Page 58 of Immortal Throne

My magical outburst faded away. Mobius groaned and keeled over.

I stood a foot away and watched this vile creature roll around on the ground. He’d planned to kill me, to gut me in the hallway, and now he lay on the floor choking and holding his junk. I hoped I popped a testicle.

He still grasped his dagger tightly in one hand. Part of me wanted to stick around, take a chance, and try to get the weapon from him. If I killed him now, he couldn’t come after me later.

But the other part of me knew that wasn’t the smart play to make. Whatever that magical blast thingy was, I had no way of knowing whether I could duplicate it and I didn’t want to get stabbed trying to make a grab for a dagger.

Mobius wouldn’t die by my hand tonight.

I made the smart move, spun on my heel, and ran to my room. My heartbeat thudded in my ears and my breath rasped through my lips, burning my chest.

When I rounded the last corner before my doorway, I skidded to a stop.

Ryker waited outside my room. He leaned on the door, arms folded, one leg propped up against the wood. He wasn’t alone.

His friend stood across from him in the hall in almost the exact same position, and the demon dog lay curled at Ryker’s feet.

Ryker lifted his head at my approach and pushed off the door. The friend kept his position, only turning his head, while the familiar merely popped one eye open.

“Wh…what are you doing here?” I asked.

Instead of answering, Ryker stalked toward me, his green eyes flashing.

“I really don’t have the energy for you to try to kill me in the hallway right now,” I said, only partly joking. If Mobius felt bold and confident enough to attack me, that meant anyone could, and would, given the opportunity. Even Ryker.

Ryker snapped his hand out and jerked my chin up. His gaze flashed as he glared at my face under the flickering candlelight. When he finally spoke, his voice came out as a low growl. “Who hurt you?”

I jerked my chin out of his grasp and looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”

“The fuck it doesn’t,” he growled. “Who. Fucking. Hurt. You?”

The other two had moved, leaving their positions outside my door to stand behind Ryker and crowd my space.

“Who are your friends?” I nodded over Ryker’s shoulder to the demon with black, half-shaven hair.

“Don’t look at Slade. Look at me, Sloane. I’m your biggest problem right now,” Ryker pinned that piercing green gaze on me. Reaching out, he ran his thumb over my lip. Pain shot through my mouth. He pulled his hand away, and my blood decorated his finger.

Well, crap. The blue bastard had cut me with that head strike.

Still keeping his gaze locked on mine, Ryker brought his thumb to his mouth and wrapped his lips around it, sucking off my blood.

That…

That was…

Did I like that?

The warmth flooding my core said yes, but my mind said hell no, he didn’t just do that. “You have issues.”

He withdrew his thumb and his lips twitched. “You have no idea.”

My mouth dropped open. This would be the perfect opportunity to say something witty or scathing, or something to get rid of him so I could enjoy the safety of my own room, but instead, I kept replaying the image of him sucking his thumb in my head. Because apparently, I had issues too.

“It’s against the rules to attack a competitor between trials,” Ryker said, his voice dangerously low.

“No. It’s discouraged.” I folded my arms over my chest. “But it’s not forbidden, and if a bitch dies in an empty hallway, and no one’s around to see it, who’s to say it was murder?” I dropped my voice, imitating Mobius and his dickish tone.

Ryker narrowed his eyes at me. As suddenly as he’d invaded my space and made heat stir within me, he straightened and backed away. “Make sure you lock your door behind you.”

Apparently, the inquisition was over. That was easy. “Wait. What’s the catch?”

Ryker jerked his head at his companions and brushed past me. “No catch, princess. Goodnight.”

I watched him leave with Slade and the demon familiar, and a sense of trepidation settled over me. I wanted to run after him and ask what he was up to. I hadn’t given him Mobius’s name, but his abrupt departure and purposeful walk said a lot more than he did.

To my shame, though, I didn’t run after him. I didn’t find a weapon to finish my business with Mobius, either. Instead, I did exactly as Ryker suggested. After I locked my door, I cleaned up and let exhaustion take over.

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