Page 101 of Wicked Deeds

“I’ll kill him,” I snapped.

“Wewill kill him,” Callum corrected. “Now, clear your mind if you want Gwen to survive this.”

Usuriel joined us, still holding his sword ready. It was no longer on fire, but black blood was dripping from the blade.

“I didn’t know you could kill lesserkind with a sword,” I said.

“You could not,” he said, his attention fixed on Jack and Gwen. “But I am not you.”

Ugh. Even when he was doing the right thing, he was annoying.

But I’d deal with him later. Jack first. He stared down at Gwen, not moving to help her, face impassive. She was crying again. My hand flexed. I wanted to snatch Usuriel’s sword and cut Jack down. But it wouldn’t work if I couldn’t get through the ward. Me dying wouldn’t help her.

Feeling as helpless as Gwen looked, I watched her. Then movement on the other side of the circle caught my eye. Lizzie’s face appeared. Then Cassandra’s. And Ian and Radha. I stared, thinking for a moment I must be imagining them. But Lizzie gave me a fierce smile and tilted her head to the far door. Where Damon stood, a gun in his hand aimed squarely at Jack. Next to him was Mitch, gun in one hand and the other on Damon’s shoulder. I didn’t need to be able to hear to know that Mitch was telling his boss not to do anything stupid.

Good. Mitch would keep Damon safe, if at all possible. So I could focus on Gwen.

“The gang’s all here”, I muttered. Thank fuck for that. “What now?” I asked Callum.

Jack’s head snapped toward me. He was smiling again. A shark’s smile. And as much emotion as a shark behind his iceberg eyes. He was certainly not bothered by the appearance of the Cestis. Damn. He really trusted his ward. But he’d trusted his tech, too. We’d broken that.

He bent and hauled Gwen to her feet again. “Now, I use this stupid girl for the reason I had her birthed in the first place. None of you can enter the circle. It’s locked with my blood. None but mine can enter.”

Across from me Cassandra stiffened. She turned her gaze on me, making a tiny nod at the ward.

The ward locked with Jack’s blood. And hedidn’tknow I was his daughter. I could use that, surely. I just had to wait for the right moment. I braced myself, not taking my eyes off Jack.

He pulled a knife from his belt and pressed it into Gwen’s throat. “Now, where were we, daughter? I was explaining to you that it would be foolish to choose the hard way. I’ll give you a moment to reconsider. But first, a drop of your blood.” He moved the blade, slashing it down toward Gwen’s hand. A line of red blood appeared and he caught drips of it on the blade while Gwen stood frozen in shock.

Jack flicked the knife again and three drops spattered in the dead center of the circle, forming a triangle that flared blue-black like the heart of a flame, before sinking into the floor. The floor immediately started to move, swirling like mist. The stink of demon magic grew stronger, fouling the air, making me want to retch or spit.

Jack started talking to Gwen, or chanting, or maybe both, guiding them both closer to the edge of the circle, standing beside her not behind. She watched him like he was a monster from her darkest nightmares, too terrified to look away. The misty patch on the floor expanded, started to turn to black fog and a buzzing like a million enraged wasps filled the air.

If I was going to do something, I didn’t have long.

“He said, ‘locked with his blood’, right?”I said to Callum. Jack’s blood. Which ran in my veins. He’d pulled Gwen through. Maybe I could cross it, too.

“Yes. But that does not help us unless you have some on hand. We can break the ward with enough time. Cassandra will begin shortly. Wait.”

The center of the circle was almost transparent, a dark void that made every instinct I had scream at me to run. Gwen was crying, shaking her head. Underneath the demon magic I could feel Jack’s magic, more human, but corrupt somehow. He was slamming it at Gwen. If she broke—if she gave in and let him take her magic—it would be all over. We’d all die.

“No time.”I snatched one of Callum’s daggers from the sheath at his hip and sliced my palm open. Blood welled up and it stung like hell but I ignored it. Jack hadn’t noticed, too focused on Gwen.

Hoping like hell I was right and not about to die, I let the dagger fall and bolted for the circle, hand outstretched. I registered Damon shouting my name, then there was a snapping hiss as the blood on my hand connected with the magic, then a flare of pain like acid, but the ward parted, letting me in.

Jack spun as I broke through the ward, mouth dropping open. A blast of magic from behind shoved me forward, so I crashed into Gwen and Jack. Desperately, I reached for Gwen, twisted the two of us to try to stay clear of the roiling bubble of darkness in the center of the circle. It was starting to expand. And the column of light looked…fainter. Had I broken the ward? Or at least damaged it so it might break? I could feel the magic the Fae and the Cestis were pouring at it, a pounding sensation that rang through me like a huge bell tolling. Maybe I had done something. Enough to give the others a starting point to break the ward entirely.

Not that I intended to stay inside it while they did. Not with demon magic still pulsing around us, stronger with every breath. I shoved Gwen toward the ward, pushing her out, away fromthe bubbling fog and demon stink, hoping like hell she’d run. Be safe. Survive. Even if I didn’t.

“You! How?” Jack snarled from behind me. I whirled to face him, saw the deadly gleam of knife in his hand.

I barely had time to wish I’d kept Callum’s dagger before Jack lunged at me.

I dodged instinctively, all the months of training with Callum paying off. As Jack stepped past me, I pivoted and kicked, connecting solidly with his arm. The knife went flying, landing in the circle of fog and vanishing.

I had no time to celebrate that small victory. Jack lunged again, landing a punch on my left shoulder which made me yelp. But I wasn’t left-handed, and I snapped back a punch of my own, catching his stomach. He fell back, off balance, wheezing and staring at me.

Didn’t think I could fight, did you?

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