Suzanne McLeod - The Shifting Price of Prey

Did he think I’d had sex with Finn deliberately? After what had happened between us on the island? Was this some sort of jealous snit? Or was his blood hunger screwing with his mind? The only one way to find out, as Hugh would tell me, was to ask.

I scrambled up, ready to demand what he was playing at, only to find him staring at the Empress.

My heart went out to him. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said, and I was. I didn’t know her, and didn’t particularly want to. But even if he hadn’t seen her for centuries, and even if Bastien’s story about her hitching up with the Emperor was true, Malik must have cared for her at some point. Losing someone hurts.

After another long moment, he raised his gaze to mine; beneath his carefully blank look, he seemed relieved, not sad or angry. ‘The Emperor is dead.’

‘Yes,’ I said, even though it was a statement, not a question. Obviously he was aware that his wife, though ex-wife was probably more appropriate, only got to live as long as she did thanks to her blood-bond with the Emperor. If she’d expected a new blood-bond with a vamp as reward for her part in the plotting, then she’d pretty much lost that gamble.

He scanned around the tent as if searching, spied Janan and scooped the knife up, then attacked a pile of clothes in one corner. As I watched, feeling oddly redundant, he efficiently turned out pockets and patted the clothes down, then pulled on jeans and a shirt, both black. They fit, so had to be his. He slipped Janan into the back of the jeans in a practised move, then strode back to contemplate the Empress again and demanded, ‘Where are the Emperor’s ashes?’

Of course, he’d know the Emperor would go up in flames once he was dead. As Bastien had gleefully informed me, the whole ‘fool-the-Emperor-into-thinking-he-was-getting-Malik’s-immortality-sting’ had been Malik’s plan.

I frowned, not happy he was virtually ignoring me. ‘A wind blew them into the ether.’

‘All of them?’ he queried, still not looking at me.

‘No. His head sort of shrank and Bastien ate it before the ashes dissipated.’

Malik’s shoulders slumped as if in defeat.

‘I take it that’s bad?’ I asked, more for something to get him talking. Because no way in hell was it good.

‘It was not meant to happen this way,’ Malik murmured, almost to himself. ‘I was to be the one to wield Janan, not you. No one but I knew that you could also use the Bonder of Souls.’

Yeah, not even me. ‘So how did Bastien find out? Because I take it he was the one who decided to add me in as an extra to your plan?’

Malik gave a sharp shake of his head. ‘I do not know how he discovered it. It was only after your mention of Janan at the lake that I realised something was amiss. After our time together—’

‘When you decided to send me home without consulting me,’ I interrupted flatly.

‘I hoped to keep you safe, Genevieve,’ he said, voice toneless.

I settled for a loud huff – he knew my thoughts about that – and said, ‘So, what happened after you sent me home?’

‘I learned Bastien had deviated from the plan we had agreed.’ A puzzled frown drew his mouth down. ‘He has not done that in centuries.’

Right. Well, my bet was that a certain leannán sidhe had a hand in inspiring Bastien’s deviation, but I didn’t say it. I also didn’t say that maybe if Malik hadn’t kept me out of the loop, I might have had a chance to destroy the Emperor’s head along with the rest of him. As it was, the psycho had taken me by surprise. And he’d chomped the Emperor now, so recriminations were sort of meaningless. But there was one thing I needed Malik to tell me.

‘Bastien says now he’s the Emperor he can put two and two together and tell me how to release the fae’s trapped fertility.’ Or in other words: did you know that the sadistic prick knew? And if so, why the hell didn’t you tell me?

‘My apologies, Genevieve,’ he said, still staring at the side of tent. ‘Bastien gave me his word not to harm, or even speak to you in person so long as I did not divulge to another that he knew of the original spell to trap the fae’s fertility. Since you recovered the pendant I have been negotiating with Bastien for the information you and the fae require.’

So Bastien had him over a barrel because of me. Damn exasperating, over-protective vamp. ‘Thanks, but now I know I can do my own negotiating. And I plan to as soon as I’ve double-checked everyone is safe.’

‘Speaking to Bastien will put you in danger—’

‘Malik.’ I threw my hands up. ‘I’ve told you, you can’t protect me from everything. And I don’t want you to. You need to tell me what’s going on, let me make my own decisions about what to do, or not do, and then at least if I end up in danger, I’ll know how and why I got there. And I’m not stupid; if I need help, you can bet I’ll ask for it.’ Unlike you, you stubborn idiot , I added silently, balling my hands in frustration. ‘Same way I told you to ask me if you needed help. And okay if it was just your business and you didn’t want my help, fair enough. But it wasn’t. This was my business too. Hell, maybe if I’d been part of the plan from the beginning, or got to talk to Bastien, then he and the spirit of the tarot cards wouldn’t have got together, I might have got decent warnings from her and prevented Katie and Freya ending up here in the Forum.’ All right so maybe I wasn’t above getting on the recrimination bandwagon.

Malik’s jaw went rigid, bone jutting sharp against his pale skin. ‘I did not intend for any innocents to be put at risk.’

‘Of course you didn’t,’ I agreed with a sigh, despite the fact he still wasn’t looking at me. ‘It’s not your style. I’m just saying you shouldn’t keep me in the dark, and you don’t have to do everything alone.’

He smoothed a hand over his shaved head, brushing off the dried blood from the smudged glyphs there. He stared down at the rust-coloured flakes sticking to his palm as if they were able to predict his future then clenched his fist. ‘My apologies, Genevieve, you are right. If you would allow me, I would assist you in your negotiations with Bastien. In order to expedite matters, I would request some of the power your blood holds. I would not ask, were it not of importance to you.’

He wanted to assist me, did he? Well, no way was I going to refuse an offer like that, but first he could damn well stop acting like talking to me was akin to sucking garlic. ‘On one condition,’ I said flatly.

‘Which is?’

‘You listen to my explanation about what happened with Finn.’

He turned, fixing his gaze somewhere near my left ear. ‘I do not require you to explain. It is your choice alone who you decide to bed. You have said you were willing—’

‘No,’ I said, gritting my teeth at his oh so polite tone. ‘ You said I was willing. I told you Finn didn’t force me. There’s a whole lot of story in between that.’

‘I do not need to be told a story, Genevieve.’ His eyes met mine for a moment, his black and pitiless. ‘In truth, I would prefer not to listen to one.’

‘Listen, buddy.’ I thumped him in the chest. ‘Things happened between Finn and me. Things which were not entirely of either our choice. So stop assuming you know what’s going on.’

He slowly met my eyes again, anger flickering. ‘You are saying I am an ass?’

‘Yep. But hey’ – I grinned, though it was more a baring of teeth – ‘I won’t hold it against you; we all assume things at times.’ Like I had. Good thing he hadn’t seen the blackmail threat I’d sent him. Yet. I suppressed a shudder. ‘I’ve just had more time to think my assumptions through.’