117
“You sure about this?” I ask as we start to close in on the gap between us and what I hope to be the glimmering doorway I can’t actually see. “You sure you want to go back to Gray Wolf?”
“On one condition.” He grasps my hand and moves before me, effectively blocking my path.
“You’re seriously trying to negotiate?” I huff, pressing a hand against my ridiculously tight bodice and struggling to steady my breath. “I mean, here—now?”
“Considering how I’m on your list of Gets, I think I’m in a position to bargain, don’t you?”
“How do you know you’re on my list?” I straighten my spine, smooth a hand down the front of my wreck of a gown.
Killian laughs. “Why else did they send you? To filch a gold ring from a duke?”
I roll my eyes and push past him, continuing toward the portal when I realize what he just said, and I whip around to gape at him. “That predator was aduke?”
I’m not sure why I’m surprised by the news. In addition to being an asshole, a predator, and a dangerously violent offender, he was totally arrogant and entitled. I frown at the memory, wondering if I’ve made a mistake by not ending him when I had the chance.
“The Duke de Valentois himself,” Killian says, jogging right alongside me. “Though not to worry, I’m sure he had it coming.”
“Worry?” I scoff, picking up speed. “I would’ve finished the job if—”
Killian grasps hold of my elbow, stopping me cold in my tracks. “It wasn’t your life to take,” he says, his voice earnest.
“And what about the groundskeeper?” I shoot back, watching as Killian cocks his head in confusion. “You didn’t have any problem leaving him to bleed out.”
Killian runs a hand across his chin. “Thegroundskeeper? Is that what you think he is?” He breaks into a laugh that roars through the night. It grows even louder when I shake my head and push past him again.
“For the record—that man was aTimekeeper,” Killian says, trailing just behind me. “And trust me, no one is going to miss him. As for the duke, he’s managed to make plenty of enemies, and it won’t be much longer until one of them finishes what you started. But not until after the duke impregnates his wife, who will then give birth to a daughter, who will ultimately go on to birth several more children, one of whom will make a significant, lasting impact on the world. And that, in a nutshell, is why I stopped you. Think of it like dominoes—you knock one down, you risk losing the whole line. Besides,” he says. “Offing dukes is not what you’re here for, now is it? There’s a reason Arthur told you my name.”
“Youtold me your name.” I shake my head. Ugh, what is with this guy?“Last time I was here,yougave me your handkerchief, claiming it was so I wouldn’t forget you. But really, you wanted me to show it to Arthur. Which means, you were already awake.”
He slips before me, and starts jogging backward, which instantly succeeds in annoying the hell out of me and delaying my progress.It’s like he wants to watch me blink right out of existence.
“If I gave you the handkerchief then, how could I have given it to you a few moments ago when we were back there?” He lifts an arm, gesturing toward the place where the whole bloody mess went down.
“Because I arrived earlier this Trip and…” I shake my head in frustration and say, “Whatever. None of that matters.”
“Then whatdoesmatter?” he asks, voice betraying a hint of amusement, which serves only to fuel my fury.
“Getting to the portal before it’s too late—obviously!” I cry. “I mean, exactly what sort of messed-up game are you playing?”
I charge past him, sprinting the rest of the way, until I’ve finally made it inside what I hope is the glimmering doorway, as Killian remains stubbornly just outside.
“Haven’t you ever had something for so long you stopped seeing the meaning behind it?” he says, and before I can reply, he pulls a sword from a sheath at his hip and tosses it onto the ground. “Speaking of, won’t be needing that anymore. If you want your claiming of me to look authentic, it’s better if I’m unarmed.”
“You had a sword?” My eyes flash wide, my voice rising in outrage. “That whole time?”
He laughs, jabs a thumb toward it. “That old thing? That’s just my party sword. Much smaller than the one I use in battle. Turns out, it was no match for your shiv.”
I roll my eyes, grab him by the arm, and pull until he’s finally standing right beside me. And even though I’m really not loving the idea of his company, the relief of having made it in time, with both Gets secured, sends a tsunami of tension rolling right out of me.
“Ready?” I ask, reaching for the sapphire that doubles as a clicker, just about to press it, when Killian stops me.
“What’s the rush?” he says.
“Are you joking?” I make a wide gesture. There are revelers everywhere, some of them too close for my comfort. “They can come after us any second, and then what?”
Killian looks around in obvious confusion, then settles on me. “There’s no one here,” he says. “It’s just us.”