Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(53)

Tenn wanted to burst to his feet, to rage against the incubus, but the chains held him in place. He struggled for a second, until he saw that it was only making Tomás smile.

“Don’t stop on my account,” the incubus said. “You’re giving me so many ideas.”

“Don’t you dare,” Tenn whispered. “Don’t you dare say his name.”

“Did I hit a nerve?” Tomás asked, a grin still splashed across his face.

“I’ll kill you,” Tenn said. Red filled his vision—red overlaid with Jarrett’s face moments before he leaped. “You did this to me. You’re the reason he’s dead!”

Tomás was there in a second, kneeling on the arms of the chair, one hand on Tenn’s thigh and the other gripping his neck.

Tomás leaned in and whispered into Tenn’s ear. “Don’t fuck with me, Tenn. I’ve kept you alive because I like you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate such rudeness. I had no hand in your lover’s death, pain me as that does. I’ve saved your ass more times than I care to count. Don’t make me regret it.”

“I’d rather die than have you help me again,” Tenn gasped. “A Howl that thinks he’s a king is still a Howl.”

Tomás blazed heat. It burned and seared and froze Tenn’s skin as Tomás screamed in his ear. “How dare you call me that!”

He dug his fingers into Tenn’s leg. Fire seared up Tenn’s thigh, but that was nothing compared to his fear of the incubus himself. Tomás seemed unhinged. The air around him quivered and glowed red like a hellish mirage. His lips pulled back in a sneer, his canines bared and more pronounced than normal. His clothes and hair seemed to billow in the storm of his rage.

“You’re still a monster,” Tenn said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Look at yourself.”

And then, just like that, the aura around Tomás disappeared, the flame in his eyes winked out.

“He thinks I’m a monster,” Tomás whispered. “A monster. I’m a monster.” He looked at Tenn, then at the blood dripping down Tenn’s thigh. “I hurt you.” He shook his head, backed away and stared at the wall. “No, he deserved to be hurt. He dared insult me.” Another shake of the head, a flicker of red aura. “He deserved pain.” His entire body shuddered this time, like something was trying to escape. When he looked back to Tenn, his face was carefully composed, perfectly arranged.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He clutched one hand to the side of his face. “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s hard to...” He shook his head. “We can’t fight what we are, Tenn. Not forever. Not even you. We’re a lot alike, you know. You burn. You burn even brighter than me.” He reached out and touched Tenn’s heart. The Sphere of Fire flared under Tomás’s fingertip, making Tenn’s breath catch. Tenn had never been attuned to the Sphere, and feeling it burn in his chest was both foreign and familiar. “You’ll burn the whole world, given half the chance.” He removed his finger and sat back, staring at Tenn like a sad specimen. Tenn’s whole body ached for that touch, for the hate and passion that seemed to ooze from Tomás’s skin. It filled the void Jarrett had left, brought sensation to the parts of him he had written off as numb.

“Why. Are. You. Here?” Tenn asked, biting hard on each word to keep his body in control. Even in a dream, he wouldn’t let the Howl overtake him. He wouldn’t give Tomás that satisfaction.

A confused look passed over Tomás’s face, as though he wasn’t so certain of that himself. It passed in a heartbeat as the perfect mold of composure slipped back into place.

“I am here...” he said, his words their usual purr. He leaned a bit closer, putting his weight on one hand like a prowling cat. “Because I know what you want. You want revenge.”

“I want Jarrett back,” Tenn said.

“We can’t always get what we want!” Tomás snapped, another flare of energy whirling and settling around him. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. Tenn waited, tense, vaguely wondering what would happen if Tomás killed him in the dream.

“I am here,” he said again, his eyes still closed, “because I can help you fight back. I know how to reach Leanna. I know her weaknesses. You can’t get your lover back. I know how that feels, Tenn, to lose the man of your dreams. I would rip off the head of whoever did that to me.” He smirked, the tone of condolence fading. “I did actually. It felt amazing.”

“Why would you help me?” Tenn asked.

“I have my reasons,” Tomás said quietly, as though those reasons were of the utmost secrecy. “Jarrett would have wanted this, you know. He would have wanted you to avenge him. Do you think, if roles were reversed, he would have let your killer live?”

Anger roiled through Tenn’s veins. A hundred curses whipped across his tongue—you didn’t know him, don’t ever mention him, he was too good—but if the roles had been reversed, Jarrett would never have stopped looking for Matthias. Not until every Howl and necromancer had paid for what they’d done. At least, if Jarrett cared about him as much as he said he did...

Tomás seemed to read his thoughts. His sneer widened, and he crept a few inches closer. Heat coursed through Tenn’s body as images floated through his mind—tearing Matthias limb from limb, stabbing the unknown Leanna through the chest, letting all the rage and hatred burn over, destroy the world. Tomás’s visage seemed to echo over all of it, like some heathen god of destruction.