Page 92 of Firedrake Betrayal
“I underestimated Atticus before. I don’t intend to do it again,” Dominik says.
“So we use your father to get to him?” Isaiah asks me.
My brain works through how we can use my da’s greed against him, and he is greedy.
How to do it in a way that doesn’t put Jade at risk?
“It sounds like she’d be playing bait.” Shep’s brows knit together. “I’m not sure I agree with that.”
“So we make Almeth think he’s won,” Isaiah says.
We all look at him.
“And how do we do that?” I ask.
Isaiah smiles. “I’m sure an opportunity will present itself.”
“If one doesn’t?” Dominik asks.
“Then we create one,” is Isaiah’s vague response.
I study him. “You have an idea.”
He lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Not yet.”
My focus shifts to Shep. “Leaving might give us more options. Unless we have to worry about Atticus ramming our car off the road.”
He did it before, which is how he’d gotten Jade in the first place. There’s no reason to think he won’t try it again.
“You have a dead witch’s soul clinging to you,” Shep says.
I stare at him. “What now?”
“You have a?—”
“Yeah, I heard you,” I say. “I just didn’t understand why you would say something so crazy.”
“It’s not crazy. Meliah saw it. It’s why the female cop from the highway ran away from you and she showed no reaction to us.”
I walk over to the mirror hanging beside the front door and make myself cross-eyed staring at my reflection.
“What are you doing?” Shep calls out.
“Looking for it.”
“It’s not something you can see.” Shep sighs. “Trust me, I’ve tried it.”
I ignore him in favor of staring at my reflection.
Same dark blue eyes, maybe a little red from not enough sleep these last couple of days. Same dark hair that is looking like I’ve been doing nothing but raking my hand through it. Didn’t think to pack a brush before we left Chicago to come after Jade.
I take in my stubbled chin. And I could do with a shave. Again, a razor wasn’t high on my priorities when packing.
But there’s no dead witch soul clinging to me, no matter which direction I angle my head.
“Meliah says she can do a purification spell to?—”
I swing away from the mirror, stalking back to the kitchen island. “No. Fucking.Way. Is a witch coming at me with a spell. No fucking chance.”
