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Somehow, the words came out crisp and clear, even though I was shaking like a leaf inside. But I wasn’t sure it made any sense. For all I knew, I could be babbling nonsense. Trying to explain that your stepmother was an immortal spirit who’d raised and groomed you to be her next body and that you were trying to stop her once and for all was hard enough, without having to do it in front of a powerful dragon who also happened to own half the city.
I didn’t even know if he had the sword I needed or if he even knew which weapon I spoke of. For all I knew, he could have hundreds of magical swords in his hoard.
Desmon took it all in stride. “Fascinating. I know of these spirits, but they keep to themselves and are hard to detect once they are melded with their host. I know of someone who’d pay a small fortune to have one in her possession.” A calculating look crossed the dragon’s face. “And you plan on capturing such a spirit?”
“Yes. So it can no longer bother me or anyone else.”
“That is ambitious.” Desmon eyed me a little differently than before.
“I have help. Eamon is protecting me, and two other witches have been helping me.”
“Ah, yes. I sense another layer of magic on top of your own.” He nodded approvingly.
That must be from Sybil’s charm.
“We will make a deal,” he said after a short consideration. “I will lend you the sword to capture this soul on the condition that when you capture it, you will hand it over to me.”
Which meant that one, he had the sword, and two, he knew which one it was. We were in business. I wanted to agree right away, but I instead asked, “How long do I have? What if I cannot capture it as planned?”
“I am patient.”
Of course, he was. Dragons lived for a long time. Many species of monsters outlived humans by decades, often centuries. Eamon was probably centuries old. I wondered how he’d react if I called him Granddaddy later.
“But I doubt you will have to wait long. You are in your prime, and surely Amrita will want to take advantage of your youth. And should you fail, you will no longer be yourself.”
Great. “Thanks for the grim reminder,” I muttered under my breath.
The corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly, entertained. It was the first time he’d shown any emotion during our short meeting. At least I knew now he had emotions. That was a good sign, right? He had married a human. Brave woman. Carly looked like just another girl.
“If you fail, I will retrieve your body, with the spirit inside, as payment.”
Did I hear that correctly? “Wait.” I held up a hand. “Are you saying that if I fail and Amrita takes over my body, you will hunt us down and lock us up?” That meant Mother would lose no matter what.
“That’s the idea, yes. I assume you don’t want to get anyone else involved.”
“Deal!” I held my hand out at the amused dragon. “But keep it between us. The fewer people who know about this, the better.” Especially since that scenario relied on Mother not realizing until was too late.
“Naturally.” He gave my hand a firm shake, sealing the deal.
I planned on succeeding in my mission, but the thought of Mother’s face when she realized she had a fire-breathing dragon on her ass was enough to console me should I fail. I’d be throwing it in her face every chance I got for the rest of our life together. I wouldn’t be trapped with her; she’d be trapped with me.
With Desmon leading the way, we left his office and headed down the hall to the drawing room where Eamon waited. The dragon didn’t seem so scary now that the deal was made, and it almost felt as if I were walking back with a friend. Well, not quite, but we had an understanding now.
“Eamon.” Desmon nodded at my demon as he stepped into the tastefully decorated room filled with ancient artifacts. “How are things over at Redrock?”
Eamon stood from the armchair and walked over. “Good. Quiet, but good. Gunnar’s stuck with a particularly spoiled senator today.”
Desmon made a face. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the type.” He guided me in front of him, and I walked the rest of the way to a relieved-looking Eamon. “Carly needs some new clothes for our upcoming trip. I’ll send the sword over when she goes to visit Shelby.”
“That’s perfect,” I said. “More discreet too. Thank you.”
“Of course. The element of surprise is often underutilized.”
“That’s it?” Eamon asked. “She asks you for the weapon, and you lend it to her? What am I missing here?”
Desmon looked at me, letting me choose how much I shared.
“We made a deal. The use of the weapon in exchange for Amrita when I catch her.” I left out the what-ifs. Technically, Desmon got the spirit either way, whether I succeeded or not.
