Page 84 of Obsidian Prince

“Ha! Actually, both.” Rizki grinned at her, pulling his sword back into a ready position. “Are you offering to give me a legendary Fae sword to save his life? Who is this man to you?”

“I can tell you where it is now. You will have to go get it yourself.” She ignored the other question. It was none of his business.

“Maybe I will just slit his throat before I go, huh?” Rizki was still grinning.

“If he dies, the deal is off.” Liliana lifted her chin. “You will never find Fragarthach. I will make sure of it.”

“Ah, you drive such a hard bargain.” Rizki slowly raised his sword and his other hand in a gesture of surrender. “Bargain is done, then. The man lives.” He pointed his sword at her. “You are right that the client wants the sword more than his life and will accept it alone as fulfillment of my contract.” He sheathed his short sword.

Liliana could hear the sound of a helicopter coming to land on the roof above and metallic pounding on the thick cinderblocks below that blocked the stairs. The assassin didn’t look nervous in the least. She had no doubt that Rizki would find a way out. He’d probably take on the form of one of the other soldiers, then slip out among them. Whatever artifact he had in his belt buckle, it had mimicked Officer West perfectly, even his voice and North Carolina accent.

“Now, you must uphold your end of the bargain, little sister.” Rizki’s voice was warm, but his eyes were as cold as they always were. “Where is this legendary sword that no one has seen for millennia that they tell me is now in this podunk town?”

“Who told you it was in Fayetteville?”

Rizki grinned again, a dazzlingly bright, but empty smile. Her third eyes showed Liliana the cold calculation behind it. “Ah, ah, ah. That was not information you bargained for.” He shook his finger at her.

She gave Rizki Pete’s address. Her brother-in-law knew that she never lied, couldn’t lie. As he turned to leave, she said, “Rizki, many of the people here are my friends. Try not to kill anyone on the way out.”

Rizki flashed his bright grin at her. “You ask a lot, Spiderling, but for you? Ah, for you, I will do my best. No promises, though.” He left her alone with Alexander.

Liliana dropped to her knees in front of the chair. She cut the ropes on his hands and feet, freeing him from the chair.

“Why did you give that bastard Pete’s address?” Alexander was looking at her oddly, his head turned slightly.

“Pete has his sword. His Normal beloved is not home. Doctor Nudd and Siobhan are with him. Rizki will be in jail before the sun sets.”

Alexander chuckled, then stopped like it hurt. “That’s my Little Spider.”

A heavy iron bracelet encircled one of his wrists. She couldn’t figure out how to get it off him.

“Time locked,” he said. “The spell will break and it will unlock by itself in forty-eight hours. In the meantime, I’m cut off from the land and my power.” His other hand came up to cup her face. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Liliana rubbed her face against his warm palm. “I have not saved you. You are dying.” She looked closely at him with all her eyes, trying to figure out why he would die. With her second eyes, she saw heat blossoming on one side of his head where he’d taken the hard blow that knocked him out. Her human vision told her the pupil on one eye was blown, but not the other. “Are you blind in one eye?” she asked.

He nodded, a bare movement. “Is that bad?”

“I think your brain is bleeding. It will kill you in minutes.”

“It’s not that serious, I don’t think.” He wiped some of the blood off his face and tried to stand. His knees buckled.

Liliana tried to catch him, but her bad leg gave under her. Alexander fell with her underneath. She managed to turn his body a little as they fell. They ended up lying together on the ground. “You must let me bite you, my prince.”

“I told you I wouldn’t allow that.”

“My venom can heal you.” She knew that wouldn’t be enough for him. “Alexander, I love you.”

He smiled, a soft, half-asleep expression of genuine pleasure. His hand stroked her hair. He blinked slowly. “I’m not sure I deserve that.”

“Please, Alexander. I give you my word I will not tell you to do anything you don’t want to.” Tears filled her eyes. “Don’t make me watch you die.”

He pulled her in close and whispered in her ear. “I trust you.” His hand guided her head to his neck.

For this man, his trust was perhaps a more difficult thing to gain than his heart. “I do not have time to make it not hurt.” She bit the band of muscle where it met his shoulder, pushing hard to give him enough venom, she hoped, to heal his injury before it killed him.

He grunted softly in her ear.

She pulled back and looked at his face.

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