Page 35 of The Last Slayer
“They would have found you in time. And may I point out again that you are alive.”
My head began to throb. I needed aspirin. A truckload of it.
Then I realized something else. “Nathanael’s seekers. They were for me?”
Ramiel nodded.
“He used…blood.” The implication was horrifying.
“Don’t fret.” A corner of Ramiel’s mouth tilted upward slightly. “None of the triumvirs are holding your parents hostage for body parts.”
I let out a small sigh of relief, then immediately berated myself. For all I knew he was lying about everything, including how I was on some shit list. Had to guard against being gullible.
Ramiel continued, “In any case, the Triumvirate of Madainsair couldn’t harm you at the company since, until you start ascending to your power, you’re still considered a human by our laws.”
“Excuse me, there’s no still about it. I am a human.”
I might as well have been a fly for all the attention he paid me.
“So they had to force you leave. Unfortunately, you neglected to ask them not to attack while you retrieved the book.”
True. And it still rankled that I’d been so careless. In my line of work, fright is never an excuse to be stupid.
Ramiel leaned forward. “You sensed that Apollyon enjoys violence. If you hadn’t stopped his wyrm—and believe me, the only way to stop it was to use a dragonlord’s sword or draco perditio—it would’ve gone on a rampage.”
Something in Ramiel’s eyes frightened me. He was telling the truth as far as he was concerned, and the last thing I wanted to hear was that a triumvirate of demigods wanted me dead.
“So Apollyon would have killed everyone…just to find me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Kill mortals?” He looked puzzled. “They die in any case.”
Great. “Okay, here’s another why. Why should I trust you?”
Ramiel raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t I proven that my intentions are honorable?”
“No. I bet you want something in return.”
He threw his head back and laughed. The sound washed over me like rolling waves, and I shivered at the heat it created within me. Then I felt a strong urge to poke his Adam’s apple. It was rotten of him to use sexual power to try to distract me, and I didn’t find any humor in the situation.
The overt mirth faded, but a smile lingered on his face. “I’m merely honoring a vow made before you were born. You needn’t worry about my exacting a price for my assistance.”
“Swear?”
“I swear.”
That made sense…if he was telling me the truth. “So what is this vow?”
“Nothing you need concern yourself with.”
“But it involves me.”
“Only indirectly. It would be best to leave matters to me.”
High-handed bastard. I wanted to grill him about the vow, but for the moment I had bigger concerns. Valerie and the rest of the crew from the firm were still exposed to a trio of murderous demigods who had no respect for human life. They could send more dragons to kill everyone out of spite. Or entertainment.
