"Milady, please... Help me. I didn't betray you." Elfy grumbled under his breath. "You took my amulet," Lily replied. Stupid elf, he had her amulet, the reason she hadn’t sensed the bastard when she’d first approached the cabin. "Milady," he rasped, struggling against the heavy chains that held him. "Surprise, Elfy? I told you I'd find you and that you couldn't get away from me. Reaching out, Lily ripped the amulet from the leather thong around Elfy’s neck and tucked it into her pocket. Immediately, the cabin was filled with the overpowering smell of elves, while her scent disappeared. "Go now! Milady, save yourself." “And leave you behind again and let you sell my head to my enemy?" "No, Madam. They will kill you." Elfy shook his head. Wasn’t that convenient? Her smile widened with wicked pleasure. "Of course, at the time, I didn’t expect Francisco to be so rude as to steal my pet and hide him from me. I hope they didn’t break you, Elfy. I thought I could trust you." Sweat bl
"Garnarld took him. I need to know where he went." Lily muttered with annoyance. "How would I know? I was here, chained to death." The elf smirked but screamed when she pushed the dagger a little deeper. "Worthless, elf. You think I'm kidding here?" she muttered, abruptly realizing that was the perfect word to describe this sorry excuse for a pet. Elfy was a weak, greedy fool who offered nothing to the world. He didn’t even make a decent pet. Her grip tightened on the handle of the dagger, her bitter, choking thirst for revenge somehow lessened by the thought. It was as if she’d just hauled the boogeyman out of the closet and discovered he was nothing more than a spineless slug. Elfy quivered as she unwittingly dug the knife deeper. "Shit that hurts. Watch that thing. Damn it! Stop!" In answer, Lily leaned forward, her expression ruthless. She’d pressed her luck far enough. It was time to get the information she’d come for. "Again…This is my last question. And believe me when I
The sun was painting the horizon with its last fading rays when Lily struggled to shake the painful cobwebs out of her head. Freaking hell. She felt as if she’d been hit by a cement truck. At last, ignoring the bursts of agony in the back of her head, she forced open her reluctant eyes. Well, sh*t. She should have kept them closed.Not that pretending this was all a horrible nightmare would change the fact that she was currently tied to a tree with chains that held enough silver to sap her strength and leave raw burns on her skin. Or that she’d been moved from the cabin to one of the small islands covered in trees and underbrush that dotted the middle of the river. Still fuzzy, Lily watched as Francisco stepped out of the canvas tent stuck in the center of the small clearing.She swallowed her instinctive growl. Damn the bastard. It was bad enough he’d given her a headache from hell and tied her to a tree like some sort of animal, but she’d been in la-la land the entire afternoon. She
"A deal? But why and for what, Francisco?" Lily asked. The demon just smirked and threw his hands in the air dismissively. He may not be so powerful now, but Lily could see the resignation and chase away the brittle arrogance, offering the first genuine glimpse of the weak demon. She should remember how cunning and smart the man was. He knew how to play his cards so well that he managed to convince her before. "Oh, believe me, Livia, I’m weary of this suicide mission. I mean, I got tired of recreating myself from the way it was before. I'm exhausted from running. Not to mention being Jasmine’s whipping boy," he confessed, his voice harsh. "My men no longer respect me, as they did before because I am not strong enough to fight one." Or maybe I just want to go back to my realm. The underworld is my place, but for now, I know I can't go back there. So, I need a truce. I need Dimitri and his council." Lily thought the man surely knew how to make himself believable. He was so dramatic th
Lily frowned at the thought of that weird rip in a magical spell that Stephen would conjure and open a magic connection in someone’s head. It felt surreal and otherworldly. "The little demon can do that, I know, but..." she halted, "Why not use a fucking phone? It's way easier and less weird."Francisco scoffed, "And risk the humans finding out about our kind? Hell no. Those FBI agents have high-tech things. I don't want to be a lab rat."Lily raised her brows.Francisco regarded her with a hint of surprise as if startled she could be so clueless."Stephen is not going to open a physical portal. More like a wireless connection. You know... modern type but with the use of his demon magic. They have this sort of connection. Master and pet connections. Which means it can’t be overheard or traced even by magical means."Lily nodded and absently lifted her hand to stroke the amulet hung around her neck. "No one will know about this call except the three of us and Dimitri.""Paranoid much?"
"Is that you?" Alpha Rhye breathed and shook his head as if he couldn't believe it. "That scent... I’ve smelled it before. You-" "Yes." With a frown, Lily stepped forward, as if to touch him. "Easy… there." Rhye took a quick step back, understanding that he was far from safe. Just as he knew that something would break inside him if he accidentally hurt her. "Stay back...woman. I can't control myself… I-" he growled, as if sensing the threat pulsing in the air, the female stood flawlessly still, her expression discomforted. "It's me. You remember me, right? I’m here to help you," she mumbled softly. "Rhye, we don’t have much time. I managed to slip past the demon on patrol, but without the amulet, they’ll soon catch my fragrance and come to investigate." Rhye howled, his fangs aching. Demon. Garnarld. Yes. He’d always hated the bastards. "Where is he?" She frowned. "What? Who?" He snapped his teeth with tension. "Never mind. I will find them on my own. I will kill him." Whirlin
"Hell…" Lily grumbled to herself.Friendly fire wasn’t just a human danger. If she were accidentally injured, the foolish alpha would hold himself responsible forever. So, ignoring the desperate urge to rush up the stairs and make certain Rhye didn’t allow his blind rage to get himself killed by the demon guards and feral werewolves she’d slipped past only a short time ago, Lily hovered near the bottom of the stairs, clutching the dagger and hating the feeling of helplessness. Thank the gods that the marks from Francisco’s damned silver chains had already healed. At the time, she had been infuriated that it had taken so long for Stephen to convince Dimitri to meet with the stupid Francisco and talk about his truce. She might sympathize with the council leader's reluctance to strike a bargain with an out-and-out traitor, demon Francisco, but Lily's only concern was being released so she could get to Rhye.And of course, there had been many wasted minutes as she’d argued with Stephen.
Alpha Rhye quieted down, his eyes briefly indicating the stark, hurting loneliness that echoed deep within Lily before they were abruptly shuttered. She loves him... He could see that... And she was foolish. What if he hurts her in the future? What if he went feral and accidentally killed her? He would hate himself forever. "Lily, dear, I vowed that I would protect you. But what if I c-could not help m-myself and I-'' he shook his head. His jaw trembled as if he attempted to contain his sentiments. "Even from myself, I will protect you. You know that." Lily's eyes waned and she breathed in deeply. This man was overdoing it. "And I swore a vow that I would never be at the compassion of another man." Wiggling as if her words had blown a nerve, Rhye suddenly rose to his feet, glaring down at her with an offended expression. "You’re not at my mercy." He muttered. "No?" She rushed to her feet with a great deal less grace than Rhye, planting her fists on her hips. "You want to make