Page 94 of Immortal Throne

“I’m really proud of you,” Becca said.

“Huh?” I finally looked up at her.

She pulled back, dropping her hands to her lap, her eyes suspiciously watery. God, she better not cry. I hated when she did that.

“I’m proud of you,” she repeated. “You went into this Inferno with no prior knowledge, with no one backing your corner—”

“Besides Chupey.”

“Besides Chupey,” she said. “And you almost won.”

“Almost is the key word there. They don’t give out participation ribbons, and the consolation prize is life back on earth and the same death sentence I had before I left.” I spoke into my empty beer bottle.

Slade shifted on the couch across from us. He looked uncomfortable. We were demonstrating a lot of emotion, it probably conflicted with his evil demon soul.

If he had a soul.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Now it’s your turn, Slade. What are you doing here?”

He straightened in his seat. He might still look relaxed to someone like Becca, but to me he looked cautious, tense, ready to spring from his seat if I lunged for him.

“Ryker sent me to spy on Becca,” he started. “To learn about the one person important in your life to potentially use against you, if needed.”

I already wanted to lunge for him and punch him in the throat.

Becca pursed her lips. Had he told her this part or was she learning this for the first time, too?

“At first, I was supposed to keep my distance, but when one of her dates got handsy, I intervened,” Slade continued.

I jerked upright and turned to Becca. “What? What date? Who was it? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Becca scowled. “Well, Slade took care of him, so the guy didn’t need immediate attention and I planned to tell you at lunch, but then you told me you were dying, and it hardly felt like the appropriate time. And then you disappeared, so stop glaring at me like that.”

Crap. I settled back and tried to untwist my mouth. “Fair. Go on, Slade.”

“And that’s really all there was to it. Once we met, I couldn’t stay away, even after Ryker told me to.”

“Would you still have gone through with it?” I asked.

“With what?” He cocked his head, his long hair falling over his shoulders.

“If Ryker wanted to use her against me, would you have let him? Would you have helped him?”

Becca sucked in a breath.

Slade’s gaze flashed, showing the demon lurking behind the contacts. “No. I wouldn’t have, nor would he have asked after he realized she’s mine. He’s not a bad guy, you know.”

For a demon. I snorted and placed my empty bottle on the coffee table. From the heated looks passing between Becca and Slade, I was overstaying my welcome.

I glanced at the coffee table. Would I have time to help Becca clean up before they jumped each other, or should I just make a hasty retreat now?

“Don’t you want to know how Ryker is doing?” Slade asked.

I did. Oh, I fucking did. And sitting a few feet away from me, his bestie had all the answers. But I couldn’t bring myself to ask, I couldn’t open myself up to the possibility of hope and more potential hurt.

“No,” I said, and chose the hasty retreat.

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