Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(61)

“Don’t look so surprised,” Jez spat. “You gave us no choice.”

Lilah fixed Jez with a dark glare. “This was never personal, Jez. Why make it so? Besides, I did that hybrid a favor by putting her out of her misery.”

Jez lunged forward, and I stopped her before the hellhounds did. I didn’t blame her one bit for having murderous intentions. Knowing Lilah couldn’t be killed drove me nuts; I wanted to make her beg for mercy.

The demons standing guard near Lilah didn’t move, but I could sense that they held their power ready should one of us give them a reason to use it. I held tight to Jez’s arm, hoping she wouldn’t fight me. The hate-filled energy thrumming through her spilled over me, drawing my attention to the pure Were blood pumping hot through her veins.

“You didn’t kill Zoey in an act of mercy, Lilah. You think you can force my hand by killing my wolves. It’s a coward’s tactic.” I focused on staying calm when all I wanted to do was set the bitch on fire.

“Yes, well it worked, didn’t it? Here you are.” Lilah’s wan smile made it clear that blackmail wouldn’t be enough. It might buy me time, but it would never stop her.

“I won’t give my blood to you. I’m here to tell you face to face that it’s over. You have no shot at breaking the curse. Not with me.” I tried to stifle the spark burning its way quickly through my short fuse. If I lost my precarious hold on the power testing my resistance, this would get ugly fast.

“So what now then?” Lilah rose, and the demons on each side moved closer. She waved them away with a scowl. “You take over where Veryl left off blackmailing me? We can call a truce, Alexa. I can make it worth your while.”

“I don’t want anything you can offer.”

“I can change that.”

“Save it,” I snapped, and a vase filled with flowers went up in flames. Oops.

Lilah watched the fire die out with pursed lips and a raised brow. “That’s the problem with being a mortal succubus. You can soak up all the power you touch, but that doesn’t make it yours. I can help with that.”

“You’re used to dealing with power-hungry dirtbags like Shya, I get that,” I said, the condescension heavy in my tone. “I’m not one of them, so instead of wasting time trying to coerce me into a deal, you should be telling me what you’re willing to do to keep me from telling Salem where you are.”

At the mention of his name, Lilah froze. Her demon guards watched me warily, with Brook staring a little more intently than I was comfortable with. The low, steady growl of the hounds was the only sound.

“Don’t say that name.” Lilah moved with purposeful strides, stopping when I raised a hand to blast her. “You should know better than anyone why I ran. I don’t belong to any man, no matter what fancy f**king claim he thinks he has on me. I won’t be controlled by a bond I have no say in.”

With each word, Lilah’s anger grew until it was palpable. She was suddenly furious, and in a swift motion, she threw the vase I’d scorched. It smashed all over the floor in a mess of scorched flower petals and glass. I’d never seen her anything but calm. Even when we’d fought outside Shya’s house, she hadn’t exhibited such sudden temper. Whoever this guy was, he got under Lilah’s skin in a bad way.

“You killed Veryl,” she shouted at me, pointing a finger at my face. “Now, you think you can take his place? I’ll kill you before I let you hand me over to Salem, even if it means losing my chance to break the curse with your blood. I’ll find another way.”

I grabbed Jez’s hand and formed a circle with us inside. The desperation in Lilah’s eyes was both satisfying and worrisome. She was terrified of this guy and clearly prepared to escape him at any cost.

“What’s with the sudden freak out?” Jez taunted. “This guy must be a pretty big deal to get your panties in such a knot.”

“Oh shut up, Jez. What would you know about being born to exist alongside another, whether or not you want to? There’s a reason twin flames are so rare. They are not a gift but a curse of the worst kind.” Lilah approached my circle and placed her hands on it. She flashed a grim smile at me. “Veryl’s files didn’t say that, did they?”

“A curse?” I sputtered through the shock and denial. “A twin flame union only happens for a reason. It’s meant to be. There’s something special in that.”

“Special?” She smirked. “Bound to another against your will. United through forces you cannot control. Unable to escape them no matter how far you go or how many names and faces you wear. To hate that person as much as you love them. Oh, and how you love them. So much you start to hate yourself. And, for what? To be manipulated into fulfilling some horror-filled destiny? Not a damn thing about that sounds special to me. The chosen ones, us, we’re meant to suffer. This is no gift.”

Her words struck a chord deep in me. She described so well things I had felt even when I hadn’t been willing to admit it to myself. She knew. Still, she was wrong. She had to be.

“Don’t listen to this bitch, Lex. She’s a demon, otherwise known as a deceptive liar. She’s trying to get inside your head.” Jez squeezed my hand. The fierceness in her eyes reminded me why we’d come here.

“If it wasn’t a curse, why would light and dark be joined to one another? They can never truly become one. One will always devour the other. What kind of sacred purpose would join a demon to an angel? Or, a vampire to a mortal?” Lilah looked at me pointedly, and for just a moment, I saw a flicker of the sadness I’d seen in her once before. “When love is always pain, it ceases to hold any meaning.”