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Movement flashed from the corner of my vision, and I slashed out—
It was my own reflection. Idiot.
I exhaled slowly and sidestepped the glass I’d shattered, following the broad shape of Taj’s back down the mirrored hallway. I checked in with Joseph and Ark again—they brushed my soul with affection and relief.
Okay, we were okay, everything was fine—where was Taj?He was right in front of me a moment ago, but now I couldn’t see him.
"Taj?" I called, flipping my dagger and reaching out with the handle, searching for his back. I met air, empty and cold.
"Taj?"I shouted, my voice climbing a few impressive octaves. "Don’t play games with me, you cruel bastard, come back."
I turned to tell X that Taj was gone, but there was nothing behind me except an empty corridor.
"Dev?" I choked out, looking for my devil out in front of us. "Dev, they’re gone, they’re—"
I knew, even though a part of me was in true and total denial, that Dev was gone, too. Or maybe I was the one who was gone, because panic arrowed into my soul from all directions. Taj was already spiralling out of control.
"Aveline, Aveline…"
Cold drenched me.
I spun with a ragged gasp, throwing the knife in my right hand before I could second guess myself. It was satisfying to watch the knife sink to the hilt in Walsh’s skull. Less satisfying to watch Jacko snort and shove him aside so his body landed away from him.
"Oh great, it’syou,"I sneered. "Still a wannabe following in Christian’s shadow, I see."
Jacko looked exactly as he had when he tortured me in the barn: mean and narrow-faced, his dark hair cropped close to his skull and his clothes all brutal shades of black. The circle of mirrors around us reflected back fifty of him, as if I needed more than one.
"Let me guess, your boss gave you another torture errand?" I drawled, falling back on old sarcastic habits as I tried to figure him out. I had a single knife, and I didn’t know how to get out of here.
"He gave me the honour of killing you," Jacko replied, his voice sharp and thrilled. As cruel as a knife edge.
I snorted.
A tiny furrow formed between his eyes.
"He’s a coward. He can’t kill me himself, andtrust me,he’s tried. So he sent his favourite minion to do the job for him."
"I’m hispartner,"Jacko snarled, taking a step towards me with dark intent written across every feature. "Not hisminion.You’re going to pay for that comment, you pathetic little—"
"Bitch," I said at the same time as him. "Jinx! You know, youminionsare always so predictable."
And on that note, I launched myself at him.
I yanked hard on the demon part of me, relief making my hands shake as the change tore through me. I dropped my head and rammed my sharp horns into Jacko’s stomach, and was rewarded with warm blood splashing my face. Copper filled all my senses.
I was probably naïve for thinking it’d be that easy to kill him. But I was an optimist.
Blood dripped into my eyes, blurring my vision, but I held onto that optimism and rammed my horns into him over and over.
Power rushed through my core with his pain, giving me strength for a split second before it bled out of me. It better have gone to X; if a single drop of my magic went to Eidolon, I'd blast the whole roof off this funhouse when I stole it back. That fucker had taken enough from me.
Jacko began to laugh, which was admittedly not a good sign. I kept ramming him with my horns, earning myself a nasty crick in my neck from the awkward angle.1
"Stop laughing, you creep," I growled, my voice garbled thanks to the blood pouring into my mouth, coating my tongue in a metallic tang.
I wrenched my horns free—with immense difficulty—and staggered upright, stretching the ache from my back.
"Seriously," I muttered when he kept laughing, seemingly unbothered by the gaping holes in his chest and stomach, spilling blood onto his clothes until the worn black shade became true, ink black. "The laughing's weird. Knock it off."
