Page 20

20

O ur next day on the trail was easier. Though I’d worried upon waking that I’d trusted the witch at the viaduct too impulsively, too freely, no challenger came to destroy us overnight. No enemies scoured the Passage for us, no more than either Jae or I had expected. This far from Cumberland, we skirted around a sparse dragnet of tired battle mages. The power-masking bangles we both wore blinded them to our magical signatures, though. We passed them by.

The trail itself wasn’t as taxing, either. Once we struck the tent and packed up our campsite, the GAP crept up. Spent from yesterday’s crushing pace, my quads and glutes begged for mercy. Jae’s muscles, aching from his marathon run, must weep for rest, too. But we could manage the pain and our weariness.

Ohiopyle wasn’t far. A little over twenty miles.

Despite the rugged terrain, today’s journey would take us only half as far. We’d reach the park by noon if we pushed as fiercely as we had the day before, but with the worst danger at our backs, I attacked the gravel trail at a more leisurely pace.

Our instructions upon leaving Cumberland had been clear. Take the trail to Ohiopyale, where a trusted confidant of Clara Trask would park a blue Ford Bronco Sport with a bike rack on the rear bumper and roof rack for kayaks on top, both empty. To circumvent monitoring of associates, Clara’s friend had invited another pal to bike down the Passage to join Clara and Menolac in Cumberland—we’d passed the pair along our route. The friend was outdoorsy, so the jaunt wouldn’t appear extraordinary, should any spy be watching her.

Before climbing onto their bikes at Ohiopyle, the couple would leave the SUV in a lot nearest the park with a spare key in a magnetic case under the right rear bumper. The friend accompanying the woman, Leo McCaffrey, had reserved a cabin for the week at a local, non-chain resort. That cabin’s key card would be in the dash and a map marked with our route stretching farther north. The dragon’s nest wasn’t identified on the map, but if Obie chose to meet us, the dragon would interrupt our journey during the drive.

Our largest risk had been leaving Cumberland. Second greatest peril would be retrieving the Bronco if the Chicago Maces, Teddy’s killer, and other hunting demons had cottoned to my alliance with Clara in time to send out a spider web of mages to follow her friends and compatriots. While we’d evaded the worst hazards to us back home, we’d yet to face the threat of picking up the Bronco and I, at least, was in no hurry to see if our enemies had mustered the brains and the manpower to kill us, after all.

Temps on the trail had improved since yesterday’s ride, not as muggy and hot. Other trekkers only dotted the trail on a Wednesday, so close to off-season, just day hikers without packs but a few on bikes. The unpolluted air smelled just as sweet and a lazy anticipation built inside me as I pedaled the slight incline, my desire to show my demon the rocks and waterfalls at Ohiopyle mounting. Jae would like the rocky ground. More popular than the isolated paths we’d traced so far, visitors would pack the park so we’d have to venture deeper into the woods to avoid them. He’d enjoy that.

I would, too.

Twenty miles on the Passage, even at a slackened pace, took a scant few hours and when I nosed my bike into the town at the center of the park, I sensed my demon’s exhilaration close-by. I slowed for traffic on my way to the main parking lot near the train station, while Jae hugged the surrounding woodland forests, but instead of heading to the Bronco I spotted almost immediately, I locked the bike into one of the many racks lining the Visitors Center. I used the bathroom inside to splash water on my face and try to douse some of the sweat from my hair. Then I grabbed a few snacks from the gift shop with a twenty I’d kept tucked in a hidden pocket in bike shorts I’d borrowed from the eldest Dyer. Once I’d scanned a QR code to bring up a trail map on my burner phone, I munched and took selfies from the platforms outside. Played tourist.

Once I’d set my cover as a day tripper, I headed down the trail lining the river, my heart lifting at the cooler temps and the fat dumb geese clustered along the banks of the Youghiogheny River as I made my way to the bridge spanning it. I’d join Jae on the Ferncliff Trail on the other side, but in the meantime, I’d take in the colorful mural that brightened this side of the bridge and the natural beauty of kayaks and fly fishers on the water below me.

Another selfie.

What Zoomer wouldn’t pause for snapshots of the peninsula on one side and the whitecaps frosting the water downstream?

After crossing the river, where the trail came to a rough T, I headed right instead of left, away from the falls, and my demon joined me moments later. “The car is not watched?” he asked.

