here for therapy. I’m going to go in and kill some bitches. They are murderers and fucking evil. I need help getting my niece out and you can do that.”
He leaned forward. “What is your plan, exactly, and why me?”
“ Any other vampire would use it as blackmail. Witches are supposed to be extinct. She’s valuable. I need someone who’d be willing to protect her…someone good.”
He shook his head and blew out a huge breath. “Good. I’m the good guy.” He laughed.
“ Have you seen the crowd I run around with? You’re totally a good guy. Always will be.”
He looked at her for a long moment, his hands going up to his hair, raking through it in agitation. “What will you do with her?”
“ I’ve got a home for her. And assuming I survive this fucking quest for the Fey, I’ll help her out, ”
“ You?”
She chuckled and it was so…pretty that it made him want to smile. “Yeah, me. Maternal instincts. No, seriously, she’s a witch. Witches need to do evil things. Need to harm and hurt to give their magic an outlet. You can’t take energy, use it for gain, without paying a price. But that doesn’t mean she needs to kill kittens and toddlers.”
The enormity of what she was saying and asking finally hit him. His voice was quiet. “Wait. So she really is evil. Why would I want to save her at all?”
“ She’s powerful. She can kill vampires. What if we find the Fey? They’re scared ofwitches. You want a balance where evil is encouraged to play by the rules. And they only do that if they have something to fear. They’ll fear her .”
“ But she’s evil. You just told me that! I’ll fucking fear her. It’s like getting Kujo because you’re afraid of a German Shepard.”
“ She is not inherently evil. Her magic is dark, that doesn’t mean she’s evil. We can make her be good. If she’s involved in the human world, goes to school, grows up with someone who loves her, she’ll want to protect people. She’ll know the value of life.”
“ That’s a pretty speech. What, she’ll be like you? What’s your kill count?”
“ Are you going to help me or not?” she asked heavily.
“ No,” he said without hesitation and stood up, ready to go back to the hotel.
“ Mother fucker!” she yelled at him. “Fine. You want the fucking truth? I have never killed anyone who wasn’t scum of the earth bad. If I could stop Marion, I did. I stayed with her for eighty fucking years because she liked what I did to her. With Marion, I couldn’t cut deep enough. There was never enough blood.”
She crowded in close to him, almost eye to eye she was so tall, her chest heaving, anger so high and close that it was like a pulse in the air. He’d back up if he had to, stake her if had to. “Everything I needed, she gave willingly—no, happily. Do you know what it’s like to be evil, to do monstrous things and then have your victim thank you? To know that you have made their day? It’s beyond fucked up, but I needed her and she gave me peace. I can save Molly, give her a life beyond murder. But I can’t do it alone and if you won’t go with me I can’t ask anyone else.”
“ If I don’t go, you’ll go in alone?” he asked. She jerked back a step, like she was scared of his voice.
She was breathing hard, quiet for a long while. “Yeah. I think so. I might ask Lucas, after all. He’s in a weird head space anyway. Who knows, maybe he’ll die before he gets a chance to blackmail me.”
“ That’s bullshit.”
“ What? Lucas? He’s on the way out. I’d bet my life on it. He’s tried to die, you know. I think that’s why we’re going for the Fey. If anyone has a weapon to kill him, they’ll be the ones to make it.”
He blew out a breath. “Okay, one thing at a time. You’re saying that if we rescue this girl now, she won’t hurt anyone for a decade, maybe more?”
“ Yes.”
“ I have something else I want to know.”
“ Yeah. I bet. What?”
“
He leaned forward. “What is your plan, exactly, and why me?”
“ Any other vampire would use it as blackmail. Witches are supposed to be extinct. She’s valuable. I need someone who’d be willing to protect her…someone good.”
He shook his head and blew out a huge breath. “Good. I’m the good guy.” He laughed.
“ Have you seen the crowd I run around with? You’re totally a good guy. Always will be.”
He looked at her for a long moment, his hands going up to his hair, raking through it in agitation. “What will you do with her?”
“ I’ve got a home for her. And assuming I survive this fucking quest for the Fey, I’ll help her out, ”
“ You?”
She chuckled and it was so…pretty that it made him want to smile. “Yeah, me. Maternal instincts. No, seriously, she’s a witch. Witches need to do evil things. Need to harm and hurt to give their magic an outlet. You can’t take energy, use it for gain, without paying a price. But that doesn’t mean she needs to kill kittens and toddlers.”
The enormity of what she was saying and asking finally hit him. His voice was quiet. “Wait. So she really is evil. Why would I want to save her at all?”
“ She’s powerful. She can kill vampires. What if we find the Fey? They’re scared ofwitches. You want a balance where evil is encouraged to play by the rules. And they only do that if they have something to fear. They’ll fear her .”
“ But she’s evil. You just told me that! I’ll fucking fear her. It’s like getting Kujo because you’re afraid of a German Shepard.”
“ She is not inherently evil. Her magic is dark, that doesn’t mean she’s evil. We can make her be good. If she’s involved in the human world, goes to school, grows up with someone who loves her, she’ll want to protect people. She’ll know the value of life.”
“ That’s a pretty speech. What, she’ll be like you? What’s your kill count?”
“ Are you going to help me or not?” she asked heavily.
“ No,” he said without hesitation and stood up, ready to go back to the hotel.
“ Mother fucker!” she yelled at him. “Fine. You want the fucking truth? I have never killed anyone who wasn’t scum of the earth bad. If I could stop Marion, I did. I stayed with her for eighty fucking years because she liked what I did to her. With Marion, I couldn’t cut deep enough. There was never enough blood.”
She crowded in close to him, almost eye to eye she was so tall, her chest heaving, anger so high and close that it was like a pulse in the air. He’d back up if he had to, stake her if had to. “Everything I needed, she gave willingly—no, happily. Do you know what it’s like to be evil, to do monstrous things and then have your victim thank you? To know that you have made their day? It’s beyond fucked up, but I needed her and she gave me peace. I can save Molly, give her a life beyond murder. But I can’t do it alone and if you won’t go with me I can’t ask anyone else.”
“ If I don’t go, you’ll go in alone?” he asked. She jerked back a step, like she was scared of his voice.
She was breathing hard, quiet for a long while. “Yeah. I think so. I might ask Lucas, after all. He’s in a weird head space anyway. Who knows, maybe he’ll die before he gets a chance to blackmail me.”
“ That’s bullshit.”
“ What? Lucas? He’s on the way out. I’d bet my life on it. He’s tried to die, you know. I think that’s why we’re going for the Fey. If anyone has a weapon to kill him, they’ll be the ones to make it.”
He blew out a breath. “Okay, one thing at a time. You’re saying that if we rescue this girl now, she won’t hurt anyone for a decade, maybe more?”
“ Yes.”
“ I have something else I want to know.”
“ Yeah. I bet. What?”
“
Similar Books
