Page 63 of Broken Souls

My lips tight, I call Enoch.

Maddox grabs my arm as it rings. “If Khalid finds out you tortured her,” he says, his voice low, “he’ll kick the shit out of you. Might even kill you for it.”

Khalid might be the reaper and my bodyguard, but he has one rule he never lets anyone cross. A man takes care of his girl. Once she’s claimed, he better give up his fucking life to save her.

“So we’ll tell everyone it was me,” Maddox presses.

“No.”

“Varius –”

“I didn’t just hurt her, Maddox. I fucking tortured her.” I damn well deserve anything the reaper wants to mete out.

“Yeah, you did, and you need to apologize to her for that, but you can’t do that if you’re dead.”

The sly mother fucker. He always knows just where to hit to get the thing he wants.

“Hello?”

Jerking my arm free as Enoch comes on the line, I ask, “Where are you?”

“Up near Jackonsville.”

“Head north.”

“You got an address?”

My lips tighten. “Not yet.”

Maddox starts to leave, heading down the hall to grab Leno and Krypto, and I turn my attention away from Enoch. “Have Mother heal Micha’s hands,” I say to my youngest brother. “Then tell Leno to grab a fuckton of home dirt. I want him connected to it the entire time we’re gone.”

Maddox nods as Enoch asks, “What’s going on?”

“Micha isn’t the traitor,” I say tightly.

“What –”

“It’s Talon.”

“Shit. Fuck –”

“Call Ezriel and get north as fast as you can,” I cut in as my phone buzzes with another call, and I pull it away from my ear to check the caller ID. Hanging up on my brother, I accept the new one.

“What have you found?” I ask Aleric.

“Well, hello to you too, gorgeous.”

“Cut the shit –”

“Pretty hard to do when I’m shitting diarrhea. Ever tried cutting soup with a –”

“Do not fuck with me right now, Aleric.”

“Sure thing, beautiful. I will make a date to do so later.” He turns serious in the very next breath. “Didn’t see a thing concerning Khalid, but Talon was spotted in Jacksonville.”

I open the driver’s door of my car. “Where in –”

“Morn Tower. Meet me at the museum before the river.”