Like hell I can’t. She elbowed him hard in the stomach, and he stumbled. She tried to race for the door, but he caught her by the hair, yanking her head back. He slipped his other arm around her body, holding her tight, and growled. “What is wrong with you?”
“I don’t want to die. Or burn. I don’t want to suffer for something F.U. has done, and I don’t want Zee to suffer because of her either. If I could murder anyone, it would be F.U., but that would create a paradox…” She let her thought trail off. She was babbling like a nutter now.
His strong body pressed into her back. “I wasn’t going to kill you.”
With one of his hands tightly fisted into her hair, and the other grabbing her shoulder, she wasn’t going anywhere. His arm heated her skin through her dress, warming her breasts.
“Are you talking about yourself in the third person again? It’s really strange.”
Relief flooded her. “You said there was no point fighting Emerazel. Just like there’s no point in me fighting you.”
He loosened his grip on her. “I should kill you. I won’t pretend it didn’t cross my mind.”
She stepped out of his grasp, hugging herself. Away from his warm body, the air chilled her skin. “But you’re not going to?”
Golden lantern light bathed his chiseled body. “I should, but no.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, confusion and anger warring across his features. “I don’t want to kill you.”
“I thought you did whatever Emerazel told you to.”
“Mostly, yes.” He looked away, his face suddenly sad. “But I loathe her.”
Ursula shook her head. “I don’t understand. I thought you were her Headsman. Why would you do whatever she wanted if you loathe her?”
Flames glinted in his eyes. “I hate that name. And the rest of it isn’t for you to worry about now.” He clearly wasn’t ready to bare his soul.
Shivering, Ursula hugged herself, eyeing the inviting sofa that called to her aching body. “Fine. But what is the point of all of this? Why is she so obsessed with claiming souls anyway?”
“Rest for a minute,” he said, nodding at the chair. “Maybe it’s time for you to learn something about your world before we hunt down Abrax.”
She collapsed into the chair with a sigh, letting the soft cushions embrace her. Her muscles sang with relief.
Kester ran a hand through his hair. “The souls of men are what give gods their power. Emerazel’s fire is fueled by the souls of her supplicants. Nyxobas’s magic works the same way. The gods are constantly warring over this human currency, and long ago they formed factions of shadow and light to fight against each other. When Abrax drained Hugo, he stopped us from acquiring the soul. He also steals any magic that Emerazel had invested in Hugo.” He eyed her with concern. “Like how he drained your fire before Zee stopped him. Honestly, it’s a miracle he didn’t take your soul.”
“It was odd. We became repulsed by each other as soon as his lips touched mine.”
He stared at her, surprise flickering across his features. “Really?”
She nodded. “But that means he stole Zee’s soul?”
“Half of it, at least.”
“Shit.” Ursula took a deep breath, trying to push that horrific thought out of her mind. “If incubi work for Nyxobas, what god do the fae work for? Is there a god we can appeal to for help?”
“No. Unlike every other magical creature on earth, they’re unaligned. They’re descendants of angels who chose to come to earth long ago.”
“Why would they want to live on earth instead of in the heavens?” She ached with exhaustion, but this was the first time someone was actually telling her something, and she needed to get as much out of it as she could.
“The fae are simply hedonists. They enjoy earthly pleasures.”
Ursula glanced at Zee, whose arm dangled limply over the side of the table. “We can save her if we find Abe.”
“Abrax.” His eyes blazed. “And maybe we can get Hugo’s soul back from him, too, so Emerazel doesn’t need to claim your soul. Then I’ll crush the life out of him.”
“What happens if we don’t get the rest of Zee’s soul back?”
“She won’t live for more than a few days.”
Dread snaked up her spine, and she pulled her white stone from her purse, rolling it between her fingers. “She’ll die?”
“Yes. Put your charm away. I’ve got to refill you. You drained the rest of your remaining energy in your foolish attempt at fighting me.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but she was too tired for an argument. “How do you refill me?”
He crossed to her, holding out his hand. She grasped it, and he pulled her up. As she stood, dizziness fogged her mind, and he slipped an arm around her back to steady her. “I will imbue you with Emerazel’s fire.”
She was suddenly acutely aware of his bare skin and the heat radiating from his body. She looked down at the slow rise and fall of his chest, drinking in his delicious, earthy smell. Oh, God. I don’t have the hots for this guy, do I? “Will that be painful?”
“No.” His gaze slid down to her shoulder. “I’m just going to put my hand on your scar. My heat will flow into you.”