Page 123 of Till Death

“Yeah. I could see over his big, old, fat fingers, so when we got to the hallway, I bit his hand and kicked him between the legs like you showed me.”

A flash of pride soared through me as I pictured the small child catching the man off guard.

“I don’t think it really hurt him, but he let go for a second, and I ran away. But then this lady jumped right out of a mirror in the hallway and captured me again.”

Ro pointed to her arm. “For the record, she bit me, too.”

“Everything’s a weapon,” Quill said with as much sass as she could muster.

I hugged her tighter. “Everything can be. But Ro is friends with Orin and me. She would never hurt you. She helped take care of me when I needed her, too.”

The child rolled her big blue eyes. “That’s what she said, too, but you said we could never trust anyone but ourselves, so I tried to get away. Now, that lady says I’m stuck here forever and ever, and I’m never going to see my dog again.”

“Ro!”

“She bit me!”

Quill jumped from her seat. “You stole me. And now my friend is going to kill you, huh, Dey? ‘Cause we’re family.”

I couldn’t help my smile. So much fire in such a wild little thing. “No, kid. I’m not going to kill her. I’ll yell at her really good, though, okay?”

She jerked her arms over her chest with a pout and sank back onto the couch, her pink lace dress billowing around her. Eventually, she was going to learn about Hollis, and I was sure her fire would be put out. So, I let her live in her anger a little longer because at least that meant she could still feel something.

“I jumped into a mirror to get here, and we can’t leave the same way if you don’t want your power exposed.”

“You understand what happened here, don’t you?” Ro asked, sitting across from us on a high-back chair that might’ve been a throne in a larger size.

“You saved her from being captured by Icharius Fern.”

“Do you think Drexel would have just casually let someone take his prize?”

Quill’s hands tightened in mine.

“There’s something between them. I’m just not sure what it is. He said he would protect her.”

“Yes. An easy lie for a notorious performer. Be careful, Deyanira. You’ve just given him all the reason in the world to come after you.”

I stood, pulling Quill to my side. “I hope he comes. It’ll save me the trouble.”

She glanced at the child and back at me. “Just don’t forget what you have to lose now.”

“The next time Drexel Vanhoff is before me, he will be on his knees and weeping. If not for bartering away the kid, then for every other offense in his life. I’m not worried about what I have to lose, because this isn’t a game. It’s earned retaliation, and I will end it.”

She stood, her movements as smooth as a viper rising, eyes vicious and glistening. “There’s my girl.”

We followed Ro through her house and back up the stairs, though I had to pull Quill through the mirror, leaving Ro behind. The girl’s distrust for anything at this point was warranted, so I didn’t fuss too much as we darted out of a little shack in the heart of Silbath and toward the apartment building hiding the Syndicate members.

If looks could kill when the door flew open and Orin found us standing there, they would have been digging my early grave. But Thea flew around him, grabbing Quill and swinging her, breaking the tension.

“How did you get out?” he asked as I stepped into the apartment.

“There are these fun things called windows. They’re used for fresh air, sunlight, and prison escapes.”

He reached around me to close the door, coming so close, his warm breath fell on my cheek as he whispered. “Sometimes I think you mouth off just to see if I’ll punish you.”

I grabbed his collar, lowering my voice as I countered, “You may want to reevaluate the difference between punishment and pleasure.”

His snarl would have garnered a laugh, had reality not felt so heavy. But I knew these next moments would be hard. Especially as Thea sat Quill on the couch and the rest of the group moved around her. Sandwiched between Elowen and Paesha, Quill stilled as they both grabbed the child’s tiny fingers.