Page 45 of Speak No Evil

The fuck? Why is there a demon lord in my goddamn head, Jade?

I glare at Thorne. In return, he at least offers a sheepish expression as he puts a finger to his lips.

Sorry. Won’t happen again. You just worry about getting as much rest as you need, V. OK?

That I can do.

“Take her back to the basilica. And call a healer just to be sure.”

“Jade, we—” Ryker starts but stops the second our eyes meet. He shrinks back several feet. “Yup. Healer. Got it.”

“Then let what’s-her-name at Veruca’s shop know what’s going on and that she’ll need to cover for her or close the shop.”

“On it,” Thorne says, and the three of them disappear through a portal.

I stand, facing Vrahs, still in his demon form, wishing I was too, because at least then I’d be big and strong.

Not naked and human-fragile.

Not a sobbing, snotty mess.

I glance at him, expecting him to tell me what to do next. How to deal with this shitty hand.

“It’s your vengeance, Jade.”

That’s why I hadn’t seen Veruca.

The weight of that hangs around my neck like a giant stone. I’d hoped not to confront it until much, much later. I push the weight away, boxing it up for another time.

“By demon law, that makes this your call.”

I’d much rather Vrahs do me the kindness of relieving me of this choice.

What to do with AJ?

Ifhelet her go, or didn’t, then I could wash my hands of it. I wouldn’t be forced into making the choice and dealing with...

Any of this.

But I summoned him, all three of them, for this exact reason. These are my terms, being met.

We found my sister’s killer.

I stare at AJ, naked and wide-eyed on the ground and swallow a wave of nausea biting the back of my throat.

“Put her in the dungeon and get me out of here.”

There.

It’s only a stopgap.

I’ll have to figure out what to do with her, eventually.

But not now.

Not this moment.

Chapter 11

---