Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)(98)

“I want to finish our discussion. About Shya.” Falon glanced past me into the room. “Is this a bad time?”

I huffed and clutched at the towel, ensuring it didn’t slip. “It will always be a bad time.”

Falon responded to my scowl with a sneer. “Well, now that you’ve gone and given Shya the damn dreamwalker he wanted, we’re running low on time.”

“What do you mean?” The sound of a door opening down the hall panicked me. I stepped back and motioned for him to enter. “Get your ass in here before someone sees you.”

“You’re ashamed to be seen with me? I’m wounded.” He put his hand over his heart in mock agony.

“Very much, actually. Now that our sex tape is making the rounds, I’m even more ashamed to be seen with you.” I closed the door and locked it before leaning against it.

Falon glanced around the room before taking a seat at the small bistro table. “Our sex tape? You’ve seen it? Is it good? I bet it’s f*cking spectacular.”

I waited to feel disgust or nausea. I was just annoyed and starting to think he’d come only to antagonize me. “You’re a pig. Start talking before I think of something ghastly to do to you.” He opened his mouth to shoot me a snarky reply, but I held up a hand. “Don’t even. Just talk.”

“A dreamwalker was the worst possible thing you could have given him,” Falon said, his expression grave. “He’s going to use Briggs to access the dreams of anyone and everyone who knows or has something he wants. Even Lilah. Do understand how dangerous that is?”

At one time I’d wondered what Shya would use a dreamwalker for. The obvious answer was to get inside the dreams of others. But then what? In all of the chaos, I hadn’t considered it much further because I’d never expected to give him what he wanted.

I stared at the pale, white flesh on my forearm where Shya’s mark had been. Gone was the chain that held me to him. I was free. Yet, I wasn’t. Because Falon had just told me that by freeing myself, I’d aided in Shya’s evil endeavors. I felt like an idiot. All I’d cared about was sticking it to Briggs and being rid of Shya’s dragon.

“So I f*cked up.” My voice was hollow. I dragged a hand through my wet hair and shoved away from the door.

Falon didn’t miss a beat. “You didn’t just f*ck up, you went to great efforts to deliver a weapon straight into Shya’s hands. Good job, wolf. I think death made you dumber.”

A weapon. Of course. The FPA was a collector of people that doubled as weaponry. And so was Shya. He wanted Briggs for the same reason the government op did. Power.

“Clearly. I f*cked you, didn’t I?” The glare I shot him was wasted. He grinned right through it.

He shook his head, judging my snarky remark as less than stellar. “Was that supposed to hurt? Not your best zinger, that’s for sure.”

Frustration had me clenching my fists and gritting my teeth. So much for being numb. “What do I do? It’s not like I can go over there and take Briggs back.”

“That’s why I’m here. To explore our options.” Falon cocked his head to one side, studying me, and grinned. “Did you think I came to explore other things? You were good, Alexa. But not that good.”

“I hate you,” I muttered, chewing a fingernail as I pondered this.

“I hate you?” Falon echoed. “You’re usually much better at this.”

This was happening sooner than I’d anticipated. If someone had told me months ago that I’d be teaming up with Falon for any reason, I’d never have believed it. What a joke.

“Get to the point. I have places to be.” My impatience wasn’t feigned. I was standing in the middle of the room in a towel.

Falon grinned, enjoying my growing ire, but he was straight faced when he spoke. “Our best option is to do a binding. To an object. We need Gabriel to do the spell.”

Brow furrowed, I clutched my towel tighter. “Sounds too simple. What are you leaving out?”

“Just a few things. Your divine Hound blood to spark the spell. Gabriel’s witchy self. And something from Shya. A feather, to be specific.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “The hard part is obviously the feather. We don’t want him to know what we’re doing. Getting that feather will not be easy.”

“Can’t we just bind him the way he bound Lilah?” I asked, still so unfamiliar with all of the demon magic stuff. “Willow could do it.”

Falon glowered at the mention of Willow. “Not necessary. Shya bound Lilah’s power. She was still walking around free. Gabriel has more than enough power to trap him in an object, one that we have control of.”

“We?” That word didn’t sit well with me.

“Fine. You. Whatever you want.”

It sounded simple, but it wouldn’t be. The spell might be doable but getting a feather from Shya without him knowing sounded near impossible.

“I’ll talk to Gabriel,” I said, mind racing as I sought a way to pull this off.

“Can we trust him? He’s been keeping his distance from Shya, but that doesn’t mean shit. If anyone or anything tips him off, we’re f*cked.” Falon rambled on. I started to tune him out.

As he talked I retreated into myself. This was too much for me. I needed time to process. To think. Naked in a towel with Falon yattering on wasn’t the time.