Page 22 of The Death Dealer (Sentinels of Magic Book 2)

“He’ll remain with the Authority, Mother,”Deni told the petite, smart-dressed blonde.“Trust me. No one knows Trevor Blane as well as I do.”

The smug way she’d said it, along with the superior look she shot in her direction, made Soleil want to rip Trevor’s ex’s head off her shoulders and use her dried-out skull as a chalice to drink aged whiskey.

Bitch.

“I understand you believe you do, darling, but it’s been over two years since you’ve last seen him,”Deni’s mother said.“People change.”

“Not Trevor.”

Yes, Trevor, Soleil wanted to shout. Did the skanktrulythink he would sit around and pine away for her forever?

But hadn’t Soleil herself had a similar thought? Hadn’t she worried she couldn’t compare to the other woman the second he saw her again? Wasn’t there a small part of her that believed he’d take one look at Deni and ask,“Soleil, who?”

“Wear this.”Deni’s mother handed her a small vial of what appeared to be perfume.“It’s charmed.”

“I can lure him on my own,”Deni snapped.“He bought me an engagement ring, for fuck’s sake.”

“Tone, Denillia.”

“I apologize.”But her cold brown eyes said differently.

The mother-daughter duo’s tension practically crackled in the air, and Soleil hoped to use it to her advantage.Ifshe could drive a wedge between the women, she might stand a chance of surviving.

The bold blonde’s beady gaze landed on her.“Does she know?”

“No. From what I can tell,she’snothing but a bimbo.CertainlyTrevor can’t see anything worthwhile in her. She’s a chunk, dirty three-quarters of the day, and cluelessas tohow he’s using her.”

Soleil desperately wanted to take exception to Deni’s criticism and tell that human menstrual cramp to eat shit and die, but for now, she needed to play along. Maybe they’d underestimate her one too many times, and she’d find a way to turn the tables.

A large, invisible hand squeezed her shoulder, and she almostcame out ofher bonds.

“You’re not a bimbo, Dalli, and your body is perfect,” Trevor growled through their connection.

The cavalry had arrived.

Soleil closed her eyes against the threatening tears. Yes, she was relieved he was here, but she hadn’t realized how much it hurt tobe disparagedin front of him. He’d heard and was trying to make her feel better, which somehow made it worse.

“Not as perfect as hers,” she said as casually as she could.

“Meh.She’sscrawny. I’ve had better.”

She barely managed to suppress a laugh. It was no wonder she lovedhim.

“I love you, too, Dalli. Hold on to that knowledge, and don’t forget it as this plays out, okay?”

“You know something I don’t?”

“Yes.”

She waited, but he didn’t share. “What took you so long to get here?”

“I’d have been here hours ago, but the Aether slipped me a magical Mickey. I had to fight the effects.”

“Damian did that?”

“To calm me down, I think.” His fingers tightened. “I was out of my mind when I found out youwere abducted.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was going.” How did she say she took off because she felt insecure since Fintan told her not to trust Trevor?

“He did what?!”

Having forgotten to cloak her thoughts, she winced and sucked in a breath as Trevor’s outraged voice echoed in her head. Unfortunately, her action caught the attention of the women.

“Why did you do that?”Deni demanded, striding forward and double-checking her ties.

Soleil said the first thing that came to mind.“I have to go to the bathroom. I’ve been holding it forever, and I can’t anymore.”

It wasn’t necessarily untrue.She’dbeen sitting for hours, and nature was banging on the door of her bladder.

“Too bad.”

“Rude much?”Soleil muttered.

“You can wet your pants for all I care,”Deni said with a sneer.“That should endear you to Trevor.”

The scathing laugh did it, and Soleil kicked the bitch’s spindly shin.

“Suck a bag of dicks!”she shouted as Deni bent and hopped on one leg.

“Nice one, Dalli. I need to remember that particular comeback.”

If she knew where he was, she’d shoot him a glare. “It’s the best I could come up with under the circumstances.”

