A Secretary Affair
She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a slow breath like she was gathering the strength to put the truth into words.
“Not kill them. That’s just… what it feels like we’re doing. We aren’t going after the things themselves. We kill the deal instead. Kill the tithe they’re waiting for. Kill the name that binds you to them. Kill their claim on your blood.” She shifted the book a little on her lap, then cracked the cover open just an inch—barely enough to see anything inside, but enough that the smell hit him right away. It was the scent of old smoke, of dry earth, of things that had been buried and left alone for centuries.