Wicked Deal (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 2)

Something flickered in his eyes, then was gone.

Had I hurt him?

I couldn’t help but feel like I had. He didn’t argue, though. How could he? His past was terrible.

“I’d already tried looking for Ivan myself,” he said. “I couldn’t check the tomb, but I had a feeling he’d returned. The leads ran cold, however. That’s why I needed you.”

My mind raced. “The man who broke into your club…was he a warning?”

“I think so, yes. It was a power play. Ivan’s way of saying he had enough minions that he could throw them away.”

“What a monster.”

“You’re sitting with one.”

“You’re not as bad as he is.”

“But I was.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that—or even what I thought of it—so I stood and walked toward the objects on the ground. “We must find him and stop him. But how, if he’s immortal?”

“If trauma can’t kill him, I can contain him with powerful magicuffs and imprison him again.”

“Do you have magicuffs that are that strong?”

“There are some in the dungeons of Black Church that will work.” The Devil stood and joined me.

At least we had a plan. We just needed to stop Ivan in time. I knelt by the objects and picked up a stone, hoping for information.

The Devil lowered himself to my side. “Do you need help?”

I remembered his touch at the bar, helping me control my magic. It had sent heat shivering through me, along with the sense of his inherent goodness.

Had that been my imagination? Wishful thinking?

Or had he partially reformed?

I shook my head. “Don’t touch me.”

If I really needed the help, I’d ask him. For now, I’d try on my own. I needed to keep my distance.

The stone was a transport charm. Somehow, I could feel it in the magic. There were two others, identical, but they provided no interesting information. “I’m keeping these.”

The Devil nodded.

It was a small metal card that made me hesitate. I could sense the information in it, as if it might have belonged to someone important.

Maybe even Ivan.

I closed my eyes and focused my magic, gripping the card so tightly that it cut into my hands hard enough to hurt. I called on the magic inside me, remembering how I’d felt it deep in my soul.

The Devil’s magic had helped me summon my powers. I tried to remember that feeling of connection as well and use it to my advantage.

The power burst out of me like water through a dam. My mind was filled with images, so many images that my vision dimmed. I dragged in a breath.

Find me information about the bombing.

That was my priority. Stopping the destruction of my new home.