Page 33 of Heartless Enemy

Glaring at the spot where he had been standing, I reached a hand towards my throat and wiped off the blood with quick, angry motions.

Fucking worldwalker. I was going to teach him just how wrong he was about his inflated sense of self-importance. He would die at my feet, choking on his own blood.

Because no one threatened Eve.

She was mine.

Chapter14

The moment I had stepped out of the constables’ headquarters, one of Levi’s runners had practically ambushed me in order to deliver a warning that Christian White was back and out for blood. Specifically, mine. So I’d had to sneak through the city to get to Levi’s Court. And even now, when we were an entire hour into our planning session, I could feel Levi glancing at me every few seconds as if to make sure that I was still there and hadn’t in fact been worldwalked away.

“We’re not getting anywhere,” I said with a deep sigh, interrupting their third run-through of inadequate ideas for how to kill White while also stopping the invasion and acquiring the south side at the same time.

Levi and his three highest-ranking mages all turned towards me.

We were not in Levi’s study this time. Instead, we were all seated around the table in his elegant black and gold dining room. Light from the candles along the massive table filled the room with warm light and made the gold veins in all the walls, the floor, and the furniture glimmer.

Raking my fingers through my hair, I leaned back in my chair and then picked up my glass of wine. After drinking deeply, I heaved another sigh and shook my head.

“We’re not getting anywhere,” I repeated. Setting down my glass, I looked between the four of them. “If there had been an easy way to kill White, you would’ve done it when he was here last time.”

Levi swirled the whiskey in his own glass, but then tilted his head as if conceding the point.

“I should pretend that I want to get away from you,” I said. “And just give myself up to White willingly.”

“Out of the question!” Levi declared at the same time as Tyler, Chris, and Shinji said, “Absolutely not!”

Levi turned to look at the three of them, eyebrows raised. They cleared their throats self-consciously. But there was a satisfied smile playing over Levi’s lips, as if he was actually pleased by their reaction.

“I can take care of myself,” I snapped.

“I know you can,” Levi answered as he slid his gaze back to me. Authority pulsed from his entire being as he leveled a commanding stare on me. “But that plan is still not going to happen.”

“It’s the best option we have,” I protested. “Because White wouldn’t see it coming. And that would buy the rest of you the time to deal with the parliament and get the south side, and at the same time, it might also give me a chance to kill him.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m an excellent liar. As you know firsthand.”

“Oh, I’m aware.”

“So I would easily be able to fool him for however long it takes you to finish things up here.”

“I said no.”

Narrowing my eyes, I shot Levi a hard look. “You seem to be forgetting the part where I don’t take orders from you.”

Metal shot up from the chair’s armrests and snaked around my wrists, locking them in place. I jerked back in surprise and tried to yank my hands away, but I was now firmly trapped to the chair.

“If I have to keep you chained to my fucking bed until I have killed White, then that is what I will do,” Levi declared, his voice dripping with power as he stared me down from across the table. “If White gets his hands on you, he is going to hurt you. Regardless of how good a liar you are, regardless of whether he thinks you came willingly or not, he is going to start torturing you to death the moment he gets his hands on you. Because he knows that if he does that, he will break me. This plan of yours has no outcome that doesn’t involve you getting hurt. You know it. And I know it.”

Clenching my jaw, I glared back at him. Deep down, I knew that he was probably right. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that.

“So let me make this clear. You are not, under any circumstances, going to give yourself up to White. Understood?”

I yanked against my restraints again. “You arrogant domineering asshole.”

“I said, is that clear?” The sheer command in his tone vibrated through my very bones.