“It’s nothorrib?—”

Deni’s palm connected with her cheek, and the Mike Tyson-worthy slap snapped Soleil’s head to the side. Her jaw immediately began to ache like a bitch, and a burning started below the surface of her skin, throbbing outward.

“I’m going to eviscerate her!” Trevor growled.

The air around them stilled, and Deni seemed to sense the threat. She frowned in confusion and shot a worried glance at her mother.

“Did you feel that?”

“Yes.”The blonde woman tossed the perfume bottle to Deni.“Put it on. Quickly. When Trevor Blane walks through that portal, I want him to be on his knees and begging.”

“I told you. I don’t need it to snarehim, Mother,”Deni snapped as she dropped into the chair beside Soleil.“Now, cast a glamour to make me appear tied.”

“So that’s their game,”he muttered.

“Who else is here, Trev?” Soleil asked him.

“Draven and Fintan.”

“Uh, about Fintan.”

“He said he’ll explain later.” Trevor’s fingers brushed Soleil’s cheek, and she wanted to lean into his hand but resisted the urge. The cooling sensation took the sting away, and the thrumming pain in her jaw eased. “I’ve left the mark for show, Dalli. If you need to, pretend it’s tender.”

“Since you’re cloaked, can’t you sidle up to that toe wart and obliterate her?”

“I could, but Damian wants more information from Councilwoman Vector first.”

“Who’s that?”

“The older blonde.”

“That’s Deni’s mother. Are you saying she’s the Authority councilperson who sent you after me?”

“That’s what I’m saying, sweetheart.” His voice inside her head was grim. “Whatever this is, it goes farther back than you.”

“I’m sorry, Trevor.”

He stroked Soleil’s cheek a second time. “I’m going to show myself. Act surprised.”

It had takenno time for Damian and his Sentinels to defuse the burn-up-on-contact element of the portal, allowing a cloaked Trevor, Fintan, and Draven access to the room.

Trev had arrived in time to hear Deni’s insulting comments to Soleil, and he’d wanted to rip her a new asshole. Until she’d struck Dalli, he’d intended to let her live. Now, she’d be lucky to.

Positioning himself by the portal, he muttered the words to uncloak himself, pretending to stumble forward as if he’d just entered. A fireworks show behind him made it look like he’d diffused the spell across the opening by crossing through.

With a faux check of the room, his gaze touched on Soleil—who acted surprisingly well, all things considered—andthensettled on Deni. His mouth dropped open in fake shock as he rounded his eyes.

“Deni?”he croaked.“Oh, God, Deni! Are you hurt?”He took two steps toward her before he halted and faced Agnes Vector.“You!”

Satisfaction for a job well done curled inside him when she smoothed down her hair and smiled.“Welcome, Mr. Blane.”

“What’s going on, Councilwoman Vector?”His gaze touched on his two loves, past and present, lingering longer on Deni for effect before he once again addressed the head bitch in charge.“Why are they tied?”

Her beady eyes narrowed as she considered him.

Had he overplayed his role? He could do one of two things: act complacent, as if he would go along with her plans, or become belligerent, which was more believable for his personality.

“Start talking,”he ordered. Lifting his hand, he conjured fire and shaped it into a ball. He added an extra element to paralyze her as the flames ate her black soul: his special fire-of-hell touch to make a villain’s journey to nothingness torturous. If it got to the point where Trev had to step in and take a life, hisvictimdeserved what they got.

“We, the Authority and myself, need assurances, Death Dealer,”she said coolly. Gesturing to Soleil and Deni, she continued.“They’re our guarantee, although we only intend to keep one alive to assure your compliance. The other will act as a warning to you and those who seek to defy their contract.”

His stomach dipped before he remembered Damian wouldn’t let anything happen to Soleil.“What assurances?”

“That you’ll continue to do your job.”

“Haven’t I always?”

