Chapter 166

Trust my father to ruin my life, even from beyond the grave. “Fine,” I say. “You’ve got me. Go ahead and kill me. I hope you have silver bullets in those rifles because I have no desire to suffer.”

“Kill you? Oh no, no, no, you are of no use to us if you’re dead. I told you already, Miss Jones, we have orders to bring you in alive.”

Oh lovely. Here we go again. Back to dungeons and endless torture, I suppose. “To Rome?”

“Yes. The Pope desires an audience.”

I snort loudly and fold my legs under me, sitting hip-deep in someone’s blood and not caring. “Why?”

Lester crouches next to me. “I don’t know why, Miss Jones. I’m just a soldier. As you’ve said, the kings don’t reveal their plans to the peasants.”

“You are hardly a peasant.”

Lester chuckles but doesn’t comment. “Bind her with silver.”

Oh great. Just what I need. My only fear now is that Kane will feel my terror and pain – he can’t think rationally when that happens. I try to remember how the witches blocked our bond when the