Page 126 of Endless Terrors
The warrior’s jaw worked. She didn’t try to deny it. “After Viessa banished me, I began the search for a solution immediately. I couldn’t wait for a miracle. How was I to know you’d form the Shadow Court after I signed the contract?”
“Contract?” I repeated.
Lyari nodded again. “I thought it was part of her spell. The witch I found. I placed my hand in the heart of the flames.”
Lost in thought, I stared at the floor and frowned. It was all too coincidental, the fact that a witch had handed Lyari’s soul over to Lucifer just when he needed leverage on me most. I raised my gaze back to Lyari’s and asked, “Did you ever learn her name? The witch who oversaw your contract?”
“Iris.” Lyari didn’t hesitate. “She said her name was Iris.”
I closed my eyes. Iris, the witch from the Seelie Court and Belanor’s old lover. I’d basically killed him right in front of her—gleefully. More weight settled on my shoulders as I realized I was responsible for yet another person’s pain. Iris never would’ve targeted Lyari if she hadn’t been connected to me. The witch probably could’ve sent anyone to spy on us. But she’d chosen to torment someone I loved.
Pain seeped into my voice as I said, “I told you I’d find a way to save you, Lyari. And even if I hadn’t, would it be so terrible, becoming a goblin? You’ve met Seth. He’s a good person.”
“If I don’t have my honor, what else is there? My name?” she countered. “Bloodline Paynore is the laughingstock of the Unseelie Court.”
I was about to respond when Lyari stiffened. Her eyes went distant, and I recognized that look—anyone with supernatural hearing had some version of it. Lyari was listening.
She confirmed it a moment later. “Someone is downstairs,” the faerie murmured.
Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door. I stayed where I was and glanced at Lyari, wondering if she recognized the scent. She nodded to give me the all-clear, but her expression was strange. As soon as I opened the door, I realized why.
“Thuridan? What are you doing here?”
His gray eyes instantly moved past me. “I was looking for Lyari.”
I stayed between them, appraising the faerie Jassin had taken such a personal interest in. Lyari and I had never been able to find out why, and the mystery still bothered me. Thuridan was bigger than I remembered. He stood in the doorway, his muscular frame nearly filling it. He must’ve come from the Unseelie Court, because his ginger hair was raked back and he wore his Guardian armor. He also bore the Guardian weapon of choice, a sword that looked like rough-edged glass.
“You’re afraid,” I observed. I didn’t even need to be a Nightmare to see it—agitation came off him in waves and his hands were clenched at his sides.
“Stay out of my head, filth,” Thuridan snarled. I just looked back at him calmly. Thuridan frowned at me for a moment, as if I’d done something strange. His focus quickly returned to the beautiful faerie standing at my side, and I watched a change come over him. It was subtle, but it was there. Some of that softness slipped into his voice as he asked, “Is there somewhere we can speak privately?”
My gaze darted between them, noting the familiarity in how they looked at each other. Well, well, I thought. It was obvious they’d been spending some time together. But how much, exactly? Did Lyari know why the devil was after Thuridan? She opened her mouth to respond to him, but a new sound tore through the loft, making all of us freeze.
Nym was moaning.
I was the first to recover. I whirled away from Lyari and Thuridan to hurry down the hall. Nym’s door was cracked, and I pushed it open without hesitation. “Nym? Are you okay?”
The faerie stood near the window, but he was bent over, his head clutched between his hands. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and he was so underweight that it felt like I could see every bone beneath his thin, pale skin.
“Nym?” I ventured again, reaching for him hesitantly.
Just before my fingers made contact with his back, Nym spoke. He didn’t look up at me as he mumbled, “The Dark Prince is outside.”
My hand froze. Heilel was here? Now?
All thoughts of comfort vanished. Without another word to Nym, I whirled and ran toward my room, intending to get the Glock. Lyari must’ve been listening from the living room, because she’d drawn her sword. Thuridan stood beside her, and he met my fleeting look with contempt. It didn’t fool me, though.
Fear came off Thuridan Sarwraek like a downpour of rain.
“Modern weapons won’t work on him,” Lyari reminded me as I flew past.
I swore, halting. My mind worked quickly, running through a list of what would work on that immortal asshole. But we didn’t even know what he’d come back as. Was Lucifer a Fallen creature, like the rest of us, or was he something more? Would holy water affect him?
I could only think of one thing that might have a chance of slowing the devil down. I started moving again, and went into my room at a calmer pace. I reemerged a minute later.
When Lyari saw what I was carrying, her features tightened. “This is the Dark Prince, Fortuna. You’ve been training for less than a year.”
“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence.” I went to the row of hooks beside the door. I set the sword down and reached for my coat, shrugging it on. I wrapped my fingers around the sword’s hilt, lifting it again, and faced Lyari. “I may not be a warrior, but I am a Nightmare. And a fucking badass one. If it comes down to a fight, I might be the only one of us that can actually take him. The sword is just a distraction.”
