Page 30 of Love, Rekindled

An evil fey. And most certainly the male who had cursed Azrael. Why else would he be in this remote area? It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Jayla twirled the sword, pretending the leather hilt wasn’t sending jagged pain through the palm of her hand and up her arm. She would have only a couple of minutes before holding the weapon became unbearable.

“I’m Jayla.” Her tones were even more arrogant. “Who are you?”

He narrowed his odd eyes, keeping a wary distance between them as the frigid temperature dropped to sub-zero. He wasn’t stupid.

“I’m Silvanus. The owner of that sword you’re holding.”

Jayla had centuries of practice keeping her expression a polite mask as she sent a glance toward Azrael. Dealing with humans demanded the patience of a saint. Still, she struggled to hide her confusion as the male vampire stood frozen in place. Had he somehow been injured by her powers? Then Jayla watched as he slowly closed one eye. A wink. Ah. Belatedly, she realized that he was pretending to be immobile to fool the Sylvermyst.

Jayla returned her attention to Silvanus. “This sword?” she asked, giving it another twirl.

“That one. It belongs to me.”

“Strange,” she drawled. “The vampire standing behind you seems to think it belongs to him. He offered me a treasure chest filled with gems to retrieve it.”

Silvanus risked a glance over his shoulder to make sure Azrael wasn’t sneaking up on him. Once he was confident that the vampire didn’t pose a threat, he swiveled his head back to study Jayla with a tight smile.

“I’m curious. How did you manage to get it out of the cave?”

“I put the dragon to sleep,” she easily lied.

“How?”

She shrugged. “It’s my superpower.”

“Amazing.” There was genuine admiration in his tone. There should be. Only a shitload of power could actually put a dragon to sleep. “So, why is the vampire standing like a statue?”

“I used my power on him, as well.”

“Why?”

Jayla shrugged again. “When he approached me to retrieve the sword, he offered me a fortune before we ever started negotiations. It made me start to think that there must be something very special about the weapon. And if he would pay that much, there must be others out there who would pay even more.”

He blinked as if shocked by her explanation. “You double-crossed a fellow vampire?”

“Business is business.”

A slow, evil smile curved his lips. “I like your style.”

Jayla stepped toward him, her eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to like it when I kick your ass over the side of this mountain.”

“No need for violence.”

“Then move out of my way.”

His smile faded, a hint of fear darkening his bronzed eyes. “Not until you give me the sword.”

She flashed her fully extended fangs, taking another step forward. “Never. Going. To. Happen.”

He lifted his hands in a gesture of peace. “Wait.” He swallowed hard as if he had a lump in his throat. “It’s worthless,” he forced himself to admit at last.

“What?”

“The sword.” He nodded toward the weapon. “It has no monetary value.”

She hissed. “Do you think I’m stupid? The vampire wouldn’t have offered a treasure chest of gems if it was worthless.”

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