“No you don’t.” Jinx lifts her skirt and presses her high heel into the side of Morg’s throat. “Move and I’ll jam it into your neck.” When Morg stills, Jinx’s lips curl into a nasty smile. “Good girl.”
“Don’t trust her, Raven. What do you want?” Brayden asks the demon.
Jinx slides her gaze in his direction. “So many things.”
I scoff when her gaze drops, not so subtly checking him out.
“Jealousy is an ugly color on you, Raven.”
“I’m not jealous,” I say. “Why are you here? Do you need help going back to Hell?”
“Oh, you think you can save me?” She throws her head back and cackles.
“I think I can help you, if you let me.”
Everyone can be helped, but only if they want to be.
She glances at me and shakes her head like I’m a fool, and maybe I am, but I know better than anyone what it feels like to be a lost cause. Aunt Lou taught me how second chances, or even third and fourth, can change a person. She helped me when I was too far gone in my grief, patiently waiting for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If it weren’t for her, I’d probably have died from alcohol poisoning a long time ago.
“Tell you what, here’s what you can do with your help.” She shoves her heel into Morg’s throat.
Morg gurgles, and blood spills from the wound, quickly coating Jinx’s shoe and pooling on the floor.
“No!” I move toward Morg, but Jinx tsks, holding up her hand and using magic to make a black sword appear. She points it at Layla, lifting an eyebrow.
“You choose how many die, or haven’t you realized that yet?”
I sink to my knees, staring at the blood covering Morg’s neck. Her eyes are filled to the brim with tears and crimson liquid leaks from her mouth, trickling down her jaw as she tries to say something.
Pressing my fingers to my mouth, I shake my head. “Stop. Please, you’re killing her.”
Jinx extracts her shoe from Morg’s skin, and my stomach turns at the sound of its release. I lean to the side and vomit up bile, thankful I haven’t eaten recently. Swiping my arm over my mouth, I scowl at Jinx.
If you shift, I promise I’ll kill her,Joan’s growled words fill my head.
If we attack, she’ll kill Layla too.
Joan snarls. I understand her frustration, but I won’t be responsible for more deaths tonight. Morg whimpers and coughs, blood splattering the ground in front of her, landing in globs of scarlet. Her body goes unnaturally still. I dig my fingernails into my palms and shake my head. Her shifter healing hasn’t kicked in.
“Oh, dear me.” Jinx places her hand on her chest. “I think she’s already dead.”
“Fuck you,” I snarl.
Her white eyes flash brighter. “Oh, I forgot, you’re a luna. I’ll have to do better if I want you properly broken.” She struts to Layla, tapping the tip of the sword on the wooden dance floor with every step. “What’s one more death?” She swings the sword up with both hands, preparing to strike.
“Stop! Stop it!” I scream so loud she snaps her head in my direction, face contorting with sadistic pleasure.
“There we go.” She places the sword over her shoulder. “Now, let’s talk about what I want.”