My heart is racing. “No, sir. I searched her belongings but found nothing.”

“Shit. She must have hidden it somewhere. Doesn’t matter. We’ll get her to tell us.”

He sounds so bloody carefree and sure of himself. There’s no way in hell I’m handing Anna over. No way.

“Nice job, Kaidan,” he says. “You accomplished what over five hundred prowling Legionnaires couldn’t do last night.” Yeah, yeah, blah, blah. Why is he being so bloody chatty? I need to get Anna out of here. “They searched damn near every bar, club, and hotel on the East Coast. Where the hell’d you find her?”

In the back of my car on Lover’s Lane, you git.

My mind flips through things to say. “She had a group of mates in her old town who always partied at a lake house. I thought perhaps she’d fall back on them, and I was right.”

Okay, then. Enough chitchat. I glance at the door, itching.

Father laughs again, like we’re best mates sharing jokes. “Where are you now?”

“Our old house.” Shite . . . I should have lied.

“Excellent. I’ll call an emergency summit in Vegas and we can take care of her. It’s our most secure location, and we’re always looking for an excuse to visit Sin City, right?”

Weren’t they just there? Awkward pause. Oh, right. I’m supposed to answer.

I force out a laugh and roll my eyes. Are we done here yet?

“All right,” he says. “Meet me at the Atlanta airport in two hours.”

What? I whip my face to Anna and her eyes are like saucers.

“Er, it’s not necessary for you to fly down here, Father,” I insist. “I’ll book our flights and deliver her to the summit.”

“Oh, it’s definitely necessary. I want to be the one to escort her into the summit tonight. See you at the jet.”

I will throat-punch him.

“We’ll be there,” I lie. I press End and check the screen to be sure we’ve disconnected. Right. Done. I turn to Anna. “We’re not going.”

“Kaidan!” She pumps her bound fists against her thigh in frustration.

How can she still want to do this? It’s madness! I launch my vile phone at the bed and cram my fingers into my hair. “What have I done?”

I pace the room as Anna fumbles through her bag and starts texting people.

No, no, no. It’s not happening. We can still run. She has to see reason.

“Anna—”

“Stop!” She advances on me with the most severe, stern look I’ve ever seen from her, and she yells in a strong voice. “No more. Get it out of your head, Kai! We are not running. This is happening whether you like it or not. It’s time to get your game face on and get ready to kick some ass.”

Holy . . . I honestly didn’t think her capable of this kind of verbal badassery. Even in handcuffs she has taken control, walloped me, and forced my whiney inner child into a corner. I’m sorry I made her yell, but I think I needed to hear that. I needed to hear her say she’s not going to put up with my fears anymore. Anna is the one who was chosen, and for good reason. My only job is to be at her side and trust her judgment, though it kills me.

I look down and nod. “You’re right.”

Ready or not, it’s time.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Anna’s Vice

“Trash the hotel,

Let’s get drunk on the minibar.”

—“Fancy” by Iggy Azalea

That was the bloody worst plane ride of my life. Fucking Pharzuph. I nearly handed Anna the hilt so she could strike his arse down when he felt her up from behind, supposedly looking for the sword, then tried to get me to shag the flight attendant. I’m really regretting not getting rid of him when we had the chance, but his disappearance would’ve thrown off the summit and sent everyone scrambling.

I still have my doubts about how this prophecy will play out, but I’m getting right chipper at the idea of watching his demise.

I walk beside Anna down a lavishly carpeted hall in Vegas’s Venetian resort. I haven’t taken my extended hearing off Father, and I think for once Anna is actually listening as well. Her face is pinched and I’ve had to grab her elbow to keep her from bumping into fire hydrants and maid carts.

We stop in one of the hotel’s many shops to buy Anna an outfit for tonight¸ per Father’s orders. I’m certain he was expecting something nightclub worthy, like a cocktail dress. I can’t wait to see his face when he gets a look at what she’s chosen.

We’ve just turned onto our hall when Father knocks on a hotel room door two floors up.

I recognize Duke Astaroth’s poncey English voice straightaway. “Brother Pharzuph. Didn’t I just see you on the slopes in Switzerland?”

Father laughs. “Yes, well, this summit’s going to be much more enjoyable. Let me in.”

It’s not completely unusual for Father to seek the Duke of Adultery’s company, but usually it’s to work, not talk. I don’t like this at all.

“Do you have the sword?” Astaroth asks when they’re in the room. They lower their voices and I strain to hear.

“No. She’s hidden it. That’s not why I’m here. I need a favor. It will only take a moment. I’m curious about a possible bond between two people, though there’s probably nothing there. I’ve just got a nagging feeling and I want to rule it out.”

Bile burns its way up my throat.

“Ah,” Astaroth croons. “A possible conquest?”

Father responds to him in Russian, a language he knows I don’t speak. I stop dead in my tracks.

This is about us. He’s suspicious of a bond between me and Anna. Astaroth will see it. The love. The marriage. All of it.

I think we both realize this at the same time, because we take off down the hall as quickly and quietly as we can manage.

One of us needs to drink. Now.

I burst through the doors of our suite, through the bedroom, down the steps, and straight to the mini-fridge. I can’t ask Anna to drink. It’s not right. But I’m not sure she’s comfortable keeping an ear on Father and Astaroth. So I use a hand to sign, One of us has to stay sober to listen.

She immediately points to me, so I give her cinnamon liqueur. She downs it with barely a cringe, blowing out a stream of cinnamon air. Father and Astaroth are climbing on the elevator now, flirting with a random woman. I hope like hell they’ll be distracted by her.

I hand Anna the orange liqueur and she frowns as she swallows. I wonder if she’s feeling it yet. She looks . . . normal. She taps her wrist and I hold up three fingers, then make a zero. Thirty seconds. The Dukes are not distracted enough by the woman and are now heading down our hall.

I try to give her the amaretto next, but she shakes her head hard and reaches over me for the tequila. She throws it back with a smack, and for a split second I forget who we are and who’s after us, because hot damn. I love when she is hard-core.

Then my stomach flips with remembrance and Anna holds out her hand, shaking it with impatience. I thrust the vodka into her hand and she downs it, smacking the carpet with a slight grimace. Yeah, that didn’t go down as pleasantly as the tequila. She holds out her hand again, but she’s already had four big shots.

Are you sure? I sign. It would be terrible for her to get too drunk, but she still looks okay. She nods fast and I hand her the rum, both impressed and frightened by her high tolerance. She drinks the last one like it’s nothing.

Father and Astaroth are nearly at our door. They’ve stopped chatting and I can only hear their footsteps on the thick carpet.

Please let this work. Anna and I move to stand at the same time and she tips to the side before catching herself and sitting on the floor.

Then she giggles and my heart sinks to my feet.