Page 13 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

Rory’s features twinged, and it looked almost like he was fighting himself, letting the silence drag before he finally gave in and asked, “Why?”

“Because of all the possessions I’ve overseen, I’ve never witnessed a vessel where their resolve had all but disappeared. Why aren’t you fighting back?”

Rory worked his stubbled jaw before tipping his gaze up toward the shadows of the arched ceiling. It almost looked as if he were searching for something within them. He remained decidedly quiet.

“Tell me about yourself,” I asked him instead. I’d had little luck making any progress with Vain, but if there was a chance that I could with Rory, I had to at least try. Because he was finally talking. And I thought that had to count for something.

He sighed and met my gaze. “What do you want to know?” His words, while bitter, had me feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks.

I was suddenly at a loss. Of all the questions I wanted to ask him, none of my current options were great conversation openers. So as impersonal as it felt, I stuck with the basics to start.

“How old are you?”

Rory was slow to answer. “Twenty-eight.”

“And where are you from?” I swore he almost rolled his eyes at me.

“New York.”

“Do you have family there? Friends?”

His eyes turned to slits. “Do you mean if I have anyone who misses me?”

I nodded.

“No. Not anymore.” His voice was thick and heavy with emotion, and I caught the movement of his Adam’s apple as it bobbed in his throat. A shadow passed over his stormy gaze as he turned away from me.

No, don’t shut down on me. Don’t—

He’d just started to open up the smallest bit, and it felt as if he’d wanted to. But I’d pressed too hard.

“Whatever you have in mind for him today, don’t be afraid to get a little rough,” he said. “I can take it.”

“Rory—”

But the unforgiving black had already seeped to the edges of his eyes. Vain stood slowly, the demon’s attention locked sharply on me. I pushed myself up and took a tentative step back to create some distance between us.

“You look exceptionally tempting today, mellilla.”

It was always a challenge attempting to mask my displeasure at Vain’s arrival.

“I do commend your efforts with him,” the demon continued. “I know how hesitant he is to be vulnerable with others.”

“Are you planning on dodging my questions again today?” I asked, circling the pentagram.

Vain tilted its head to one side while he tracked me. “Darling, you know that depends entirely on what you ask of me.”

My closeness to the wards made my teeth buzz. Even clenching my jaw tight didn’t help soothe the discomfort of the magic.

“There was an attack yesterday,” I started. The details were still a little fuzzy, but I relayed to Vain what I’d overheard Lena discussing earlier with one of D.A.R.C.’s priests. “It was a small horde, but still enough demons to overrun the Vittori Coven. All of the witches there were slaughtered.”

The demon tossed me an uninterested glance. “Pity.”

“Tell me something!” I shouted. “I know you have some information. I want names. Locations. Which greater demon do you serve?” I knew I was begging for scraps, but I would take anything at this point. Lena’s growing impatience at my lack of results wasn’t gaining me any favors with her either. Not to mention that my own frustrations festered more and more every day that I was forced to watch Rory’s resolve wither away to almost nothing under Vain’s control.

“As I’ve already told you, I don’t meddle in the legion’s affairs, and I serve no one but myself. There’s nothing I can offer you.”

“Bullshit! Our hunters found you locked in the middle of a pentagram deep in infested territory. Someone left you there like an offering, and I’d hedge my bets that you pissed them off.” I ground my teeth together, blowing a hot exhale through my nose. “So, lie to me again. I dare you.”

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