
The only problem with that is I have to pass them to get to our stairwell… I need to figure out how to teleport. It would make shit so much easier. Straightening my shoulders, I exit the hallway into the foyer, ignoring all the faces that twist to watch me. As I walk past Lucifer and Kai, I do my best to not glance their way, but a hand shoots out, snatching me up by the arm. My heart slams into my ribs as a tinge of fear slices through me.
“Just who I wanted to see.” Lucifer’s eyes dart to Kai as he lets my arm go. “I’ve been thinking, and I might’ve found a loophole to your deal.”
My eyebrows furrow as I glance between them, wondering what the hell he’s talking about. The one my mom made? Kai stares at his father, the tick in his jaw hammering as if Lucifer is threatening his mere existence if he continues.
“You haven’t told her, have you?” the devil says, lips pulling into a wide grin. “How unfortunate. You should think twice before lying to me again, but you were smart to not contest me tonight. For that, I think it’s worth letting the rest go.”
Lucifer about faces and joins another conversation in the foyer, leaving us alone in the space beneath the gargoyle.
“What deal?”
Kai covers his eyes with a hand and when it drops, I see why. They’ve gone dark—the veins stretching outward like wisps of midnight across his cheekbones. “What deal?” I ask, reaching for his hand and stepping closer.
“Not here,” he whispers, cupping the back of my neck and bringing his forehead to rest against mine. In seconds, we’re back in our room, but he doesn’t rush to move. “Please know I had every intention of telling you. I was going to when I came to see you and Luri in the box, but it seemed like the wrong time. You were struggling and I didn’t want to add to it.”
“Tell me what?” I step back, searching his face for clues. “My mom’s deal? A deal you made?”
He holds his palm out, and a scroll appears within it.
“My father gave me this the night we saved Luri.” He hands me the scroll and I unravel it, making quick work or reading the fine print. “She promised your heart to me in exchange for keeping it beating.”
