Chapter 9 #2
Her eyes widened, and she dropped the gun. It went off when it struck the stone. I smelled angel blood and then bared my teeth in earnest. She backed away from me, hands raised, and then Romi swung a chain at my head while Gavriel sank to his knees.
Things had officially gone off the rails.
I leapt, grabbing the chain while I spun so it was wrapped around my body, then I hit Romi, swinging around him so the chain came up against his throat, his belly against the stone, body bowed back as I contemplated ripping his head off with the chain.
It would be messy, and this was supposed to be a quiet job with an accidental death, but the scent of angel blood swelled higher and higher.
The pix grabbed a rusty knife from a table and held it at Gavriel’s throat. “Let Romi go or I’ll kill your friend.”
Gavriel’s eyes met mine, and he looked amused.
Blood was coming from his shoulder. Not a lethal shot, and he was a reaper.
I wasn’t supposed to kill anyone, but Romi was gasping and struggling like a fish at the end of a line.
At the end of his line. If I kept on like this, he’d be dead before much longer.
Gavriel kicked the gun towards me. I caught it, then turned and shot the lock off the cage. Crucible came out like a mad tornado, spitting and gouging Romi’s face before he landed on my shoulder and started combing my hair, tugging hard enough to make my eyes sting.
“Why is the ferret…” the pix said, frowning at me in confusion, then his eyes cleared.
“You intentionally came here for the ferret. It’s yours!
That’s why it’s so well-trained. Why it knows how to mix poison and pick locks.
” He lowered his knife, and Gavriel side-stepped him and went to pick up the fairy girl.
She blinked at him and then kept staring. He spread his glorious white wings and shone with an inner light.
“I think that we’ll make a trade,” he said, studying the girl with a gentle smile before he turned to me. “Her life for the goblin’s. Do you agree, Goblin? Your life for this child? You can’t steal someone’s pet without paying for it. That’s fair, is it not?”
Romi gurgled then hit the stone floor three times, the ultimate sign of defeat.
I released him, spinning the chain and then wrapping it around my arm while I nodded at the Pix. “Get paper. We’re writing a contract.”
“A contract? You can’t trade her life for his. Slavery is illegal.”
I flashed a smile at the adorably fairy boy. “Is it? Then she must not have a collar around her neck. If you get a paper, then I won’t have to write the contract in Romi’s skin.” I flexed my fingers, showing how sharp my claws were. “The last time I used someone’s skin…”
“Get a paper!” Romi gasped.
It took two more minutes before he’d written the contract according to my directions and signed at the bottom. I put a drop of blood next to his name and then nodded at Gavriel. “Does it look good?”
He leaned over and frowned at it. “It looks good to me, but I don’t make contracts with demons.”
I grimaced and leaned my cheek against Crucible’s fur. I’d missed having him close even though he smelled terrible. “Thanks. I guess we can go then.” I smiled at the girl. “Do you have any belongings you’d like to take with you? You can have your brother fetch them.”
The pixie boy inhaled sharply. “How did you know…”
“Meet us outside.”
He took off while I studied the goblin who was staring at me like I was a serious disease that he’d contracted, only I might be killable.
“I’m really not,” I assured him, flashing fangs in a way that made him flinch. “The contract is solid. Be glad that’s all I took from you. If you even think about coming after any of us, or whispering about this business, you’ll wake up dead. Remove her collar.”
He glowered and then brushed his fingers over the silver until it snapped and came off into his hand. That glower was so intense. He was definitely going to try to kill me for this.
We stepped outside and Gavriel put the girl on his shoulder so she could see the goblin market. She stared around with rapt eyes, but she was mostly looking backwards until her brother caught up to us. He had a small bag over his shoulder that wasn’t enough for anyone’s belongings. Other than mine.
I scratched Crucible under the chin, and he nudged my neck and nibbled my ear.
“Don’t bite me,” I warned. “Vampire flesh will make you sick. Pix, do you know a booth that sells ferret food?”
“Don’t call me pix,” he said, glowering at me and his sister who was perched on the angel’s shoulder. “What are you going to do with her?”
“No idea. I just needed revenge for what he did to my darling Crucible. Do you have any family that might take you lot in?”
He hesitated, then shrugged. “I have a half-brother.”
“What a surprise. He sounds like a criminal. Do you want to get involved with that, or would you prefer to be placed somewhere else? The fairy grove would be a good place to find law-abiding contacts. At least that’s what the criminals say.
Dust is not allowed. I’m not dropping either one of you until I’m certain you’re in a good place. And I’ll check periodically.”
He grabbed my arm, so I spun around to face the fairy boy and his pale lashes. “I thought you were an assassin. Why are you helping us? That’s what you’re doing, right?”
I studied him, then shrugged, glancing at Gavriel. “My angel says that I have a soul worth saving. If I do, then a couple of fairy kids definitely do. And saving is harder than killing. Maybe I’m ready for a challenge.”
Gavriel smiled at me, and I ducked my head, feeling awkward.
Also slightly glowing. That was approval in his eyes.
I’d solved the problem without killing, and he’s the only one who got shot.
The scent of fresh blood was gone, so I wasn’t worried.
All right, I was worried, and the second I had him alone, I was taking off his shirt to check his wound.
I’d hate that so much, but some sacrifices had to be made for his safety.