Devils & Thieves (Devils & Thieves #1)(64)

“Head inside with the others,” Darek ordered. “Use your power to make sure they stay put. I’ll be there in a few minutes, and we’ll get started.”

Without another word, Killian staggered up to the logging mill, disappearing inside, leaving us well and truly alone.

Knife in one hand, gun in the other, Darek circled us. “You never really cared about me, did you, Jemmie?” His gaze sought mine. “I just want to hear the truth of it.”

“Leave her out of this,” Crowe said. “You and I have plenty of other reasons to kill each other.”

“Quit trying to protect her,” Darek snarled. “It only proves my point.”

Slowly, I stepped in front of Crowe to face Darek, and Crowe let me. “I did care about you. I still do.”

Darek’s eyes flashed. “Once I do the cruori, I’ll be the most powerful kindled who’s ever lived. And you could have been by my side.” His lip curled into a sneer. “Except for the fact that you’re in love with him.”

He shifted the gun to aim directly at Crowe’s chest, and I instinctively stepped in front of it. “Don’t!”

Darek grimaced. “It’s true, then.” He nodded, as if to himself. “You chose this.” He tossed the knife to me. “Catch.”

My hand snatched the blade from the air, compelled by ribbons of black-striped crimson wrapped tight around my wrists.

Darek held the gun up and shook it. “This one is for you, Crowe.” Using Killian’s magic, Darek forced Crowe to hold out his hand. Crowe’s entire arm shook as he tried to resist the silent command. Darek set the weapon on his palm. “It’s better if you don’t fight it.”

“Darek, you don’t have to do this,” I said. “You can stop all of this, and we’ll forget it ever happened.”

Darek scowled. “Forget? I can’t forget. You used me, Jem.”

“I used you?”

He didn’t even have the good grace to acknowledge the irony, considering he was wearing my stolen magic. “You strung me along until Crowe Medici crooked his finger, and then you didn’t want anything to do with me.” Darek’s eyes were full of rage now. Here he was, facing off against one person with a gun and one with a knife, but he was controlling both of us. “I wanted to do everything for you, Jemmie. I would have, if you’d let me. But now I see that you never would have chosen me. It was always going to be him.”

I glanced at Crowe. He was glaring at Darek with unrestrained rage. His amber magic was lashing at the shield around Darek, trying to find a way in, but for now, the stolen locant barrier held and Crowe couldn’t touch him. Not with magic, at least.

Darek stepped between us. “Despite the heartless way you led me on, I’m going to respect your choice, Jemmie. It’s my final gift to you.”

“Please, don’t do this.”

“Sit,” he said.

Crowe and I each dropped onto a stack of tires, facing each other, close enough that our knees were touching.

“Please.” Tears welled in my eyes.

Darek sucked in a breath, and for a second I saw him, the old him, the one I thought was my friend. For a second, I believed that he’d end this entire thing and give me my parents back.

But that na?veté was what got me into this mess in the first place.

“I’m going to murder you,” Crowe said.

Darek snorted. “Crowe Medici, so fucking powerful. We’re gonna find out.”

“Darek! Please!” Fat tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t believe that I used to think he was a good person.

He turned to me and whispered something, and the black-and-crimson ribbons of stolen magic around him struck like snakes, burying themselves in my mind. Even through the chaos of magic around me, I could see that the same thing was happening to Crowe.

“Jemmie, if Crowe so much as moves, you slit his throat. Crowe, if Jemmie moves, you shoot her in the head.” Darek’s eyes met mine. “I really did love you.” He sighed and walked toward the mill.

“Darek!” I moved to stand and Crowe cocked the gun and put the barrel against my forehead.

“Don’t. Move,” he said.

I froze in place.

“We have to stop him. He’s about to do the spell.”

“I know.” Crowe’s voice shook. Sweat shone on his forehead. “Please don’t move. I’m really close to pulling the trigger, Jemmie.”

“I’m not moving.”

For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then Crowe spoke, as if every word was a struggle. “You have to undo this spell. You can see it. You can see how to break it down.”

“I don’t know if it works that way. I’ve only undone my own kind of magic. This is a whole other ball game.”

“Just try.”

I concentrated on the threads that bound us to Darek’s orders. I could see the magic when I squinted: thick red ribbons of it zigzagging between Crowe and me. But when I tried to pull on one thread, the knots only seemed to tighten.

“I don’t think I can undo this.”

“Yes, you can.”

“I can’t, Crowe. We are going to sit here forever until one of us moves.”

“Then I’m going to move,” he said. “And you do what you have to—and then you find a way to stop Darek.”