I jumped what must’ve been twenty feet, my heart thumping a surprised jolt. “You should have waited until I was farther into the woods.”

“No one is here.” Scowling, Jae waved to the thick greenery around us. “No one cares. The car?”

Brow furrowed, I nodded to the water bottle he’d retrieved from his pack and gulped from my own. “Not as far as I can tell, but tourists cluster on the platforms near the falls. Hiding among them wouldn’t be difficult.”

I didn’t think we’d been followed, though, nor that a contingent of mages waited for us. We truly had escaped our enemies when we’d left Cumberland. I felt that certainty in my bones. “You know the plan.”

Jae nodded. “You scouted the car and reported to me.”

“Coast’s clear,” I said. “We’re as safe as we’re ever likely to be.”

My demon bit his lip. “Then you return to the car and, after more surveillance, retrieve the vehicle.”

“Yep.” I flashed a tremulous smile at him. “I’ll meet you at the cabin as soon as I can, but that might take an hour or two, depending on the vibe back at the Visitors Center so you shouldn’t worry if I take a little while to join you at the resort.”

“I don’t like it.”

He’d lodged his protests, loud and frequently, while we’d schemed for this risky part of our trek, but common sense and our mutual desire to succeed in our quest had over-ruled him. Truthfully, I didn’t look forward to being separated from him, either, but if our enemies had tracked us this far, they’d still search for two figures in the crowd, not a lone individual. That had been true on the Passage and was doubly so now. With sunglasses, a hat, and a small measure of magic—the activating of one of Jae’s many sigils shifting my facial features—I’d blend into other tourists enjoying the fine day, among the last we’d experience before fall colors bloomed and winter drove everyone indoors. The brief and temporary glamor drained a huge amount of Jae’s magic. He’d rest overnight before we continued. He’d need to restore the drain on his power, even if we made building a campfire our priority upon reaching the resort, but we’d both deemed disguising my appearance when we parted company vital.

I hated weakening my demon, though.

“Just do it,” I said. “The faster we get this over with, the happier we’ll both be.”

Scowling, my demon lifted the extended claw of one finger and scratched it over a faint circle on his forearm, which flashed a brief crimson.

My stomach lurched as his power flooded over me. It didn’t hurt, his magic. Some small wisp inside me recognized that neither Jae nor his magic would ever hurt me, not if he could help it, but life hurt, didn’t it? Just dragging in another breath exacted a horrific toll sometimes.

This was not one of those occasions. His magic seeped into and through me like an electric tingle. The spell he’d enervated produced a glamor. My nose wouldn’t become longer, my eyes wider or another color, my chin more rounded. Those features would just appear subtly altered to anyone I met, though certain fae could see through the magic if any were around to pay attention. I’d sensed a hum of magic near the Visitors Center, but a minority though magicals may be, stumbling across a family of them in a popular state park was to be expected. Predictable. I hadn’t noted the dizzy effect of beings other than something in the river. Nothing as strong and wrong as faeries, though. Water nymphs? Or sprites, who were less powerful fae but fae, nonetheless. Either sprites or nymphs indicated faeries weren’t here. They would’ve driven off lesser fae. Luck was on our side in that respect.

“Do I look different?”

My demon blew out a frustrated breath. “You will always be you to me.”

“I felt your magic.” Still, the nervous churn of my stomach wouldn’t subside unless I checked, so I used the stupid burner phone to try another selfie, corralling Jae close to my side to take the shot, because why the hell not? I knew before my finger jabbed at the screen that his power had succeeded, though. The person who stared back at me from the photo app wasn’t me. This guy was shorter, his hair curling blond whereas mine was muddy brown and straight. His jaw jutted more prominently and had lost the stubble I’d gained from not shaving on the trail.

Happy satisfaction made my smile genuine.

Jae’s mashed lips were equally sincere. “I will follow you,” he said once I’d lowered the phone.

“You will proceed to the resort because, despite the magic-deadening bangles from the Towpath, a trill of your power could escape to alert watchers and your glamor won’t hold up to more than a cursory inspection.” I sipped my water, resolving to refill it at my return to the Visitors Center, even though the idea of lingering made my skin crawl. “You aren’t the only person who has power, extravagant power. I’m a level ten druid.” I spread my hands, sloshing water from my bottle. “Surrounded by abundant natural resources.” I winked at my demon. “Few are as vicious or lethal as a druid in his own milieu. If anyone bothers me, they won’t enjoy it.”

