She smiled. "You were ready for me with that dagger, huh?"
He grinned back. "Always." He was still smiling when he turned back to the Rivka. "The last plan gets my vote. How do we end the Curse, Becks? I've been working that angle for years, and I haven't come up with anything."
"I have no idea how to break curses," Becca said. "That's why it's my least favorite choice."
Damn. So much for that great idea.
"Wait a sec, Derek!" She brightened and slapped her thigh. "I just had an idea! I'll go create a diversion somewhere else, and Satan will send me off to deal with it. While I'm gone, you can do whatever you need to do to Goblet Girl, and it won't be my fault, so he won't torture me for it. And I can snag him enough quality souls to put him in such a good mood that he won't kill you either. That totally works."
"Does it really? Because I'm thinking that maybe it's not a win for the entire team," Justine pointed out.
Becca shrugged. "I hear ya, Goblet Girl, but it's just that my options are pretty limited, you know? The Rivka rules only allow so much room for manipulation. No offense, right?"
Justine sighed. "No offense taken." Well, maybe a little, but honestly, Justine understood how difficult it was to operate under strict job limitations. But how bad could Becca's job be if she could out-maneuver her orders to assassinate someone? It wasn't as if Justine wanted to kill Derek, or anyone else, for that matter. But she did what she had to do, because the Oath wasn't nearly as poorly written as Satan's Rivka rules apparently were.
Derek frowned. "I'm not sure that's the best option, Becca..."
"No worries. I can make this happen." Becca winked at him, then lifted her chin and shot him a very restrained, professional look. "Boss, I'm taking a couple personal days from work. Everything is in order at Vic's and should run by itself for a few days, because I know you'll be busy 'taking care' of Goblet Girl. I'll be back when things...quiet down." She shook Justine's hand. "It was great to meet you. Sorry it couldn't have worked out differently." And with that, she turned into a black vapor and dissolved into the asphalt parking lot.
Derek cursed and jumped to his feet as the black vapor vanished. "Do all Rivkas do that?"
"So I've heard." Justine held the gun tightly, watching his fingers around the dagger. Was he going to try to kill her right away? His grip was still relaxed, so she didn't move. Yet. She couldn't believe how bummed out she was feeling right now. She'd come here prepared to interrogate and do her job, but she'd somehow lost control of the evening and her own emotions.
She didn't want to kill him. She didn't want him to kill her, or even want to kill her. There were so many emotions swirling through her, emotions that she'd worked so hard to suppress for so long. She couldn’t afford to like him, or the Rivka, or anyone. She couldn't afford to like his kisses. She couldn't be human.
And yet, right now, she felt like she was being crushed under the weight of feelings she couldn't afford.
Derek eased over to the spot Becca had been standing, lightly probing the ground with his toe. "I think she liked you."
"Liked me?" A weary laugh escaped her. "You're deluded."
"I could see it in her eyes. She connected with you." Derek gave a laugh of irony as he finished his inspection of the ground that had sucked up Becca. "For the first time in my life, though, I almost wish I was deluded. It's been a hell of a night."
"Agreed."
He flipped the dagger around, so he was holding the blade between two fingers as he turned to face her. "My CEO is Satan's disciple. Sort of takes some adjusting."
Justine eased to her feet, watching the blade reflect the nearby streetlamp. "Are you going to follow Becca's suggestion? Destroy me while she distracts Satan?"
He thumbed the tip of the blade. "I need to think about it."
He wasn't going to do it right now. The tension eased from her shoulders, and she smiled. "Okay." Not that it changed anything. She still had to take him out. He clearly knew far too much. One encounter with a mind-reading Manasa and everything he knew would be on the Otherworld black market. Even now, a Manasa could be hunting him down.
She knew she needed to end this threat immediately.
But she didn't move.
Do it now, Justine.
He eyed her. "What about you? Are you going to kill me?"
"Still deciding." Fire the gun at him. But her hands remained on her hips, the gun hanging loosely from her fingertips. The faint sound of sirens echoed in the distance, and she knew it was time to vacate.
