Page 77 of Villains and Vengeance
My exhausted body is shaking though I’m trying to will it to stop. I glance at Jayce, closing my eyes to hide the tears that start to collect in them. I thought it was just the money and the lies, but it wasn’t. I caused Krase’s death. No wonder they hate me.
‘I’m sorry,’ I say again. ‘I needed the money. I didn’t know he was sick. I swear I didn’t.’
‘Get out,’ Jayce says. ‘Everyone. I want to speak to Jules about my brother.’
Surprisingly, everyone does what Jayce says. Even Axel. He gives me a small squeeze and sits me on the bed before he leaves the room. Jayce closes the door after him and we’re alone.
‘We need to get out of here, Jules.’ He stands in front of me, his height making me have to tilt my head to look into his eyes. ‘Tell me where the portal is and when it opens. We can escape the Mountain. All of us. I believe you didn’t know about Krase, but I can’t take this idea to Maddox without all the information we need. He’ll never go for it.’
He stares down at me.
I swallow hard and actually consider what he’s saying. My head is pounding and I think I’m swaying because he’s suddenly clutching my arms and kneeling in front of me.
‘You owe us,’ he growls.
‘I’m so sorry about Krase,’ I say again through my tears.
‘Prove it. Tell us how to get out of here.’
I grip his hand. I’m feeling so out of it. Dizziness has me flopping down sideways.
He hauls me up to sitting again, not letting me sink into the bed.
‘There’s a shaft,’ I murmur.
‘A shaft? Where?’
‘It’s five-hundred steps from Siggy’s tunnel away from Arania Alley, give or take. It’s not very large at first but it opens out into a bigger cavern. There’s a boulder. Around noon tomorrow, it’ll open.’
I close my eyes.
‘Butwheredoes the portal open?’ I hear him ask.
He shakes me. ‘Wake up!’
His voice sounds weird.
‘The boulderisthe portal,’ I breathe.
His grip loosens and I sink down. He strides from the room and a part of me wishes he’d have comforted me. But I know why he didn’t. I don’t deserve it. His brother is dead because of me.
For years I’ve been able to rationalize the way I make my living on the belief that I wasn’t actually hurting anyone. My targets were never old ladies’ life savings, or people I considered to be vulnerable. They were always rich, entitled supes with money to burn, and penchants for ruthlessness.
I didn’t know Maddox’s clan would be any different when I walked into their house and found something there that I’d been yearning for.
But I destroyed it before it could be anything real because I got scared, and I fucked them as bad as they say I did.
Maybe I deserve everything they say I do after all.
But maybe Iron wasn’t lying before. Maybe they and their clan were never what I thought they were.
* * *
Jayce
Iron comesout of the room where Jules is with a cold look of triumph on his face. My blood boils. Fuck him and that fae magick.
‘I got what we need.’
