Sin & Surrender (Demigod of San Francisco #6)(89)

Kieran nodded slowly. “She hired the fae to ransack my memories. She must’ve signed a contract by that point, and since she didn’t live up to her end of the bargain, she paid the price.”

“Yeah, but if they didn’t do the work, then why would they expect to collect money or whatever?” Alexis asked.

“They wouldn’t just be expecting money,” Zorn said. “When pulling memories from Kieran, they’d learn his secrets. They’d learn about him and all he knew. They would’ve had his knowledge. She denied them that when she failed to deliver him. They took hers instead, and then made her pay the ultimate price. Only a fool makes a bargain with the fae.”

“So the fae set Damion and Thane loose so he could create a distraction?” Jerry said, his hands braced on his hips.

“I didn’t have a hope of hanging on to control.” Thane shook his head. “Not a chance. I can’t even tell you why. One minute I was good to go, and the next I was looking at a young dude and seeing red. I don’t even know what made me snap, just that I did.”

“I don’t know that he was royalty, but whatever he was, he was incredibly powerful. They wanted the job done right,” Zorn said. “And it looks like they got what they wanted. Lydia’s debt has been paid.”

“Did they want a rematch with you?” Mordecai asked Thane. “Since you missed the Berserker thing?”

“It is believed that the Berserker cage, as they call it for the Summit, isn’t strong enough to hold Thane,” Kieran said, the pride in his voice ringing loud and clear. A few of the guys started to laugh.

Jack turned around and nudged Thane with his fist. “I’d like to see if that’s true. Certainly your ability to withstand Damion makes you the most dangerous, and therefore best, Berserker in the world.”

“Ah now.” Thane slipped his hands into his jeans pockets. “If Lexi and her cats hadn’t already dropped that guy down a peg, I wouldn’t have gotten through it. I was fighting for my life.”

“We done patting each other on the back?” Zorn asked, shifting his weight.

Another wave of butterflies rolled through Daisy’s middle. She pushed forward.

“Wait a minute.” Lexi pushed off Kieran, stepping in Daisy’s way, and leveled a finger at her. “My blood magic might help you heal fast, but you can still die, do you understand?”

“Yes,” Daisy said, seeing Amber out of the corner of her eye, dressed in black leather and strapped with weapons. The swarm of butterflies kicked it up a notch. She’d refused to accept Kieran’s blood magic, for obvious reasons, but when Lexi had offered last night, Daisy had been one hundred percent game. Kieran had walked them through it. Daisy had gotten a shot of awesome, plus an amazing side gift of feeling people or souls or presences or whatever from a distance of thirty feet. Game changer.

“Do not take any unnecessary risks,” Lexi said, her voice as hard as nails. It was the voice Daisy didn’t dare defy.

“Fine.”

“Do what they say.” She pointed first at Zorn, then Amber, who would accompany them in the hunt.

“I know, I know.”

“Do not get seen or caught.”

“I’ll help with that,” Henry said, tapping his computer. “I got a…meetup on standby if necessary.”

“Whore,” Daisy murmured.

“It’s not a job when it’s a good time.” Henry blinked, and Daisy got the impression it was supposed to be a wink.

She wrestled with a smile. “I’ll remember that when—”

“Oh no, you will not,” Lexi said, her finger still leveled at Daisy but her scowl on Henry. “Don’t encourage her.” Scowl back on Daisy now. “Do not kill them. Maybe one, but no more. We don’t need their Demigod on our asses. Find them, and send a message.”

“We’ll definitely send a message,” Zorn said with a growl, adjusting his machete.

“Crap on a cracker, I want to go so bad,” Bria said, practically bouncing up and down. “It isn’t fair that only Zorn and Amber can go.”

“The bonus of training a kid.” Amber shrugged, waiting patiently for them. “This will be child’s play, Lexi, don’t worry. This kid is good. Won’t take but a minute to track them all down and slice them up.”

The color bled from Lexi’s face. “Oh God, why am I letting her do this? This isn’t right—”

“She’s kidding, Lexi, she’s kidding.” Bria rolled her eyes. But she shot Daisy an excited thumbs-up on the sly.

Boman clapped. “The gremlin goes on her first ride. Dang it, I want to go too.”

“Join the club,” Dylan said. “Are you sure you don’t need me? I can lurk in the background in case—”

“She doesn’t even need us.” Zorn motioned for Daisy to get going. “We’re just there to keep things quiet.”

Daisy walked out the door with Zorn and Amber, into the bright sunlight. Something about this moment felt so completely right, as if her life up until this point had been preparation for what was to come.

Not looking back, she sank into the frame of mind Zorn had taught her. She lightened her step, like Amber had coached. They didn’t take the golf carts. Instead, they slipped from green patch to green patch. The blood power had given her strength and speed, and running felt effortless now.