Page 45 of Bite of the Gargoyle

“He did,” I reply, my voice low and set. Immediately, Derith’s expression falters.

“And you escaped?” He grins and shakes his head. “You are a remarkable woman, Joanna Delevigne.”

“Killing monsters is what I do,” I reply, my tone of voice icy—as frosty as the feelings welling up inside me. “And there’s one more I need to kill tonight.”

It’s only now that Derith seems to notice my grim tone of voice, and the shadow of a confused frown passes across his face.

“What did Balor do to you? Did he… harm you?”

I shake my head. “Nothing of the sort. Hetalkedto me,” I respond.

Derith frowns, just as I expect he would. “Talked to you?”

I nod. “He told me the truth.”

“About what?”

“About who really killed my family.” Now I draw my sword with one hand and take out my stake with the other.

Derith is shocked but he holds up a hand. “Jo, no. He’s lied to you.”

“Why should I believe you?” I hiss the words.

“Why should you believe him?”

WhydoI believe Balor? I inwardly shake my head because I can’t settle on an answer right away. It doesn’t matter; I do believe him and that’s all that does. And that’s also more than enough talking with his murderer.

I run at Derith, sword at the ready. With an athletic spring, he jumps out of my path, clearing the table in a single bound.

“He’s used his cunning on you, Jo,” Derith says. “He’s overpowered your rationale and implanted lies in your mind.”

“You are the liar!” I scream at him, then I jump onto the table and slash the sword down at him, a wild strike but I’m angry. Beyond angry—I’m livid. And the fire within me doesn’t feel as if it’s my own. It feels as if it’s partly fueled by some foreign entity. Suisse? I don’t think so.

Derith dodges me, picking up a chair to defend himself. There’s a sword on the wall—why doesn’t he take it and fight back?

“Listen to me, Jo,” he insists. “You are acting under Balor’s glamour.”

“And yet you couldn’t glamour me when you tried,” I seethe. Then I wonder if maybe he did use his cunning on me which was why I dropped my walls with him? Perhaps.

“Balor must be more powerful than I thought,” he responds, shaking his head. “But I know you can fight through it, Jo.”

“The only thing I want to fight is you.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know what lies he’s told you but think for a moment, Jo,” he continues as he backs away from me, placing the chair to the side as he lifts his hands in surrender. “Listen to Suisse. She knows the truth and she’s in your head.”

“Nothing she showed me proves you innocent.” I thrust the sword at him and he picks up the chair again. The tip of my sword sticks into the base of the chair.

“But you can still hear her. She’s inside you, Jo. Hell, she’s practically a part of you. Listen to her.”

“I don’t need her!” I wrench the sword free. “I know what I know. You destroyed my family and you must answer for it!” Only when Derith is dead will the thunder in my head stop, only then will I be able to live in peace with my family avenged.

Derith looks anguished. “He’s done something to you.”

“That’s what he said about you.” Damn brothers. I can’t trust either one of them! But Derith was the one I felt—no, Iknew—I had to kill.

“Then listen to one more thing…”

I strike at him. He ducks and rolls, still not fighting back. This isn’t how this fight was meant to go!

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