Page 87 of Vengeance Becomes Her

Rhiannon shrugged. “It was, but the worst part was after. Feeling like I’d all but died and coming back to life a hollowed out, frail version of myself. I don’t know howI survived it.”

“But I did too? Maybe he never meant to kill us. Maybe he wasjust using us.”

“He was certainly using us.” Rhiannon snorted. “But he most definitely meant to kill me, and likely you too.” She gazed at Kyra a moment, weighing whether she should share more. “I have reason to think something is happening to him. I believe his power is waning. I know for a fact he killed others before me and intended for me to die, too. But I didn’t and you and Samara are far better off than I was after him, so it would only make sense if that were the case. The only question is why.”

“I don’t care why. The only thing I care about is getting back to Wispombra and ensuring he’s dealt with before he wipes out my entire family.” She leveled a serious gaze at Rhiannon.

She nodded solemnly. “And I don’t begrudge you that. I would feel the same way.” She sighed. “Silas has made me an obstacle to you. But I’m not the villain in your story, he is. You can either trust me or not, but I can tell you that you’re a hell of a lot better off putting your fate in my hands than his. He wants me and the second he has me, he’ll kill us all, even if you were the one to deliver me to him.”

Kyra sipped her drink thoughtfully. “You’re probably right.”

“Now that we have that settled, we could try being friends?”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Same pain, same goal—we might as well be close as sisters.”

Kyra shook her head, but Rhiannon didn’t miss how her demeanor had become slightly more trusting during their conversation.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Rhiannon said encouragingly.

“Why are you so sure you’re going to be able to kill him?”

“Because I know things about Silas that he isn’t aware of and I’m going to use that knowledge to bring him to his knees. I intend to find the source of his power and take it from him, right before Itake his life.”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll fail?”

“I won’t.” Rhiannon ran a hand through her tousled waves. “I can’t. I won’t let him hurt anyone else. If that costs me my life, then so be it. I won’t have any life to go back to when he’s still out there. He won’t let me live, anyways. It’s me or him, there’s no other way.” She avoided the other woman’s eye contact and finished off her drink, immediately motioning for another.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to die,” Kyra whispered so low Rhiannon was sure she wasn’t supposed to hear it, but she answered anyways.

“You won’t have to.I won’t rest until my steel stills his breath.” Rhiannon reached her hand across the table. “You can trust me. We have the same enemy and it isn’t me. I will end Silas before he has the chance to hurt any of us again.” She held Kyra’s gaze until shefinally nodded.

Kyra stifled a yawn, her head dipping slightly with exhaustion.

“You can head up, I’m not ready for bed yet.” Rhiannon forced a smile as Kyra got up to leave.

Thoughts of Silas and the potential end of her life had put her in an odd mood. She was resolved in her mission, but it didn’t make it easy to think about, especially when it came to the people she would leave behind. Tristain, her family, and now Samara and Kyra. She knew their friendships were still new, but she felt responsible for them all the same. Not just that, but their company had made her realize how much she missed having her sister around. Tristain was a loyal companion, but she’d missed the easiness of pure friendship, without all the complicated emotions that came along with attraction.

She’d been so caught up in her memories that she didn’t hear the footsteps approach. A tall, muscular man with golden blond hair and bright blue eyes leaned across the table from her.

“Finally, you’re alone.” His voice was warm and thick, the edge of each word softened with drink.

“Actually, I’m leaving.” She began to stand but heat pressed to her back. The form of a burly man with similar features was now visible in her peripheral vision. His meaty hand on her shoulder forced her back into a sitting position.

Her eyes roved over the tables, but noticed now, that it was only his rowdy companions and her left lingering at this late hour. She would need to be very careful about how she approached this situation. Her usual stab first, ask questions later policy wasn’t going to work in her current predicament.

“What can I do for you gentlemen?” She infused sugary sweetness in her voice, hoping to keep their guard down.

“Oh, you don’t need to put on that cute performance for us. We know what kind of woman you are. You remember my friend here, don’t you?”

A third man approached to his left, his shaggy hair and yellow smile bringing back memories of the day in the tavern when she’d pulled the knife. Worry started to worm through her belly.

Three of them. One of her. Their fellow travelers across the room to back them up. Tristain sound asleep upstairs. The barkeep and waitress turned in for the night. The odds were not in her favor. Notby a long shot.

“What do you want?”

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