Page 134 of Grim and Oro
“I didn’t do it for me.”
“You—”
Truth.
Truth.
I didn’t know he was capable of it.
My eyes narrow. “I didn’t come here for conversation,” I growl, and the demon smiles, ripping open a cut at the corner of his mouth. Blood trickles down his chin. He doesn’t seem to care.
“No? But you’re so good at it,” he drawls, sarcasm dripping from every word.
I glare at him. I remember what Enya said ... about how the ending of the war didn’t make sense. He won’t answer, I know that, but I have to ask anyway. “Why did you surrender?”
Grimshaw tilts his head at me. He looks almost curious. And far too casual for someone who nearly burned alive a minute ago. I blink in surprise when he does answer. “I tired of death.”
Helives on death. He’s a monster. A damned liar. I bare my teeth, ready to launch my disgust at his lies—
When sweetness smooths down my tongue.
I start to question the reliability of my flair. I lean forward. “Are you trying to get me to believe thatyou, demon warrior, famous for soaking your blade in the blood of your enemies, surrendered willingly ... because you didn’t want anyone else to die?”
Grimshaw smirks. Then, he drops my gaze like I disgust him. His face is nearly covered by his dark hair as his head hangs. “Believe anything you want, second son. It doesn’t make a difference to me.”
He doesn’t speak again.
PRISONER
“How did it go?”
Enya, Calder, and Zed are waiting in my room when I return. Usually, I’m happy to see my friends. Now ... I don’t know what to tell them. How do I explain I almost ruined the peace treaty by killing the heir of Nightshade? How do I explain that the demon didn’t even seem to care? That he didn’t even try to lie to me?
“Well?” Zed pushes.
I sigh. “He told the truth.”
Enya frowns. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know.” There is no advantage to telling the truth, unless his plan is complicated, and long-term, and involves gaining my trust.
But that doesn’t make sense.
“It’s like he doesn’t even want to leave the prison,” I say.
Zed raises a brow at me. “I’ve smelled that prison. Everyone wants to leave it.”
I’velivedin it. I agree with him.
Still, it doesn’t change what I witnessed. I frown. “Well, he doesn’t.”
In war, I saw countless men face their death. I saw them, the moment they knew they were going to die. They always,alwayslooked afraid.
Grim didn’t. If anything, he just looked dejected.
The warrior who had cut through fields of enemies was gone. If I didn’t have my flair, I would say it was a trick. An illusion.
“There has to be more to this,” Enya says, when I recount every part of our conversation—leaving out the fire.