He nodded. "I can respect that." He cleared his throat. "Listen, I think we should forgo the...interrogation session tonight. Things are complicated."
She pressed her lips together to keep herself from protesting. He was right. "I agree."
He glanced at her, and she was pleased to see the regret in his eyes. "So, I'll give you a call?"
"Sure." Annoyed at how fast she dug into her handbag for her business card, she managed to slow herself down to a respectable pace as she walked across the sidewalk to hand it to him. Her heart leapt as her fingers brushed against his, but she forced herself to pull away. "You're the first guy I've given my number to since I took the Oath. Seems a bit anticlimactic, you know, with the whole I-have-to-kill-you undercurrent going on."
He gave her a rueful smile. "Well, you're the first woman I've promised to call since I found out I was Cursed, so we're about equally anti-social."
"Aren't we the perfect match?"
Something flickered in his eyes. "Maybe."
Ooh. She didn't like the way her belly jumped in response. Grab the dagger and end it. She managed to get her fingers to curl, but that was it. She simply couldn't make herself kill him.
"Want a ride home?" The approaching police sirens were loud now, and it was time to leave.
She gave a quick shake of her head. "Not a good idea. I need some air." Close proximity with Derek and his delicious scent and unbelievable kisses was not what she needed. She needed to recalibrate.
He frowned. "Are you sure you'll be safe?"
She smiled, her heart turning over at his need to protect her. Damn him for being so sweet. "I'm immortal, and I've been training in combat for over two hundred years, but I appreciate it. Very much."
He didn't look convinced. "The city can be dangerous at night."
See? How was she supposed to shoot a man who worried about her, even knowing who she was and that he might have to kill her tomorrow?
Unless she could come up with her own loophole that allowed her to keep him alive.
Was there a chance?
Highly unlikely.
But if there was, she had very little time to find one.
Like hours.
Or less.
Chapter Nineteen
"I need a loophole," Justine announced before her mom had even fully appeared.
Iris frowned. "What are you talking about?" She was sporting a gorgeous ruby ring and a pair of very expensive high heels that had seemed innocuous last week, but now they hinted at things Justine simply didn't want to know about.
She decided not to ask about the source of the expensive accessories. "A loophole in the Oath that lets me off the hook. What is it?"
Iris's eyes immediately darkened. "A loophole for what? You already learned how to disinherit a successor and get her back. What now?"
"Killing someone who knows about Mona. There has to be some clause somewhere that enables me to let him live. You're an expert on the Treatise. What can I do?" She held her breath. Please let there be a loophole.
Iris's eyes widened. "What?"
After spending the evening poring over the Treatise and pacing her bedroom going over every possible scenario, she'd finally concluded that Derek must be the manufactured Qualifying Incident her mom had mentioned. He was tempting, but also a decent guy. She wasn't supposed to have sex with him, and he didn't deserve to die. Surely, she was supposed to do some innovative Guardian-ing and come up with another solution, right? Tha
t had to be the test. Find a way to do the impossible.
She didn't want to consider the alternative. That he was a real threat and she had some really tough decisions to make. "Derek LaValle. He knows about Mona, but I like him. I don't want to kill him. How can I do that?"
Instantly, Iris collapsed onto the kitchen chair, whooshing right through it and disappearing through the floor.
What just happened? Justine leaned over to peer at the tile, but there was no sign of her mom. "Um, Mom?"
Iris suddenly popped up through the floor and Justine jerked back, her heart jumping. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry. Fainting in the mortal world is a pain, but what else is a mother to do when her child shocks her with such poor judgment that it makes her feel like she has completely failed as a parent?"
Justine bit her lip. "I don't need the melodrama right now."
"Me either. I do need a drink, however. Do you have any tequila around here?"
Justine sat back down on her chair, trying to calm her heart from the shock of seeing her mother spontaneously burst through the floor. "Above the fridge, where you left it."
