“Okay, asshole,” Eidolon growled. “Time for you to sing.”
She glanced at Bleak’s crumpled, bloodied form. He wasn’t moving, but his chest rose and fell with regular breaths. Thank God.
“You bastard,” she said to Cole. “What the hell was that all about?”
He glared up at her, and Eidolon must have squeezed, because Cole clawed at his hand. “Demon bitch,” he gasped. “You’re a spy. You murdered Janet.”
Oh, Jesus. They knew. “I-I’m not a spy. I didn’t kill Janet.” Her denial came out in a rush she didn’t even believe because in a way, she had killed the other Guardian.
Her gaze locked with Eidolon’s.
“Yuri must have talked,” he muttered.
Did everyone know? She still hadn’t come to grips with the fact that demon blood ran through her veins, but her own people had obviously tried to kill her for it.
She tucked her leg beneath her and got comfortable, because she had a lot of questions for Cole. Starting with, “What were your orders?”
Cole’s split, bloodied lips made for a grotesque smile. “Go to hell.”
Eidolon dropped one finger to a cut on Cole’s face. He stroked the skin next to it, gently, slowly.
“Funny thing, medical school,” Eidolon murmured. “In the process of learning how to patch someone up—” suddenly the cut sealed “—you also learn the most effective ways to hurt them.” The cut ripped open with a sound like torn wet paper, and Cole screamed. Damn, Hellboy knew his shit. She couldn’t decide if it was sexy, scary, or a little of both.
“Answer Tayla’s questions, or I start slicing my way south.”
Cole swallowed audibly. “We were sent to pack up your Aegis weapons and clothes.”
“And?”
“And kill you if you survived the explosion.”
Though she’d expected the answer, she still felt the ugly sting of betrayal. No, sting didn’t quite cover it. These were people she’d fought with, bled with, risked her life for. They’d shared a mission, a calling. How could they have done this?
“Who sent you?” She cursed the tremor in her voice. “Who gave the order?”
“Jagger.”
“He doesn’t have that kind of authority.”
“He said it came from Kynan.”
She rocked backward as if she’d been slapped. No. Kynan wouldn’t do that. Not to her. Not to anyone. He’d once let a Guardian off the hook for releasing a demon from the interrogation room.
Then again, if he believed she was a demon . . . no, even then, if the information had come from Yuri, Kynan wouldn’t automatically believe it. Information from a demon, obtained under torture, wouldn’t warrant an execution order, and even if it did, the order wouldn’t be issued until an investigation had been completed and the Sigil had approved the action.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“So you came here to ransack Tayla’s apartment and kill her if she survived the explosion?” Eidolon asked.
“It was supposed to look like a breakin.”
“And if I hadn’t come back here but was still alive?” she asked.
A cold grin turned up his bloodied mouth. “We’d have hunted you down like the demon whore you are.”
“Wrong answer.” Eidolon’s voice was low, deadly, and in a blur of motion, he twisted Cole’s head, snapping his neck. “Justice is served.”
Tayla supposed she should be shocked, maybe upset, but all she felt was an empty numbness. Was her demon side affecting her already?
She stood there for a moment, staring at the two Guardians bleeding on her floor, one dead, one alive. What now?
As if Eidolon heard her thoughts, he stood and said, “Pack some clothes and grab your weasel.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“You aren’t safe here.”
“I know. But I can take care of myself.” She’d lived on the streets for years, knew the life, knew the places to hang out.
Then again, so did several Guardians, including Jagger.
He reached for her so quickly she was in his grasp before she could blink. One hand tangled in her hair, and the other gripped her waist. “Tell me,” he said quietly, in a voice that was far more unnerving than if he’d shouted, “what did The Aegis do to Yuri?”
She swallowed. Hard. “I told you. They tortured him.”
“How? Whips? Blades? Fire?” His grip grew firmer, drawing her closer into his hard body as he tugged her head back, not so it hurt, but he wanted her attention. He got it. “Do you think your friends wouldn’t do the same to you if they catch you? I know you can’t trust me, but I think I’ve proven that I won’t torture you.”
“You killed Cole . . .”
“I did it so you didn’t have to.” He dragged his lips across the top of her ear, making her shiver. “He would have killed you. Maybe not today, but eventually. Go. Collect your things.”
He released her, but she didn’t fall for the distraction. “You’re not killing Bleak while I’m occupied.”