He grunted.

“All right?” I said, prodding him. I gestured between us with my water bottle. “You’re a more effective fighter. I’ll give you that, but you need to understand that I can fight, too. That I’m as strong as you are and, in certain contexts, the power I can summon is more potent. Stop treating me like I’m fragile and start accepting me as an equal partner.”

“You are not my equal,” my demon said through gritted teeth. “Humans are breakable. They die. You can die.”

While I wanted to believe Jae cared what happened to me, I recognized my survival also meant his. We hadn’t finished the binding magic—he’d given me no promise, sworn no oath. He could endure my death. But maybe he didn’t want to? “I’ll be fine.”

He sniffed his disdain. “Breakable and stupid.”

I snorted a laugh. “Well, I’ve stayed alive this far. Must not be that dumb.” I patted his chest. “If I smell anything off, sense something awry, I’ll meet you at the resort. We’ll figure out another way. Okay?”

He shuffled his feet in the tall weeds, but triumph lit my heart because I knew I had him. He’d agree. He might grouse and complain some more, but my demon grasped this was the best of all our terrible options.

“You will be strong,” he said, shocking me at his quick capitulation. “You will be smart. You will be as deadly as any First Blood demon.”

Then he ruined it by activating another sigil on his arm.

That jolt of power throbbed. “Hey!” I said, the zing of pain over before the objection died in my throat.

Unrepentant, Jae grinned at me. “Speak to no one. Humans will not pay attention to you now unless you speak to them.”

My nose wrinkled. “Can we go now?”

Cocky as fuck, he beamed at me. “Issa.”

“Wait!” I said once he’d pivoted to stalk away. “I need to hike back to the Visitors Center. On the way, I’ll stop for takeout. The parking lot is ringed with picnic tables, so I thought I’d eat at one of them. Then, I can scope out the lot before I approach the car. I’ll be an hour or two. Don’t freak out.”

He waved a negligent hand over his shoulder as he vanished into the woods.

If Jae wasn’t concerned that his spell wouldn’t last how long we were apart, then I resolved not to be. I headed back across the bridge, stopping at a food truck where I bought chilidogs that would never in a million years be as good as the ones at Curtis Famous Wieners in Cumberland’s downtown mall and boba tea. Freaking amazing boba. I sipped from the fat straw on my return hike to the Visitors Center, occasionally chewing a tapioca ball sucked from the bottom of my drink. No need to hug the river this time. I’d pass as a tourist who’d finished his outdoor trek and just wanted to reach his car to go home. I didn’t read signs or take snapshots, so my walk was shorter.

When I came to the platforms dotted with park visitors gawping at the waterfall, I turned into the air-conditioned building to use the bathroom again. I tossed my disposable cup into the trash. I had noticed no one surveilling the day trippers, no stares sweeping the sparse crowd, no one lingering too long, but when I exited the building, I crossed the busy road via a pedestrian underpass too clean to describe at as a murder tunnel. Which was weirdly disappointing.

On the other side, I selected a concrete picnic table, sat, and ate chilidogs that were okay. Not as delicious as home, but the sauce was homemade, so the meal wasn’t dogshit, either.

No one watched me, the only other people in the lot a family of three who packed up an all-terrain stroller and a diaper bag that looked heavier than I was. The mother and father bickered with each other while their cranky toddler whined. I slurped down my last chilidog, aware that family could’ve been mine once upon a time. Before Teddy had died, before Rosie started drinking, we’d frequently taken off to enjoy the parks in the tri-state. Never realizing how fragile those golden days were and how richly life and magic would fuck us all up.

Me especially.

Ma had gotten lost inside a liquor bottle for years, but I’d hidden, too. Squelched down every bit of power I had, kept my head down, struggled and fought to pass for mundane. And for what? To be safe? I should’ve known I’d fail to carry on the masquerade forever. Teddy hadn’t. The Dyers hadn’t, either. None of us could, not for long. Despite the number of sleeper magicals populating guilds that didn’t develop power or train members on how to most effectively wield it…Those magicals were low level, like Finnegan. Rejecting magic for a normal life would be easier with power limited to parlor tricks. At least Wendy and members of the Quiet Quislings had acknowledged who and what they were to start with.