Iris floated over to the cabinet, pulled out a bottle and whipped off the top. She chugged it for five seconds before lowering it. "I needed that." She carried the bottle back over to the table, ignoring the trail of tequila dripping from the bottoms of her feet as it ran right through her. Iris claimed that maintaining a solid state was simply a matter of concentration, which would mean her mom was pretty stressed if she couldn’t focus enough to drink. "Please tell me you aren't thinking of violating your Oath for sex."
Justine cleared her throat. "No, of course not. I just want to know if there's a loophole so I don't have to kill him."
"There's no loophole. Trust me."
As the resident expert on Guardianship, her mom would know. The Council had asked her to update the Treatise on Guardianship, a huge honor. Only the best were asked to write treatises. Of course, they'd changed their minds after she'd gotten herself killed, but that didn't change the fact that her mom had been their first choice. "Are you sure?"
Iris closed her eyes and muttered something about prayers, and children who break their parent's hearts.
Justine cut her off before she could gain momentum. "Oh, come on, Mom. I don't need a guilt trip. It's a business question. I'm asking as a Guardian, not as your daughter."
Iris opened her eyes and gazed at Justine for a long moment, before she sighed with resignation. "Here's the deal. The night I died? I violated my Oath."
"Really?" Justine inched forward. Was she finally going to get the truth about what happened that night? "How? For a man? Did you sleep with someone?"
Iris ignored her questions. "I saved Mona, but I died, as you know." Iris took another swig. "When I got to purgatory, the Council showed me the penalty for Oath Violation."
Goosebumps popped up on Justine's arms as she leaned forward. "You mean the Chamber of Unspeakable Horrors? What is it?"
Iris shook her head. "It is literally a horror too unspeakable for words."
Obviously. "Could you be more specific?" The Treatise didn't spell it out, and no Guardian had ever actually been sentenced to it and emerged with a sound enough mind to report on it.
Iris gave her a considering glance. "Well, imagine being skinned alive, then plunged into a vat of rubbing alcohol while getting your eyes stabbed repeatedly with burning hot needles. Imagine enduring that for all eternity without ever being allowed to sleep or take a break, while being surrounded by undeserving people that you know, and hate enjoying every single pleasure and joy you've ever yearned for in your entire life. Are you imagining?"
"Um, yeah." She blinked her eyes several times, forcing herself not to cover them with her hands.
"Well, it's exponentially worse than that."
"Oh. Well. That's unfortunate." She shook off the shudders, feeling extremely grateful she hadn't slept with Derek. Who needed that kind of hell in their lives? Not much was worth risking that. But dammit. She was bummed, and there was no way to deny it.
"The Council spared me from the Chamber because I saved Mona." Iris pointed the bottle at Justine. "But because I'd violated my Oath, I would have gotten an eternity in the bowels of hell, so don't even think about it. They'll know."
Crud.
"If someone knows details about Mona, you have to kill that person. End of story. There are no other options. Each day you delay moves you closer toward an official Oath Violation."
Justine pressed her lips together and tried not to scowl. "So there's no way to save him? Even if he's not a danger?" Not that he wasn't a danger, but on the off chance he abandoned his quest to kill her and steal Mona, well, she wanted to be prepared to let him live...for the sake of her mom, of course. Going above and beyond to spare a mortal's life might meet the standards for a Qualifying Incident. If the Council were even the slightest bit modern, they might even consider creative problem-solving a plus. But since she couldn't afford the Oath Violation, her only choice was something that was entirely supported by the Treatise.
Iris shot her a look of total disappointment. "You know, as a mother, I worked very hard to set a good example for you. I ensured you had a roof over your head, and this is what happens? You consider violating your Oath and throwing away your birthright? Spurning everything I gave you?" She sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do with you. I really don't."
"Mom, I'm not going to violate my Oath. It was just a suggestion and..."
"What's going on?" Theresa shuffled into the kitchen, wearing a lace camisole and silk boxers, custom sewn of course, complete with a hole for her tail. "Oh, hi, Iris. Early morning drinking again?"
Iris glared at the dragon. "You're supposed to be taking care of my baby girl. Justine is considering violating her Oath. Why haven't you been on top of this? What have you been doing?"
