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“What if I promise that I learned my lesson? Release me and I’ll never bother you again.”
It wasn’t a lie. Ryshi had not only grown sloppy in his searches, but he’d conceitedly assumed that nothing and no one could ever capture him. He intended to be more careful in the future.
“Complete this task and we’ll talk.”
Not exactly a promise. But better than nothing.
“What do you want from the labyrinth?” Ryshi asked.
“A miniature gargoyle has been taken to the homeland of the minotaurs. I need him back.”
Ryshi’s mocking smile faded. This was a trick. It had to be. “A miniature gargoyle?”
Styx looked oddly uncomfortable. “It’s a long, tedious story.”
“I’ve got the time.”
“I don’t.”
Hmm. Ryshi had heard vague rumors of a small gargoyle who’d supposedly saved the world from some mysterious evil, but he’d dismissed them as fairy tales. It seemed too weird to be real.
“Let me see if I have this straight. You want me to navigate the labyrinth, track down a miniature gargoyle that I presume has become lost in the maze, and return it to Chicago?”
“Correct.”
Ryshi folded his arms over his chest. “Any other miracles while I’m out and about? Capturing a unicorn? Digging up a leprechaun?”
“Nope.” Styx shook his head. “Just the gargoyle.”
Ryshi swallowed the demand to know what the hell was going on. Did it matter? Not to him. He had no intention of entering the labyrinth. Not when he could create an elaborate ceremony that would convince the leeches he was headed into the maze. Once he was through a portal he would disappear. As long as he was careful not to be seen, the vampires would presume he was lost among the minotaurs along with the gargoyle.
A perfect solution to his current problem.
“Got it.” He waved a slender hand. “Step aside and I’ll begin preparing for my journey.”
“Not without a chaperone.”
Ryshi froze. “You didn’t say anything about a chaperone.”
The vampire made a sound of disgust. “You didn’t think I would actually trust you to do what I asked without having someone keep an eye on you?”
“Why Styx, I’m wounded.”
The massive sword was once again pressed against Ryshi’s heart. “You will be if I so much as suspect you’re attempting to flee before you’ve done as I asked.”
Ryshi did his best to disguise his annoyance. A companion was an unexpected bother, but it didn’t change his plans.
“So who’s my…oh.” Ryshi’s heart lurched as he caught the icy scent that had haunted him for the past decade. “Sweet Sofie. Why didn’t you say that in the beginning? I have no objections to spending oodles of time with that particular leech.”
For once, he wasn’t lying. The beautiful female had fascinated him from the moment he’d caught sight of her. It didn’t matter that she’d been hunting him. Or that he’d spent the past ten years stuck in this cell because of her. His jinn nature was obsessed with the rare and unique. He had a lair filled with his collection of extraordinary objects. The fact that Sofie was also a lethal predator only added to his tingles of anticipation.
In contrast, Sofie appeared less than enthusiastic as she stepped into the cell and glared at him with her ice-blue eyes.
“Please stop talking,” she muttered.
Ryshi offered a deep bow, allowing his gaze to sweep over her slender curves revealed by the jeans and her soft pink sweater.
“Your wish is my command. I have far more pleasurable ways to communicate—argh.”
