Night's Honor (Elder Races #7)(67)

“The terms of this bargain are easily met,” Soren said. “I would. What do you offer me in return?”

Tess’s gaze never wavered. She said steadily, “I hadn’t gotten that far in my thinking. Anything you like.”

“No!” Xavier snapped. Making an open-ended bargain like that with a Djinn was incredibly foolhardy. She was effectively throwing away her life, and Soren would own her.

Julian gripped him by the arm, preventing him from lunging forward.

Soren glanced at the Vampyres then at Malphas, who vibrated with impotent rage. Soren turned back to Tess. “For my end of the bargain, as long as Malphas does nothing to harm you or anyone in your life, you will never reveal the contents of what is inside this envelope to anyone.” He paused, lifting one white eyebrow. “Be careful, human. This bargain is binding. You must never speak of it again.”

The rigid tension eased from Tess’s shoulders, and she took a shaking breath, and Xavier could tell that she knew Soren had given her a reprieve. “I agree.”

“We have a deal,” Soren said. He took the envelope, held out his hand and Tess shook it. He said to Julian, “I’m done here.”

“Thank you for coming,” Julian said.

Soren nodded and vanished.

Julian turned his red gaze to Malphas. He growled, “Leave.”

Malphas ignored him and walked over to Tess, who stood her ground. Oddly, the pariah’s fury seemed to have vanished, to be replaced by fascination.

Malphas said, “You always said you weren’t a gambler, but you just gambled everything on Soren keeping his word. What was in the envelope, Tess?”

She said, “I’ll never tell.”

“Whatever it is, you think it’s worth sending out to every gaming commission in the world?” His gaze was like twin laser beams.

“Malphas, I know for a fact that if the gaming commissions knew what you were doing, no one would ever let you run a respectable casino again.” She leaned forward. “That might not stop you from gambling somewhere, somehow, but it would severely curtail your activities, wouldn’t it?”

After a long moment, he said, “Fine. I don’t expect to see or hear anything from you again.”

She lifted her chin. “Nor I, you.”

He studied her unblinkingly then gave Xavier and Julian one dismissive glance. Without another word, he vanished.

“So, okay,” she whispered. “That happened.”

Xavier felt his fangs recede, but not his anger. Striding over to Tess, he glared at her and spat, “Estupida.”

She shrugged, her mouth working. That was when he noticed she shook all over. Grabbing her none too gently, he hauled her into his arms. She leaned her forehead on him and let out a shaking breath.

He buried his face in her hair and held her. After a moment, he whispered, “I didn’t know he was sending you dreams. Did you?”

“I thought they were just nightmares.” When she lifted her head again, her eyes were too bright, but overall she seemed calmer. Walking to the couch, she picked up the pad of paper and turned it over, faceup, to show the top page to Xavier and Julian.

Twelve names were written on it, and each name had a note scribbled beside it.

Xavier stared at the paper, then at her. He grabbed the pad and flipped through it. The second page from the top had been ripped out, and a jagged edge showed along the seam. “You put a blank piece of paper in that envelope, didn’t you?”

Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug, while her dark eyes never left his. “Now, you know I can’t reveal what I put in there. I just made a bargain with one of the most Powerful Djinn in the world promising I wouldn’t.”

While he carefully tore off the top sheet, folded it and tucked it in his pocket, Julian walked over to the cabinet and poured himself another drink of bloodwine.

He said in Xavier’s head, I don’t know what the hell you’re going to do with her, but assuming you still want to keep her alive, you can’t send her out on assignment. She’s much too colorful.

I know, Xavier said.

•   •   •

A few minutes later they left Julian’s apartment.

Tess walked along beside Xavier meekly. They strode down the hallway, past a variety of different creatures, most Vampyres, but some humans, a few ghouls and even a troll.

She asked Xavier telepathically, Can we do anything with those names?

Maybe, he replied without looking at her. Maybe not. Perhaps an independent agency with another agenda can investigate, but we need to be very careful nothing can be traced back to you, or us. This stalemate you bargained for is only good if Malphas believes he has your silence.

I understand.

Inside, a great roaring emptiness filled her head, and she realized how much space fear had taken up in her life. She felt strange in the absence of it, almost adrift.

I’m free, she thought. Really free.

I can access the money in my bank accounts. Send for my furniture. I can go wherever I like, do whatever I like.

The thoughts were dizzying. Now all she had to do was decide what she wanted to do. Where she wanted to go.

She sneaked a peek at Xavier’s profile.

He looked calm, but he usually looked calm. Not like the red-eyed, fanged Vampyre who had guarded her so fiercely.

No, this was the imperious aristocrat, and while she found him just as sexy as the tender man who had kissed her with such sensual expressiveness, this side of Xavier was highly unpredictable.