Page 10 of Hunt the Dusk
I pulled away, and Ordell reluctantly released me.
“What happened?” he asked.
“You weren’t in your room,” Hemlock added quickly. “We didn’t know where you were, but your window was wide open. Did Godor take you?”
There was something in the way he was asking…a veil over Ordell’s expression…but it was late, and my focus was shot. Trying to read them was pointless. “Yeah. He used his knockout breath.”
“And?” Ordell handed me a mug of coffee. “It’s the one with no caffeine.”
I took it and sipped, grateful for the sweetness and the warmth. “Ezekiel spun his usual bullshit. He wanted to show me he was in control.”
“What did you say to him?” Hemlock asked.
I took a seat, captivated by the glint of the silver coin as it moved up and down his knuckles faster and faster. “If you’re worried that I told him your secret, then don’t be. I’m not stupid. If sparking his humanity is the only way to stop the big bad bitch, then throwing him into insanity by revealing the truth won’t help anyone.” I snagged a scone from the plate Hemlockhad placed on the table. “But I’m done pussyfooting around him and pandering to his ego.”
“Whatever makes you comfortable,” Ordell said. “We’re just happy you’ve decided to stay. Aren’t we, Hemlock?”
“Ecstatic,” Hemlock said dryly.
I shot him a narrow-eyed glare. “You should be.” Then to Ordell, “Did you honestly believe I’d leave? After everything you told me?”
He blinked sharply. “I…I don’t know. You were understandably upset.”
“I watched a bunch of women get slaughtered, including my friend, so yeah, I was. But at the end of the day, I took an oath to protect the innocent, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do, even if it means finding the strength to hope that a murderous monster like Ezekiel can be redeemed.”
“You really don’t believe he can, do you?” Hemlock asked.
I wasn’t sure what I believed when it came to the vampire king. “Do you?”
His jaw flexed. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
There was real conviction in his eyes, and for a moment, I was tempted to hope, but then an image of the bloody ballroom filled my mind, and Agatha’s final bloodcurdling scream rang in my ears. Oh God, if Loviator had made him what he was, what would she do if we failed to stop her being free? “Does the Order have a backup plan?”
Shadows shifted in Hemlock’s eyes. “You’d have to ask the operative that when he gets here.”
“You’re telling me you don’t know? He’s your brother. You’ve been doing this cycle for centuries.” Just saying it out loud gave me a headache because these guys…These guys were ancient, and suddenly I wasn’t hungry anymore. Suddenly the only thing I wanted was to sleep. “And in all this time you haven’t managedto help him find his humanity, even with the help of this mysterious woman, so how the fuck do you expect me to do it?”
“We have hope. We have to try,” Ordell said.
His ocean-blue eyes were warm with compassion, and my ire dimmed beneath his gaze.
“Tell me…will ending Ezekiel’s curse end yours too?” I looked over at Hemlock then back to Ordell. “Will it save you both as well as stop Loviator?”
“We believe so,” Ordell said. “We believe our fates are connected to his.”
I sighed. “Then, in that case, I’ll do whatever it takes. Not for him, but for you…both of you.”
Hemlock dropped his gaze, and the silver coin stilled, locked in place between his index and ring finger.
I polished off the last of the scone and drained my coffee. “On that note, I’m going to bed.”
Ordell looked like he wanted to say something more, and I paused, waiting, but his shoulders dropped, and he shook his head. “Thank you.”
I was almost out of the door when Hemlock piped up. “We’ll be headed back to the castle the day after tomorrow. All three of us.”
I raised a hand in acknowledgment as I slipped out of the room. One more day and night of respite. I’d best make the most of it.
I woke latethe next morning to Edwin knocking on the door telling me the team was headed to New Town. Padma drove so we didn’t get a chance to talk on the way. But we grabbeddonuts enroute, and once we were settled in the office, coffee in hand, Padma filled Edwin and Merry in on the previous night’s encounter at Harriet Jacq’s mansion.