I hadn’t and look at me now. While power filled me as much as any magical in Cumberland, I struggled to control and focus it. When the Maces had attacked, I’d fought to bring forth the biome to melt the killing ice that had encased my demon. My familiar had blanketed me with his body to protect me from injury, and only Griffith’s arrival with battle mages had spared my life. I hadn’t even summoned the magic to stop my home from burning to the ground.

I’d been useless. Weak.

And stupid. Jae was right.

Not anymore. Pushing to my feet, I tossed my food wrappers into a trash can and walked with a confidence I did not feel to unlock Andrew Dyer’s bike from the rack I’d left it on earlier. I wheeled the bike over to the Ford Bronco and hefted it onto the rack hugging the rear door. Seizing a few moments to slide my hand under the right bumper to dislodge the magnetic case containing the key to the vehicle was no trouble, not in the lazy process of securing the bike to the car. I circled around the SUV, my thumb jabbing a button on the fob, and the front door lock clicked.

No one came for me as I climbed into the car. Whoever Clara had drafted to help us must have been shorter by a lot. My knees stabbed at the wheel, cramped and awkward, but I dared not adjust the seat or the mirrors, not yet, not where others might see and notice that maybe this car didn’t belong to me. Instead, I jammed the key into the ignition and sighed in relief at the first blast of air from the vents. Hot as sin, the forced air broiled me, but I knew coolness was coming. Rather than lingering to wait for comfort, I grabbed the searing hot wheel and, pushing the Bronco into gear, I backed out of the parking spot.

Just to be sure I hadn’t acquired a tail, I drove around the town a few minutes, my attention on the rearview mirror to check that no vehicle followed me despite the awkward dip of my head to see. After a right and two quick lefts with no shadow, I finally pointed the car to the camping resort Clara Trask had mentioned.

And Jae.

Where I could expect to find my demon.

I dug the electronic room key from the dashboard glove compartment at a security checkpoint to show the guard I was a guest, but I soon drove at a slow creep past a mountain lodge, circling around to the guest cabins strung like pearls through the woods behind it.

Ours was at the end, the most private and isolated.

A crackling fire in a pit out front already shed smoke heavy with the scent of cedar when I parked the Bronco. Thick tree trunks formed a sharp V around the firepit, with a pair of Adirondack chairs punctuating the open end. The cabin itself was tiny, not much bigger than a typical outdoor shed, but it boasted a narrow front porch with pots of ivy dangling from the roof on both sides of the open door.

My eyes narrowed on the gaping entrance, my glance flashing to the keycard I’d tossed onto the passenger seat after swiping it at the resort’s gate.

Feeling every inch of the seventy miles I’d biked, I climbed from the SUV and strode to the door. Inside, my eyes struggling to adapt to the darker interior, I found Jae exiting a door, steam from his shower billowing from it. My breath whooshed from my lungs in a shocked gasp.

I’d never seen him without his armor before. Braces shielded his forearms, his shoulders, his thighs, and calves, not to mention the breast plate protecting his chest. The pieces shone a dull black against his dark red skin, operating almost like camouflage or what I imagined might hide him best in his home realm. In mine, the separate pieces hid him in shadows, in darkness, masking the red undertones of his dark coloring, but without his armor? My fingers curled, itching with the temptation to reach out. Touch him. Short as he was, Jae’s stocky body bulged with muscle that made my mouth water.

And that was weird.

I was no tender slip of a twink. Ma was tiny and Teddy had stood a little less than six feet high, fit but not packed with muscle, so I wasn’t sure how I’d grown to be such a big guy. Maybe the Maces up in Chicago were heavy set, who the fuck knew. I didn’t. I’d never cared enough to Google any of my estranged relatives, figuring if they’d rejected my parents, they were of no consequence to me. Best not to remind them I existed. But I’d grown into a sturdy guy. Very. Few were larger. Andrew Dyer might clock in a smidge taller, but he numbered among the few.

As big as I was, when I picked partners to hook up with for casual sex, I gravitated to other guys built like tanks. Small lovers didn’t attract me. Frankly, I always feared I’d hurt them. Some were into that. God love them. But not my cuppa. I just wanted an orgasm or two and I was mature enough to want that for whoever I’d partnered with. Fair trade. Splitting a skinny dude like Finnegan or Skip in two did not appeal.

