Page 130 of The Demon's Discovery
“The money Vos bribed you with wasn’t his to give.” Vassago advanced one final step toward the bars of the cell, drawing his sword, the length of it pressed to the side of Henrik’s throat. “How shall they repay each and every moment you suffered mistreatment or neglect at their hands?” His voice had gone low and cold, his body strung tight. “Shall we count the scars left on your flesh? Every hour you spent sleeping instead of being ableto live your life? The way they watched your power diminish after he intentionally crushed it within you instead of finding you the help you needed from your kin?”
They both looked from him to me, horror that their fate was in my hands passing over their faces. I placed a hand on Vassago’s shoulder, the subtle shift of his weight telling me he would stand down if I asked, no matter how much he longed to end them right there.
“I don’t want to smell any more blood today,” I muttered, feeling oddly disembodied as I weighed the situation. Bea was at my side, silent, but the squeeze of her fingers against mine told me she would stand with me.
Vassago’s ruby eyes turned my way but no other part of him. It was moments like this I remembered how many years he’d been a warrior, how well he’d honed his endless patience. I was also reminded that neither of us were human… but they were. Bea was. And the time left for any of them was much more limited than it was for us.
Lara’s eyes teared up, and I could feel her about to beg. My thoughts were only of Bea then, how if I made the simple choice, one that made them disappear from my life forever, I was also robbing my sister of the same thing that had been taken from me. No matter how much I thought she’d understand, I couldn’t do that to her. She deserved to make her own decisions where her parents were concerned.
The long breath that seeped from my lungs communicated more to my mate than I could have guessed.
“You are undeservedly blessed,” he bit the words off as Henrik and Lara flinched from them. Then he stepped back and lowered his sword.
“Thank you, we’ll do anyth—” Henrik rushed to say, hands palm to palm in gratitude.
“Yes, you will,” I cut him off. “Anything I ask, you will do it. Any fate I assign to you, you will accept gratefully, as I’m allowing you to live.”
“Beatrice, certainly you’re not going to leave our fate in her hands?” Lara said. I think it was the tone that made Bea tense. It was the same cruel one she always chose to use with me.
She shrugged her shoulders back. “You never did right by Greta,” she said. “Whatever she decides, I will agree with.”
“What?” Lara shrieked. Both Belettes began a frantic argument then, vacillating from begging to condemnation to accusing her of being brainwashed.
Vassago settled his shoulders, a much more relaxed grin on his mouth. Despite his eagerness to make short work of them, he was pleased both by my display of confidence and Bea’s trust in my choice.
“Tell me, Henrik, before we find out what it is my beloved wife has in store for you, what was the necklace you hired me to find required for?”
Henrik fidgeted. “I don’t know the particulars, only that he was going to use it to trade with the stone kin council.”
“The stone kin council?” I asked.
He shrugged, pacing in the small cell. “He had business with them, I don’t know. Something about it belonging to a founding family. They wanted it back.”
Vassago’s eyes narrowed. “Keep talking.”
“He needed Greta for chemistry or whatever?—”
“Alchemy,” I corrected.
“Sure, sure. We made sure she had things to practice with. He had me keep that book safe because it had something inside that was needed for his plan, but he didn’t trust it being in his realm. And he needed the necklace to trade with the council. That’s all I know!”
“But you gave the book to me. Greta as well,” Vassago accused.
“We needed more money! And his terms were that I know where those things were, not necessarily that I keep them in my home.”
“You’re cleverer than I gave you credit for,” Vassago sighed. “But also have the intelligence of an overbaked pie.”
Bea looked horrified after a stifled laugh came out of her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I hate that I was part of any of this. All I can think of is my ridiculous bedroom and all those dresses. Everything I had that should never have been mine.”
“It’s not your fault, Bea,” I assured her. I frowned, a thought prodding at me. I turned to Lara. “What does a good gown cost? Like the ones you had made for Bea?”
“A gown?” Lara stumbled over her words, throwing hesitant glances at Henrik. “Most around a hundred gold coins, I suppose. Why is that relevant now?”
I shifted my attention. “What did you accept for me, Henrik? What was my price?”
“To be fair, this man bartered with me?—”
“To show what an absolute piece of filth you are. Do not get things confused, sir. My intention was to see just how little you really thought of her so I’d be prepared to punish you for it later. I’m not afraid of telling her the truth nor of facing her wrath should it upset her. And itshould. You know all too well how unforgivably you underbid her worth. Answer her question.”
