Page 24 of Of Nine So Bold

He nodded. “Truce, then? I would much rather have you as an ally than an enemy.”

The demon grumbled something contemptuous about the vampire needing that because we were stronger.

“And,” Casimir continued, “I’m sure Gwyneira would prefer that as well.”

The demon stilled. It hadn’t thought about that part.

“I agree.” I cleared my throat, trying to keep the demon from fucking this up. “And I wanted to say, if there’s a way I can help with what the demon did to you…”

Casimir chuckled, very little humor in the sound. “Yes, that is rather frustrating.”

I fought back a wince.

“Would you happen to know how to reverse whatever it did?”

The wince won. “No.”

“I see.”

I cursed internally, while the demon just gloated and muttered something about not wanting to help vampire-angel things anyway.

Which wasn’t fucking useful. We weren’t going to win anyone’s trust this way, not long term. It’d always be there, the fact we’d done somethingto Casimir to damage his vampire powers.

The fact that, by extension, we could do it to Gwyneira too.

The demon froze. Itdefinitelyhadn’t considered that, and though it didn’t say a word, I could still interpret with crystalline clarity what it was thinking now.

Oh shit, oh shit, ohshit…

“But I’m willing to help if I can,” I said to Casimir. “Maybe if we ask Byron, then between all of us…” I glared at the demon internally, but the creature didn’t argue. It was too busy panicking about how its mate had yet another reason to push it away.

I took a breath, silently ordering the demon to calm the fuck down. “Perhaps we could fix this.”

“I would appreciate that,” Casimir replied.

I nodded tightly and glanced around, searching for the scholar.

My eyes found Gwyneira first, and I faltered at the smile she was giving me.

Gods, it warmed me like she’d filled my chest with the sun.

Still grinning, she turned toward where the others were getting their bedding ready for the night. “Byron?”

At the sound of her voice, he paused in straightening his blanket. I didn’t have to be a scholar to read the tension that shot through him, nor to interpret the carefully controlled expression on his face when he turned. I’d likely looked the same as him for weeks—albeit while also behaving like more of an asshole than Byron would ever be. I hadnoillusions about that part.

But it was clear the man was trying to keep her from affecting him. And fuck if it wasn’talsoclear he was failing miserably.

I suppressed a wry sound. No matter what we did, it never mattered in the end. All of us could sooner resist gravity than fight our pull to Gwyneira.

Byron rose to his feet. When the princess nodded toward us, he walked over with a hint of relief that was probably owed to the fact she hadn’t wanted him to come closer to her.

But I didn’t comment on it. I wasn’tthatmuch of an asshole. “We’d like your help.”

“With what?”

“Whatever the demon did to him.” I nodded at Casimir.

Byron’s head tilted back, considering. “I see.” An odd sort of consternation crossed his face.

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