Page 41 of Death Deals

I closed the distance between us and crouched in front of him.

“Jade…” Ricky warned from behind me.

Eyeing me suspiciously, Cornelius said nothing. Being this close to him, the blue veins under his skin were visible, and he reminded me more of a walking corpse than a living person.

“Here’s the deal,Angel,” I started, my voice firm. “I’ll let you out of here on one condition.”

His eyes widened.

Ricky gasped. “No, Jade!”

I ignored him.

“What is it?” Cornelius asked quickly.

“My friend here is out of the Knights. Forever. You and the other Omaris are to leave him and his family alone for the rest of eternity. Do you understand?”

His gaze flicked Ricky’s way. “That’s it?” he asked, a bit shocked by how easy my proposal sounded. “The scrub is already forgotten.”

“Good.” I called to my light, and when it flared to life across my fingers, I held it against the metal shackles binding his wrists. There was a spark of flame before the pieces snapped apart. He didn’t fight me, even when I followed the same procedure on the chains on his legs.

When he was fully free, I stepped back. Since I’d only used a small amount of my power, the sharp ache in my head was manageable this time. Good thing, too. I needed to be on my toes if Cornelius tried anything funny.

Slowly, he rose, his entire body trembling like it weighed more than he could carry. He was barely strong enough to move, let alone fight.

“I’m afraid that’s all I can do for you at the moment,” I told him.

He dipped his head in thanks before turning and disappearing into the darkness shrouding the rest of the basement. A minute later, the sound of a metal door opening echoed and the sudden rush of cold air told me he’d found an alternate exit.

“I can’t believe you let him go,” Ricky said, his voice high with panic. “He’s going to go straight to the Omaris and tell them everything.”

“I’m counting on it actually.”

He stared at me like I was a crazy person. “And what if they retaliate?”

A plan formed the more I thought about it. An off-the-wall one, but it was something. “I’m not going to give them time to do that,” I said.

“Uh, what?”

“I’m going to follow him.”

“Are you insane?” Ricky screeched. “Why in the world would you do that?”

“He’s going to lead me to the Omaris,” I explained. “You can stay here. You’re free now anyway. Maybe one of Andre’s men can take you back to your family and—”

“What? No way. I’m not letting you face the Omaris alone. I’m going with you.”

I gave him a weak smile. With his boxing background, he may have been a good partner in a human fight, but vampires were another animal entirely. Even with a weapon. But it was nice to have him by my side again. I just wished it wasn’t in such a dangerous situation.

“Come on.” I walked into the darkness where Cornelius had vanished. Although it was hard to see, I could hear Ricky’s footsteps close behind me. In the distance, the glowing outline of a door came into view. The daylight and Cornelius’s weaken state would work in our favor. His advanced hearing and speed would be hindered.

“Just up ahead,” I called to Ricky. When I opened the door, I was instantly slapped in the face with piercing brightness and frigid air. It was stunning enough to make me wince. We climbed up the cement steps to the sidewalk. A quick glance left and right revealed Cornelius sluggishly turning a corner, dragging himself along the hotel walls.

I waved for Ricky to follow me. We hurried down the street, making sure to keep our distance yet keep the vampire in eyeshot at all times. When he passed an old woman, bundled up against the cold and holding a grocery bag, he paused. Ricky and I rushed to a nearby parked car and ducked behind it.

“Is he going to feed from her?” Ricky asked in a low whisper.

I didn’t answer, only watched. He had to be considering it, being so weak and depleted of blood. But when he kept moving on, it seemed he was more concerned about getting to where he was going than helping himself.

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