Page 83 of Guarded By the Nightmare

Braden.

“It is interesting,” I said, pulling the chain again, and resetting the contraption. Once it was sealed away, I couldn’t feel it anymore.

That . . . was promising.

He made it to the first landing, and then kept striding down. “We knew you’d come here.”

“Yet you appear defenseless.”

“Not entirely,” he said, putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “The fact that I’m still alive means you want something from me.”

And that, I could not deny.

“My father’s a businessman,” he said, tapping his head. “So I get my business-sense from him. What do you want? Let’s make a deal.”

I made a gesture at the hidden pit. “How much of this magic do you really understand? Not much, I’d wager,” I said, swirling around. “These carved grooves were meant to channel energy. You fed it with cum—but it hungers for blood.”

It didn’t, actually—the grooves on the ground were as made up as the rest of the carvings, with the pseudo-Egyptian aesthetic, that their forefather had brought over.

The only magic present in the room was inside the pit—and on their chests.

“What if I told you, I could replace your dwindling power?” I asked him. “For a price?”

“I would ask you what it is.”

“Mina Moore’s life. None of your men ever touch her again.”

Braden made a snorting sound. “Done. We’ve been trying to ignore her?—”

“And the life of your last friend from your crew,” I said. “The one who is not here.” I gestured at the symbol on the ground. “What was his name?”

“Trent,” the man said slowly, and I gave him a deep nod.

“If you kill him, and feed this sigil his blood, my power is yours.” I didn’t need his blood—but my Mina did. Particularly if I was going to disappoint her by leaving this final boy with breath.

“What do you get out of this?” he asked, squinting at me.

I decided to tell him the truth. “I’m fated to kill her. I would rather not. I believe your pit here can contain me. Once I am inside of it, to protect her, I will never come out again.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

“Would we still be talking if it wasn’t true? I believe by now you know what I’m capable of.”

I watched him weighing his options. “And . . . just Trent?”

“Yes,” I said, and he heaved a sigh.

“I’ll go get him. Everyone else is waiting up top. Expecting me to clean up this mess,” he said, raking a hand through his hair. “Stay here,” he said.

“Hurry. I hunger,” I said—and it wasn’t entirely a lie.

63

MINA

“Okay,so I know where he’s gone,” I said, gathering myself up quickly. “I’m going to need help.”

Royce waved his hands in an apologetic fashion. “I promised to watch over you. That doesn’t mean I’m going to help you commit homicide.”

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