Page 4 (1/2)

Her eyes belonged to the Fae, though Large and blue, like the rarest of jewels, the color lightened and darkened with herany color at all Was she frightened?

The deht and purred his approval

Shut up, Kane snarled I’ll kill you Kill you so dead

The purrs became chuckles, and Kane had to force himself to breathe, in and out, in and out, slow and measured He wanted to cut off his ears in the hopes of silencing all that sickening amusement He wanted to tear the room apart, destroy every piece of furniture, take down every wall, rip up every inch of carpet He wanted tograb the girl and carry her away froaze met hers, and she offered the sweetest of s to be okay, I proe dialed down to a simmer

That Quickly

How had she done that?

Of all the faces she had flashed, this was by far the prettiest She had the longest lashes he’d ever seen Her cheekbones were high and sharp, her nose perfectly sloped and her lips heart-shaped There was a slight point in her chin

She was like a little girl’s doll co life, and she smelled of rosemary and spearmint--a fresh-baked bread paired with an after-dinner mint In other words, hoan to shake

Stupid deer Unlike others, fear and upset were his favorite foods So when he yearned for a meal--or just wanted dessert--he caused some sort of catastrophe for Kane, as well as those around hiht bulb would short out, or the floor would crack at his feet Too e A lis would crumble

Hatred scraped at his chest One day, I’ll be free of you One day, I’ll destroy you

The shaking stopped as the deetting rid of o, the Greeks had told him only death would separate him from the demon--his death--but that Disaster would live on forevermore Perhaps that was true Perhaps not The Greeks were famous for their lies But either way, Kane wouldn’t risk death He isted enough to want to witness Disaster’s defeat, and just cold enough to want to be the one to deliver the final blow

There had to be a way to have both

"--right? Yes?" the girl was saying

Her lilting voice brought him back to the present

"Uh, Kane," Sabin pro to Kane, then, and he could iine what she’d said He shook his head, his neck almost too weak to support the action "No I didn’t"

"Butbuthisto Strider, cerulean flooding her irises, becoer "What about you? Will you carry out his end of the bargain?"

"Me?" Strider thumped his chest

"Yes, you"

"And just how do you want h her, but she said, "I wantI want you to take your dagger andstab me in the heart"

The warrior blinked, shook his head "You’re serious, aren’t you? You actually want to die"

"I don’t want to, no, but I need to," she whispered, the anger giving way to defeat

Kane sed a roar, re her words in the cave

I will take you to the human world--and in return, you will kill me I’ll have your vow first

Maybe he hadn’t believed her then Maybe he’d been too lost to his own pain to care But now, the fact that she wanted to dienot just no, but hell no He would die first

"Why did you dodge irl

"I told you Instinct But I’ll do better next tirowl risingrisingescaping "Mine! Touch her and I’ll kill you"

Both Sabin and Strider stared at him with astonishment Kane had always been the calm one, and had never before raised his voice to his friends But he wasn’t the ain

"Please," she begged the warrior, those eyes swirling with flecks of baby blue How desperate she sounded

Howterrible had to have happened to her to make her feel death was the only option available Had soht He would erupt Or bury his head in the hollow of her neck and sob

He peered up at Strider Big, blond Strider, with his navy eyes and warped sense of hu her with us" He would help her