Page 200 of Red Ruin

With Vhex and Remy at my back, I look down on Luca. “You need to isolate the threads of death magic that don’t belong.”

“It’salldeath magic. It fuckinghurts.” Tears drip sideways down his face as he strangles Kevan’s shadow-wrapped ankle.

“It’s not difficult,” I press. “If you work together?—”

“Do it yourself!”

Is he really this weak?

If it were me, Kevan would already be free.

“You imprinted,” I say with more patience than he deserves. “You’re the only one who can save the duke.”

So…

Kevan is toast.

A lot of restless shifting in the Deathguard says I’m not the only one connecting the dismal dots.

As their ranking captain, Tiago steps forward. I meet his gaze, expecting him to step up and take command.

His lip twists as he takes in Luca. Then his expression softens as he turns to me. “What do we do?”

Every Sentinel who used to snub me looks to me to save their ass.

A strange pressure fills my chest. It’s heavy and light at the same time. I’m not sure if I want to cackle or choke.

You want menow?

I shrug. “Kill him?”

Luca gasps. “You bi?—”

A shadow muzzles him just aliiiiiittleharder than necessary, smacking his cheek to the ground.

“Killthem,” Vhex offers, lifting a fist of flames.

“Not so fast.” I grab his hand to snuff the hellfire. Any other time, I’d let him loose. “We need a safe way to take him out of play. If the lich king possesses Kevan’s body, we’re screwed.”

Death would usually do the job.

Kevan’s undead soul can snap back to the rest of its carefully hidden pieces, which are attached to relics somewhere in his estate. After a few days of coalescing, he always resurrects and zooms right back to tell me how I failed.

I brush off the shadow stroking my cheek. “Is he moving under there?”

“Not a breath,” Remy answers.

Yeah. That’s not good.“What about a heartbeat?”

Remy hesitates, which is answer enough.

If the vampire can’t find your pulse, you’re in deep shit.

I keep a touch on Remy’s power to make sure he doesn’t overextend himself for Kevan.

It’s not worth it.

Baruche, the Sentinel in charge of Deathguard’s teleportation, offers me an actual salute, cupping his palm over his fist. “We can send the duke back to Kyorgos. Distance has solved possessions before.”

---