Page 22 of Wicked Ties
Tilly nodded. “Yeah, we heard.”
“Right. So what’s your plan?” Kylian used the tip of his newly-made knife to scratch at the back of his head.
I shrugged. “We start a battle, kill a couple things, and draw them out.”
Logan gave a dark chuckle. “Like bait.”
Kylian smiled and nodded. “I’m all about it. I fully support it. Buuuut. I don’t want to get kicked out. I like it here. Food’s good. Got a bed. Soto gets to hang out. My sister’s here with her soulmate, you know.”
“You’re saying you won’t help us?” Tilly’s eyes fell to the ground and in that moment, I wanted to string up Kylian like a puppet and force him to help us, just to please her. I’d tear his arms off just to please her.
I glanced from Kylian to Tilly and back again. A quick vision of the witch queens, warlock heirs, and the knights who protected them flashed through my head. When my vision cleared, I knew exactly what Kylian was thinking. “No, he’s saying we need a manager.”
Kylian picked up another rock, this time turning it into a perfectly shaped ball that he tossed to Logan. “Exactly. We don’t want our shit to roll downhill and fall on us.”
“Cross? Ophelia?” I threw the names out.
“Nah. That girl smells like death. They’ll see her coming,” Kylian countered. “What about your boy? He did a good job killing off the council. Astrid is good for some dead bodies, too.”
“No!” Tilly snapped. “Not them.”
I knew she didn’t want them around, didn’t want to see the disappointment in Astrid’s eyes when this didn’t work. “No, they need to stay out of it.”
“Can’t do Zinnia or Tuck?” Logan crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s the leader of all Evermore. She can’t be caught killing things for bait. They’ll think she’s really the daughter of Alataris. And Tuck goes where Zin goes. He’s her protector.”
“Tabi is out. My sister, too.” Kylian picked up another rock and held it in his palm. He made it shift from one shape to another. “She keeps her nose clean.”
“And you don’t?” Tilly raised her eyebrows at him.
“He called me, didn’t he?” He nodded in my direction.
Logan sighed. “There’s only one.”
Kylian chuckled. “That fangy fuck. He’s shady as hell, and he’ll know how to hide from the good guys of our crew.”
It wasn’t a long shot. Grayson was always sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. There was something about the House of Shade that screamed deal with the devil. But that wouldn’t stop me. Tilly needed her spirit, and I’d be damned if she didn’t get it. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed.
He answered on the first ring. “Skip the prattle. This is going to be bloody good.”
CHAPTER 9
GRAYSON
Land Rover was not my preferred way of travel. Secrets sank ships, and it wasn’t time for mine. So, I sat in the cushy plush interior, letting the heated seats warm me, with the symphony playing at a light drift in the background. The car rolled forward, and the forest receded, and then there was an open field with a single dirt road running through it. Gravel crunched under the tires, and I smirked. I was always in need of a little fun. Anything to not have to return to The House of Shade and my uncle.
The car tilted up to go over the hill and I sank farther into the seat. I took a winding road that led down to a huge mansion with a gray stone exterior. It was like something straight out of Gothic New England. It remined me of home in some ways. Just not as old. The dirt road led right up to an enormous driveway made of stone pavers. A small fountain sat in the center of it, but the water no longer ran, and dead dried flowers circled the whole thing. The building, if you could call it that, sat in a rectangular U-shape. At the center of it were three steps leading up to thick wooden double doors with frosted windows. Two columns on either side of the door held up a half-moon-shaped balcony above the entrance. A black railing surrounded the balcony. Windows were spaced out over the entire mansion. Their white casings were a stark contrast to the dark stone.
The place seemed haunted by the evil of the past, and yet, there sat my next adventure: Maze the psych, Tilly the demon, Kylian the dark prince, Logan about as messed up as they came, and that damn demon cat.
I let the car roll to a stop, hopped out and leaned against it. “Right. This looks interesting.”
“Thanks for coming.” Maze lounged on the stairs, resting his elbows on the top step while the rest of his body lay across the other two. Tilly sat closer to him than either of them realized. She was leaning toward him, resting her elbows on her knees. Interesting.
I pulled my sunglass off and used them to point at the little crew. “You lot want me to faff about with you because you’re going to kill a bunch of people to draw out the Keres, and you don’t want the good lads to find out?”
Kylian shrugged. “Pretty much.”
“The only way to do this and not get in trouble with our friends is a justified kill. Do you need to start a battle?” I leaned against the car. “Tracking down a few of those won’t be a problem.”
