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“I need your skillset to lure him out,” he continues. “Then, I can kill him, once and for all, and I’ll be able to protect the woods from his tyranny forever.”
“While that sounds like a rousing little speech that might make Robin Hood proud, I’m not Robin Hood,” I respond. “Sorry,” I continue, holding my hands up in surrender just like Derith did earlier. “I’m already under contract and that means I’m spoken for.”
“You’re spoken for?”
I nod and keep on nodding to make sure my response sinks into his thick skull. “I’m on a job now, and I need to finish that job.”
“It can wait.”
I glare at him. “No, it can’t wait! I take my contracts very seriously, and I won’t welch on a promise.”
“But your job is to kill monsters, yes?”
I nod.
“Then, all I’m asking is for you to do your job,” he says, his eyes alight with hope and something close to amusement, maybe even excitement.
“Explain.”
“Where do you suppose all these monsters who have been infecting the forest come from?” He doesn’t give me a chance to respond. “My brother sends them up from the Shadow Dark.”
“Why?”
He shrugs like the answer is obvious. “To try to kill me, though they never succeed. And that means they just end up roaming the forest until you find them.”
He looks at me, and the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. They’re the same monsters I’ve been hunting. “Go on.”
He nods. “If we rid this forest of all Balor’s monsters, he’ll have no choice but to come to the surface himself, in order to take care of the job for good.”
“Hmm.”
“So, if you help me end Balor, you’re ultimately helping yourself.”
And I get to kill the murderer of my entire family to boot. His offer is looking better by the second. I remain quiet for another few seconds as I try to weigh the cons. But, really, as far as I can see: there aren’t any. “I’ll help you on one condition,” I say.
“Name it.”
“Balor took my family from me ten years ago and I vowed to myself that I would find him, and I would kill him. When this is over; he’s mine.”
Derith smiles at me again. “You know you’ve got a better chance at getting to him with my help.”
“I don’t know that.”
“Take my word for it then,” he chuckles.
I huff to myself for a moment, but I can see the truth in his statement, even if it irritates me. “Fine,” I say. “You can help. But Balor’s death will be on my hands.”
“I just want to see my brother dead and buried for good,” Derith answers with a quick nod. “However that’s accomplished, I don’t care.” He pauses a moment and raises an eyebrow at me. “Then… we have a deal?”
I swallow hard. “We have a deal.”
Chapter Nine
As soon as I agree to help him, Derith insists we return to Castle Baravia.
“Are all vampires so high maintenance?” I ask on our walk back to the castle grounds.
He shoots me an amused expression. “You’re human and need rest, or have you forgotten?”