Slack-jawed, I stared at Jae’s prowling nakedness, awakening heat in my blood and stirring my cock to avid interest.

True, my demon wasn’t skinny. He stood a full head shorter than me, but he was compactly built, a killing machine and relentlessly lethal. I needn’t fear breaking him. If anything, Jae might break me, but that, too, seduced me. I loved a hard tumble in the sheets and as short as he was, my demon’s muscular body promised that in abundance.

My pulse skittered as he scrubbed at his damp, inky hair curling around the short horns curving at his temples. “Shower’s yours,” he said with the taunting arch of one eyebrow. He slung the towel around his hips, hiding the proud jut of his dick. “Fire should be high enough. I’ll be outside.”

Frozen in place, stunned at how fiercely arousal crashed through me, I gaped at him strutting out the front door. Then I scowled.

He’d known.

Because the link we shared ran both ways, I also recognized Jae welcomed this bizarre attraction. He reciprocated my desire, equaled my wants.

My belly flipped.

We, the pair of us, could not be. A thousand clarion alarms pealed in my head, warning me that sex between us would be unnatural, forbidden. Society frowned upon mixing among the species populating the earth, even in the states that hadn’t banned it. While the feds and state governments didn’t seem to care if shapeshifters fucked dryads or if the four races of faeries bed together, humans considered relationships with other species taboo and the more closely the magical being leaned toward human physiology, the more strident and severe the warnings—and occasionally legislated punishments—became. The outcry against vampires, who began their immortal lives as mortal humans, taking a lover outside a vampire clan was brutal. Magicals and mundanes, both of which were human, could not legally marry until Congress put the Equality Laws on the books stingy generations ago.

That was for native species.

Jae came from another realm entirely.

For most demons, sexual attraction wasn’t an issue. Most tribes produced demons who were enormous, as big as a house. Intercourse was a physical impossibility without resulting in the immediate death of the human partner. Demons from neighboring territories sometimes met to fuck each other, but even that was uncommon. Once they portaled, demons seemed to lose interest in sex. Maybe, because females never portaled, hetero demons weren’t attracted to other males? Nobody knew. Too few demons bound a magical to stay in our world to hazard a guess.

Ancient lore spoke of rare demon and magical liaisons in glowing, romantic terms, though. Other than a few weirdos and romance novelists, few believed those tales. They were fantastical lies humans told one another, no different from the myths about the battle of gods to explain thunder and lightning. I had believed none of them.

The urgent erection pressing against my biker shorts urged me to reconsider.

Demon physiology wasn’t all that disparate from ours, at least for our reproductive organs. I had a cock. My demon possessed one too, and as short as Jae was, the sizes of our dicks were compatible. I’d tried—and failed—to not stare before he’d slung his towel around his hips, but his erect cock had jutted from a dark red bush of pubic hair. His had been more heavily veined than my dick and a little wider. Comparable length, though. My asshole clenched at the idea of fitting that fat cock inside me. My body trembled anew.

Also strange as fuck because I wasn’t a fan of bottoming. I’d do it if I trusted my lover and fucking me was important to him. With the right partner, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed topping better, loved the sense of control and giving my partner pleasure. For casual hookups, I always topped, but I’d had a few boyfriends, one relationship lasting over a year. I’d switched topping for bottoming for them.

With Jae? Topping, bottoming, none of it felt wrong. My body hummed with aching arousal to fuck and be fucked in equal measure.

Rattled, I strode to the cabin’s miniscule bathroom and stripped. After two days on the trail and the forced proximity of the two-man bike packing tent, a shower to wash away the sweat and dirt would work wonders. I’d feel more like myself. Less confused.

I emerged cleaner, refreshed and dripping, but with nothing to wear.

So maybe Jae hadn’t been trying to seduce me when he’d finished in the bathroom. Like me, perhaps he’d been more focused on hosing the grit of the Passage off than what came after. Still, I draped my damp towel around my waist before opening the bathroom door. The backpack Jae had carried on the GAP rested on a sturdy coffee table. Since the crackle of the campfire stirring as my demon moved inside its flames, I dropped the towel and dressed in my last set of clothes—tan cargo shorts and an old Metallica T-shirt. No underwear, but I had dry socks. Leaving them next to the bag for tomorrow, I crept outside.