"Cybersex."
Iris blinked. "Again? Every time I visit, you seem to be having cybersex."
"Justine won't let me kill people or burn things up. I need some outlet to keep my dragon instincts somewhat sated or things will get ugly around here. Besides, it's fun." Theresa yawned, her long tongue curling over her teeth. "What time is it anyway?" She wandered over to the fridge and pulled it open.
"Too late for you to be indulging in self-gratification. Your best friend is on the verge of descending into an eternity of unspeakable horrors," Iris sniffed.
"Mom! Get off Theresa's case. She's my friend, not my prison warden." Justine gave the dragon an apologetic grimace, and she got a friendly puff of smoke in acknowledgement.
"You two are a team and she's dropping the ball because of a sex addiction. Pathetic. She should be replaced as your successor."
"Hey!" Theresa slammed the fridge shut, a gallon of orange juice hanging from her left claw. "I've been putting in my time for over two hundred years. I've earned my spot as the successor!"
"Not if you have a sex addiction," Iris said. "If you don't shape up, I'll have to report you to the Council and—"
"I'm not the one planning to have sex with a man who wants to steal Mona," Theresa snapped. She yanked the cap off the juice and threw it on the counter. "Talk to your daughter." She upended the gallon and started pouring the liquid down her throat.
"Theresa! The Council could be listening right now!" Justine yanked the plastic container out of the dragon's claw, ignoring the growl of protest. "Can't you go stick your head under the faucet or something?"
"No, I can't." Theresa grabbed the juice and turned her back on them as she finished it off.
Iris swung around to face Justine. "Is that really what the loophole question is about? You want to have sex with Derek?"
"No. Of course not. Hah. Hah."
Iris took another slug of the alcohol, then let the bottle thud to the counter. After a moment, she gave the girls a determined look. "Okay, I'm a modern woman. I understand the need for sex. Women have sexual urges, just like men."
Oh, G
od. This was so not the conversation to have with your mom. "Never mind, Mom. It was just a thought. Anyone want a pretzel?"
"Do you think I'm immune when Satan talks about licking every inch of my body? I'm not."
Ugh. "Mom—"
"Licking is good," Theresa sidled up to the table and leaned on it, her golden eyes glittering. "I wouldn't mind Zeke licking me. The backs of my knees are my favorite place...or are they? I can't actually remember anymore. Cyber-licking isn't quite the same, you know?"
"I have fantasies like any other woman," Iris said, with a quelling look at Theresa. "But I'm not going to act on them. Sometimes you have to think with your brain instead of the throbbing between your legs."
"Mom!" Someone behead her now. Please.
"Oh come on, Iris. You've been out from under the Guardian Oath for two hundred years. Do you really expect us to believe you haven't been out there getting down and dirty with the good-looking residents of purgatory?" Theresa wiggled her eyebrows and grinned.
"Theresa!" Justine snapped. "Will you please shut up? I do not need to envision my mom's sex life!"
Iris tapped Justine's arm. "Sweetie, believe me, I understand your womanly needs. They can drive you to do incredibly stupid things that ruin your life and your career." She frowned. "So, if you're really feeling desperate, maybe it would be best if you did have sex. If you controlled the situation, then you wouldn't end up in trouble, like I was." She grimaced. "But even if you think you can justify intercourse as necessary to Mona's safety, it would be very dicey. The Council isn't stupid, you know."
"Okay, fine. I won't have sex. New topic."
"Chill out, Justine." Theresa tossed the empty plastic jug at her. "You're way too uptight when it comes to sex."
"Only when it involves my mom, so back off."
Iris wasn't finished. "If you do have sex, you better be very certain it's meaningless with no emotional attachment. No loyalty to anyone but Mona. Emotional bonds with others make you vulnerable, and that leads to bad decisions." Iris tipped her head thoughtfully. "But if you really did need to have sex to save Mona, then how would you keep it empty and meaningless. It's tough for us women to keep sex completely emotionless. I wonder..." She faded off into a ruminating silence.
Darkness Awakened Page 49
