Page 56 of Summoned
My stomach knots further. “What does that mean?”
Julieta laughs without mirth. “It means that, with the right weapon, even they can be killed. What you need is a blade that cuts precisely enough to offer no reprieve.”
My shoulders drop as I remember our contract. “He showed me a contract signed in my blood. It said if we don’t fulfill it, we’ll both end up in Hell. If I kill him,wouldn’t I be damning myself, too?”
“Hmm…” Julieta taps her chin. “Did the contractexplicitlyforbid you from killing him?”
I picture the scroll. Though I’d only read it once, each word is engraved in my mind. “It said he has to guarantee my physical safety throughout. Nothing about protecting him… from me.”
Julieta raises her fist. “He deems himself untouchable, the bastard! And that would be the death of him—pun intended.” Her eyes glitter with something mad and gleeful. “The moment I stabbed that youth-sucking thief, the magic that bound me evaporated. Poof! Like smoke. It’s the same for you. If he ceases to exist, so does the contract. Magic can’t cling to bones that are no longer walking.”
Daria and I exchange glances.This can’t be that easy.
“Excuse me, but…” My friend clears her throat. “If killing him is the key, why hasn’t anyone tried it until now?”
“Who’s to say they didn’t?” When we just stare at her, she snorts. “Do you really believe he wouldn’t have retaliated? Keeping alive those who defy him goes against his nature. I’d bet my right hand that he drove anyone who challenged him to insanity. Made sure they failed his little game.”
Like Angelina.I force myself to swallow despite my dry throat. “Don’t I risk him doing the same with me, then?”
“There’s always a risk when you challenge immortals. But I can tell you this: no one knows witchers the way I do. I’ve devoted my life to hating their kind.” She raises an eyebrow in a conspiratory manner. “It takes a master of poisons to outdo one whose very magic poisons the soul. And oh my, that man of mine was toxic! Whew!” She fans herself with dramatic flair. “You have no idea. But I gotrid of him, didn’t I?”
Adrenaline pulses through me as Gaetano’s words echo in my mind:‘I’d hate to claim your soul so soon. Not before I’ve heard you scream my name in pleading gasps while I tear you apart with my tongue.’
My breath catches, but I steel myself. I have to outsmart him, no matter what it takes.“What’s the ‘right weapon’? Poison?” I ask, my voice steady despite the chaos inside me.
Julieta tilts her head. “I can give it to you. But everything has a price.”
My heart thuds with such force I’m surprised the others can’t hear it. “What price?”
Julieta folds her arms, and the soft chime of her bangles fills the silence. I brace for something dreadful—my blood, my hair, perhaps even a sliver of my soul.
Instead, she tilts her head, chin pointing at the handbag I still hold in my lap. “Cash only, kiddo.”
* * *
Later, I park once again outside Daria’s building. My handbag is crumpled on the passenger seat, and my wallet is empty. Among my belongings rests a new treasure: a small knife with a polished wooden handle, engraved with ancient runes.
“I’ve coated the blade with a thin layer of curare extract,” Julieta said, eyes shining. “It’s hell for the immortals! Think of it like the stories of silver bullets killing werewolves. One stab to the heart, and the witcher will fall, immortality be damned.”
My palms sweat against the steering wheel as I attemptto quiet the turmoil inside me. I’ll manage. I’ll kill him.
“I’ll say it again. If you’re afraid to be alone, stay at my place. Honestly, it’s not a problem,” Daria says.
Her last remark hits me like a waved red flag. Irritation rises in my chest. “How come you don’t hate me?”
She blinks, eyes wide and innocent. “Why would I?”
The leather of the steering wheel digs into my trembling fingers. I didn’t want to dwell on it because it shouldn’t matter, but… I just don’t get it. How can someone kick you out of their life without any explanation, and yet you still welcome them back with open arms? Yes, the Black Joker is also a threat to Daria, and it’s in her best interest to team up with me—but she doesn’t have to be so nice about it.
“We were friends, and then…”I glance at her, then back at the road. “We weren’t.”
I’m hoping she’ll tell me she hates me, that I deserve to be taken by the Black Joker. Nowthatwould be a normal reaction.
She just sighs, hand draped casually in her lap. “Five years ago, I probably would’ve reacted differently, but…Our paths separated, Niki. Life’s too short to hold grudges.”
I let out a quiet, humorless laugh. “It’s not that short.” The irony of those words, coming from me—the girl who might forfeit her soul in less than three weeks—is not lost on me.
My mind drifts to everything I have planned for the coming months: events on my calendar, outfits I’ve already imagined, conversations I’m eager to have. Yes, it feels like a long road lies ahead. Daria, with her meditative breathing and daily yoga routines, wouldn’t understand.