My breath locked in my chest.

Jae had indeed climbed into the fire to soak up the rejuvenating heat, but the towel he’d slung over his hips hadn’t fared as well as the armor and clothing he’d worn from the daemonica realm. Most of the towel had burned away, the last vestiges of ashy cotton sliding down rock hard thighs. My mouth watered at his fat dick stabbing from his groin.

This was ridiculous.

Tamping down my arousal, I glanced around to ensure none of the other cabins could get a glimpse of my very naked demon dancing in the flames, mollified by the draping curtain of willow branches hiding us. On wooden legs, I stalked to one of the Adirondack chairs and dropped into it.

Jae’s lips curved, diabolical and taunting.

“You need to be careful. Others could see you, blow our cover,” I said, my voice tight and my tone more biting than I would’ve preferred.

“The ally rented this cabin and three more next to it.” Jae lifted his hand to tap at his temple. “If humans were nearby, I would’ve sensed their heartbeats.”

Disconcerted at the reminder Jae could and likely had read the rapid uptick of mine when I’d caught him bare ass naked in the fire, I trembled. “The fire’s helping?” I asked him instead, shying away from the arousal clawing into me. “You spent too much power on the glamor disguising me.”

Practicing his demon magic usually cost him little, but helpful spells like portaling and glamors took a horrific toll on his power base. Demons could fly and fighting with magicked fire was as natural to them as breathing, but other complex spells exacted a terrible price, draining their strength.

Jae and I had agreed. The Bronco meant safety, and whatever magic spent to conceal me while I retrieved that better, more efficient means of travel surpassed the weakening of his power. The final glowing embers he stomped under his feet would have to recharge him to meet Obie. Hopefully.

That didn’t mean I had to like it. Best to parlay with a dragon at full strength.

“Your worry vexes me.” Jae kicked the last glowing coals to soak up the dregs of heat before the campfire burned out altogether. “Fire. Rest. Fresh meat from my hunt on the way to this place.” He waved a negligent hand, the honed edges of his claws glimmering in the light of the setting sun. “You believe me weak.”

“No.” I shook my head to emphasize my denial. “But the dragon—”

“Will kill us. Or not.” He shrugged an apathetic shoulder, as though I couldn’t feel his trepidation and concern. “His mate died when your father was killed, and he’s safeguarded his dragonets alone since. He must thirst for vengeance, and eliminating the risk to his younglings. His desire for their security will overwhelm all else.”

“He may also choose to ignore us. Stay out of this fight.” I leaned forward in my seat, elbows propped on my thighs, so my hands dangled between my legs. “Dragons rarely involve themselves in what they consider human affairs. We could very well drive around for days and never glimpse Obie.”

Snorting, Jae climbed from the fire to crouch at my feet. He snatched at my fingers. “You underestimate his instinct to protect his young. Understandable after your sires abandoned you.”

I lifted my chin. “Teddy didn’t. Traffickers murdered him.”

“And left you with no safe harbor in his absence.”

My mouth thinned. My demon wasn’t saying anything I hadn’t, in my worst moments, surmised myself. Teddy was precog, lightly so or not. He’d guessed how hard my life would be after his death. Hadn’t he begged me in his grimoire to forgive Ma? If I could? He’d known she would fail me and still abandoned me to the scrabble surviving would become. Sure, I’d had Griffith. No matter how rough my teens had been, I could have gone to my godfather. He would’ve helped. I recognized that with the same certainty as I felt the warmth of my demon’s grip and the ashy scent of his fire in my nose. Guild boss or not, Griffith would’ve aided me without drawing attention to the many secrets I’d been hiding. Probably.

I blew out a stuttering breath. “Your First Blood instinct to protect children may bias you about the dragon’s motives.”

“I am not wrong about his craving for revenge.” One corner of his mouth curved. “Humans do not mate for life. Dragons do.”

“Do demons?” I squinted at him. “Mate for life.”

“We mate as humans do.” His grasp of me skated up, stroking my forearms. “That our lovers will never, ultimately, reject us is not guaranteed. Some commit to one another unto death, others only for a season.” His eyes flickered red. “What we demons are in daemonica matters not, though, only what we choose to become once we bind here.”

I bit my bottom lip. “You’ve given me no oath.”

He shook his head. “I have not.”