Poison's Kiss (Poison's Kiss #1)(26)

Something dark passes over her face, but it’s gone so quickly that I think I must have imagined it. She shrugs. “But Gopal will still expect him to be dead. Poison kisses aren’t the only way to kill a man.”

The threat in her words hits me like a slap. If I won’t kill Deven, she will. All the compassion I had for her bleeds away and I’m left only with rage.

“The vish kanya make good assassins because we don’t leave evidence behind—nasty things like stab wounds. So if you think you can win Gopal over with your newfound loyalty and a sharp knife, I’m afraid you’re going to be very disappointed.”

Iyla’s eyes flash. I’ve hit a nerve. But then her expression goes forcefully blank and her voice turns dismissive. “I have no desire to win him over,” she says. “But I’m also not going to be punished because you’ve suddenly grown a conscience.”

I’m losing her. She’ll go to Gopal, and Deven will be dead before sundown. And probably Mani too, once Gopal knows I betrayed him. If I can’t convince her to keep quiet because it’s the right thing to do, I need to find another way. But Iyla is almost impossible to manipulate. How do you control someone who doesn’t care about anything except not being controlled?

I force out a hard laugh. “I guess he finally owns you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You were always so sure you’d never belong to Gopal,” I say. “It always disgusted you that I let him control me. And yet look at us now—I’m defying him and you’re following his orders like a well-trained puppy.”

She flinches and I hate that I’m hurting her. But I’ve found a weak spot and I need to put pressure on it—it’s the only way to wrest the power back. “When you run to him to tattle on me, make sure to do it with a newspaper between your teeth. Like a good dog.”

Her jaw tenses. “Gopal doesn’t control me.”

I take a step toward her. “Then who does, Iyla? Or are you really that cold that you just enjoy seeing innocent people die? Has it started to be fun for you? Maybe you’re not obeying Gopal as much as you’re turning into him.”

She opens her mouth like she’s about to say something and then snaps it closed. I’ve never seen her look so unhinged. “Fine,” she finally says. “What’s your plan?”

Some of the pressure lifts from my chest. It’s not a truce—not even close. But at least she’s listening.

“We can’t openly defy him,” I say. “So you do exactly what he asked you to. Set up the meeting. But try to give me a few days so I can get Deven two more doses of venom.”

Her head snaps up. “Two more? You’ve already poisoned him?”

I swallow hard. It’s more than I intended to tell her. “Yes. Mani and I had lunch with him today.”

For just a moment Iyla’s detached mask slips and there’s something raw and vulnerable in her expression. “How did you get him to take it? Does he know about you?”

I shake my head. “I slipped it into his drink when he wasn’t looking.”

Iyla gives a low whistle. Her face is back to normal again, cool and impenetrable. “Impressive. You’re more devious than I gave you credit for.” It’s not clear whether she means this as an insult or a compliment. She stands up and her movements are stiff. My gaze wanders to the bruise on her cheek, and my stomach twists with new guilt.

Iyla tilts her head to one side, watching me like an inquisitive bird. “Ah, Marinda. Do you feel guilty for getting me beaten?”

My face falls. “Of course I do.”

Her smile disappears and her expression goes hard. “Good.”

A shiver runs through me. I know that voice. It’s Iyla at her worst. “I never meant for—”

She laughs and waves a hand in front of her face to stop me. “Lighten up,” she says. “I’m only teasing.” But she’s not. She blames me. For each welt, for every bruise. Not Gopal, who wielded the whip, but me because I refused to kill. She’s angry with me. It makes her a dangerous ally, and suddenly I wish I hadn’t told her anything.

She eases her bag over her shoulder, careful to avoid her back, and starts to walk away, but I reach out and catch her fingers in mine. She freezes and our eyes meet. Just for a moment I’m taken back to our childhood, when it was us against Gopal, us against the world.

Now it’s just us.

“I’ll make him pay for this,” I say, softly so that Mani can’t hear. “One day Gopal will be the one to bleed.”

She lets go of my hand and looks away. “I’ll let you know when I have the meeting place.”

Her hand is on the doorknob. “Iyla,” I say. “If you hurt Deven…” She turns and raises her eyebrows in a question. “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you myself.”

Our gazes lock and I refuse to be the first to look away. After a long pause she nods once and then slips out the door, closing it softly behind her.

I glance over at Mani and he’s glaring at me. “I didn’t have a choice,” I tell him.

“That’s what you always say.”

“Mani—”

“I don’t feel good,” he interrupts. “I’m going to have a rest.” He crawls under the covers and turns his back on me. His rejection stings. I can think of only a handful of times Mani has ever been angry with me, and all of them were years ago. Like always, he falls asleep almost immediately, and I have only my thoughts to keep me company. And they are gnawing a hole in my middle. What if Mani is right? What if it was a mistake to tell Iyla? Though for the life of me, I can’t come up with an alternative. Gopal knows Deven is still alive, and he’s forcing another meeting. At least now there’s a chance I’ll have Iyla on my side, a chance she’ll help me save Deven, help me protect him from more than just the vish kanya. But she could just as easily go to Gopal. I want to trust that she still cares about me, that she still has a shred of humanity left, that she’s still the girl I knew all those years ago who got her arm broken to try to save a playmate from the heartache of losing a father. But if I’m honest with myself, I haven’t seen that Iyla in a long time.