Page 114 of Hexbound

Revenge.

If there was one thing he lived for, that might just be it.

"I only want you for twenty-four hours. That's all I'll need."

He thought about it. Could it do anything worse than what had already been done to him?

The demon knelt, his arms resting loosely on his upper thighs. "This is what I want, Sebastian, and in exchange I swear that I will set you free and help you to snuff out your mother's life."

That thought pushed him over the edge, convincing him like none other. Demons couldn't lie, after all. "What do I have to do?"

"This way," Verity said, holding the ring in her hand as she walked through Berkley Square. She'd woken that morning feeling quite determined to see an end to this. As soon as Morgana was found and the Ascension sorted, she and Bishop could begin moving forward in their lives. Or working out where they both stood.

Verity paused at the next intersection, hackneys clopping past. She stared at the ring in her hand, feeling it tug her back in the opposite direction. What on earth?

Bishop paused by her side, glancing around. Always on guard, as though he couldn't relax whenever he was outside the safety of his own home. Assured that there was nothing of concern in the immediate vicinity, he looked down

"Bloody cock-swiving piece of—" She looked up, sensing eyes upon her.

The corners of Bishop's mouth had crooked up, though he tried to straighten them when he saw her looking. "Go on. I'm trying to increase my vocabulary."

That was the Dials showing in her. Verity colored up, feeling the heat flush through her cheeks. She shook the ring, but the directional tug changed again, leaving her quite perplexed. The pull of it seemed to be leaping all over the city. One moment it was north of her, the next south-east, and now it was tugging her toward the west. "I'm not certain...."

Bishop's hard body shielded her from the wind. "What's wrong?"

Verity hated to admit failure, but from what her magic was telling her, Morgana had now leapt to the far east of the city. "It's not working. I can't.... It feels like she's moving. Or like something's preventing me from getting a lock on her."

Bishop tipped her chin up. "Tune everything out. Close your eyes. And trust your instincts."

Easy for him to say. She'd never had to force her talents before. They came to her as easily as breathing. And now.... Verity opened her eyes and shook her head, finally admitting the blatant truth. "I can't find her."

"She must have realized that somebody was watching her."

"This always works!"

"Not if Morgana's somehow managed to ward her presence from you. If she's working with Noah Guthrie and the demon, then it's possible she knows the extent of your talents."

"The demon never knew what I could do," she pointed out. "Murphy made sure of that."

"Verity—"

"No! This is not right!" She brushed off his hand and took two steps toward the south and the magical leash that drew her in that direction. She'd never failed before, damn it! And she couldn't do it right now, not when Bishop needed her so badly.

But the direction had changed again. Verity's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Son of a bitch," she swore, ignoring a startled passerby, who looked at her disapprovingly.

Firm hands slid over her shoulders. "Patience, Verity. Have faith."

"I wanted to help you," she said, glancing over her shoulder.

Those warm brown eyes met hers. She'd never seen such beautiful eyes on a man before. "You are helping me," he pointed out. "But I'm an assassin, Ver. Hunts don't always end so quickly. I didn't expect it to be this easy."

"So what now?"

Bishop scrubbed at his mouth. "Now I think we need to go see my father. Turn our attentions to the Ascension and prepare to bait that particular trap."

"You think she'll be there?"

"All Morgana has ever wanted is power, and to pay my father back for the divorce. A chance to sit someone on the seat of the Prime?" He smiled, and it wasn't very nice. "She'll be there. She won't be able to resist."