Page 122 of Amber Gambler

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.” He flipped into a landing in front of me. “Let’s catch up.”

Ankou was stuck in Abaddon. Kierce told me that. He could only reach me through dreams.

That meant…somehow…this was happening in my head and not in reality.

“Don’t overthink it.” He patted the stone table. “You’ll give yourself a headache.”

“You killed those girls.” With or without their blood on his hands, I had no doubt whatsoever he was the driving force behind their deaths. “What was in it for you?”

“You.”He made it sound obvious. “I couldn’t risk Audrey outing me.”

The weight of those deaths piled on me until my chest threatened to collapse.

“You intercepted Little’s prayers.”

“Thatiskind of my job.” He spread his hands. “Little was jealous of Audrey for stealing Farah’s attention and afraid that after Audrey claimed Farah’s former position with Ian that Farah could no longer protect her.” He shrugged. “She wanted Audrey dead, and so did I.” He dusted his palms. “It was a win/win.”

Except Lyle, who was supposed to kill me, was the one who ended up dead.

“That’s why Lyle kidnapped Audrey and stuffed her in his safe room instead of outright killing her.” I had a hard time making Armie’s familiar words fit the voice coming out of her mouth, but I was too nervous to glance away. “You had already struck your bargain.” I braced my shoulders against the wall. “Did Little know that you would force her to kill Farah?”

“There’s always a cost.” He kicked her stubby legs. “That was mine.”

Her agony over that hidden price would have fed him well and snuffed any spark of humanity left in her.

Which, now that I thought about it, might explain why he had instructed Little to drown her victims.

The final betrayal of an element that should have embraced them but instead smothered them to death.

Ankou could have feasted on each kill for days.

“I thought she was human.” I tried to see past the baby fat to the monster within. “Everyone did.”

“She always wanted to be more.” He bent his fingers, which twisted at odd angles. “Now she is.”

Ankou had heard her prayers and answered them in the worst way possible. I reminded myself Little had accepted his terms, but it didn’t help. She was clever. She might have street smarts, but she was still just a kid. Pair that lack of impulse control with a hard-won survival instinct and you got a recipe for disaster.

The pact that should have saved her had damned her when Ankou turned her on the person she loved most.

“Human bodies don’t bend like that.” I pinned down my sense of unease. “Is she dead?”

Unless he healed the damage he had inflicted on her body, bending and twisting her bones and sinew in ways it was never meant for, she would be nothing more than a broken toy he would toss aside when he was done.

“Not yet.” He gestured toward the ceiling to where an unconscious Audrey hung suspended by rusting chains. A facsimile of her anyway. “She’ll get her wish granted first. There are rules. I can’t break those or else.” He dragged a thumb across his throat then laughed. “I’m already in deep shit with Him,which isn’t your fault, by the way. I know how you love to hoard guilt like a dragon hoards gold, but this was on me.”

No matter how much trouble he was in, it wasn’t enough for me. He could be dead—truly dead—and I would still crave more. Which reminded me. “You hurt Badb.”

Him. Little. I wasn’t sure you could draw a dividing line between the two anymore.

“I didnotexpect Harrow kidnapping your brother on my bingo card.” He mimed an explosion beside his head. “It blew my mind how someone can know you so well and yet not at all. He’s never getting back in your pants now.”

“The crow,” I prompted, guiding the conversation away from a topic that made me want to smash skulls.

“I went to investigate after I saw Harrow carry Matty to his car. The crow was there, making my life difficult as usual, and she started attacking me. Also as usual. She’s not a big fan of mine. Hates me, really. Probably dreams about pecking out my eyeballs.”

“You almost killed her.”

“Turns out Little is ornithophobic. Fucking terrified of birds. Who knew? She went apeshit on Badb.”

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