“Yes, but not without grumbling anda lot ofstops and starts.”She strode to her daughter on sensible heels and caressed a lock of chestnut hair.“Take Denillia here. If we hadn’t removed her from your life two years ago, you’d have quit the business when we needed you the most.”Vector’s wide, toothy smile put a T-Rex to shame.“But by taking her off the playing field, you became angry and uncaring. You did whatwas requiredwithout argument.”

“Only for those deserving of death,”he corrected.“I don’t kill innocents.”

“But how can you tell who is deservingor not?”she taunted.“We are the ones who feed you information, Blane. We are the puppet masters.”

“The Authority or you, as my handler?”he asked coldly.

“Does it matter?”

“Tell me you’re going to off that smug-ass hemorrhoid, Trev. Please.”

He did his damnedest not to look at Soleil and laugh, but his mouth twitched. To combat the urge, he compressed his lips.

“So, which one lives, Mr. Blane?”she asked tauntingly.“Or should I make the choice more interesting?”

“I’m not likin’ the sound of that, cher,” Draven said grimly, using the psychic link created by their tanzanite rings.

“Me, either.”

“Bring them in,”she called out.

A door opened on either side of the room. The two men, held at gunpoint, were forcefully shoved forward into the light.

Trevor almost lost his shit. “What’s the meaning of this, Vector?”

“I’ll let you save two, Mr. Blane. But only if you contract with us for the rest of your days.Oh, andthere will be no more balking when we assign you a case. You’ll kill who we want, when we want, regardless of whether they’re‘innocent’or not. Got it?”

Trev swore, then and there, he was going to tear out her cruel, beady eyes and feed them to her on a platter. Across the distance, he locked gazes with Simon. The raw fury on his face spoke to his mindset.“Is Evelyn okay, Si?”

“I don’t know.”Simon’s response was rough.Having lost one wife, his brother wouldn’t be able to handle it if he returned home to discover Evelynwas harmed. He’d go nuclear.

“Fintan?”

“She’s grand.”

“It takes a lot to kill a Thorne witch, bro,”Trev told Simon, hopingthe underlying message would be received. The torment in his brother’s eyes lessened, but his anger remained.

“His rage could come in handy,” Soleil said.

“Yeah, Dalli, that’s what I’m counting on if it comes down to a battle.”

Benjamin Blane rolled his shoulders and shifted forward.“I’m going to make this situation easier for everyone.”

Catching and holding his breath, Trevor waited for the other turd to drop.

His father’s regretful gaze touched on him before locking on Agnes.“I’ll take Trevor’s place. I’ll be the assassin you require.”

“Sorry, but no,”she replied with an airy wave.“You can’t be trusted, Benjamin. Your boys will do.”

Her slip didn’t go unnoticed by either Simon or him. She wanted them both under her thumb.

“There are three Death Dealers in one room, Agnes,”Ben scoffed.“Do youreallybelieve we can’t take down you and your crew without breaking a sweat?”

Trevor wanted to scream at him to shut the fuck up, but his father was a pro at escaping sticky situations, so he remained quiet, hoping like hell Ben knew what he was doing.

“Take this one, for instance,”he said, gesturing behind him with a toss of his head.

Blood oozed from the man’s nose. The vessels in the guard’s eyes turned an unnerving shade of red before exploding and causing his eyes to weep blood. A moment later, he was in a heap on the floor.

“Fuck me!” Fintan shuffled closer to Trevor. “Sure, and did you know you could do that party trick, man?”

“No. But it’s useful.”

“Kill them all!”Agnes shouted as her shock wore off. She dove for an exit, only to run into an invisible wall known as the Guardian. A cry was wrung from her lips as Draven gripped her hair to halt her flight. The air around him shimmered, revealing him.

“Councilwoman Vector, why would you leave when things are about to get interestin’?”he asked.

Fintan disposed of his invisibility cloak.“Aye, and I’m not appreciatin’ that you gave up our advantage, Masters, I’m not,”he growled.

“Get over yourself, Sullivan.”Draven grinned cheerfully.“There’s fun to be had in seein’ the fear in your enemy”s eyes when they realize they’re in deep shit.”

The cocking of a gun ended the banter.