Lincoln nods slowly. “Good point.”
“There’s more, too. I think Adair possessed the Durus. Now, imagine you’ve got a badass Durus under your control. You can make it do anything. But what’s the first thing Adair forces it to do? Ask me to move the demon’s soul to Hell.”
“That is rather odd.”
“And later, she sneaks up on me at the warehouse. She could take my igni or could grab the Orb. But what does she do? Dare me to try sending to her Hell. It all adds up to one thing.”
A slow smile rounds Lincoln’s mouth. “Adair doesn’t know how to use your powers.”
“Bingo. Hey, it took me forever to move my first soul. And I’d seen the Old Scala do a ton of iconigrations.”
“I remember. You struggled for a while.”
“Right. Adair’s never seen igni in action. That’s why she’s keeps asking me for a demonstration.”
“So, what are you thinking?”
“I bluff it out. Lie my ass off to Adair. Tell her I’ll give her the inside scoop on how to move souls in exchange for a guarantee that she’ll send mine to Heaven. After that, I meet up with her one-to-one for the trade.”
Lincoln lifts his brows with interest. “And then, what?”
A grim chill crawls up my arms and legs. “Here’s where things get ugly. Adair has to agree to give me my igni back. If she doesn’t,” I inhale a rattling breath. “Then, I’ll have to kill her. It’s the only way I can be sure they’ll return to me.”
“And you’re not sure if you can kill her.”
“Oh, I’ll do it if I have to. It’s just that I’ve only ever destroyed evil souls and demons.” A bitter taste enters the back of my throat. Even thinking about this subject is disgusting. “Taking a mortal life is different, that’s all.”
“I know.” Lincoln’s eyes take on a steely look.
“Have you ever killed another mortal?”
“Yes. I’ve had warriors get possessed on demon patrol.” A pained look crosses his face. “It’s never easy.” He shakes his head, as if dismissing a memory from his mind. “Still, Adair’s committed more than a dozen acts of treason. Any one of them could be punishable by death. You’d be saving the executioner some effort.”
I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “Glad to help.”
“And you don’t want to consult with your parents on this?”
“No way. They won’t want me risking my life when Adair says she’ll play nicely with others.” I take a deep breath. Here comes the big reveal. “This is the thing. I know we had until tomorrow morning to say our goodbyes. But if my plan’s going to work, I need to leave tonight.” My voice breaks as I say these last two words. “I’m sorry.”
Lincoln stops, his mismatched eyes searching my face. This time, his unreadable face truly deserves the name. I have no idea what he’s thinking.
“Is something wrong?” I ask quickly. “Don’t bother trying to talk me out of this. My mind’s made up.”
“No, it’s not that. Not at all. I’m going with you.”
My brows lift with surprise. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not. And it’s not a request. It’s a statement of fact. I am going with you.” He takes both my hands in his. “I don’t want to be King without you as my Queen. The chances you’ll win against Adair by yourself are slim. If this is going to work, you need some back-up.”
My pulse kicks faster. With a warrior like Lincoln along, my chances would get a shit-ton better.
“And you’re absolutely sure about this?”
He looks at me out of his right eye. “Keep asking me that and I’m liable to get insulted.”
I can’t help but smile. I’m so used to fighting in the Arena solo. No coach. No back-up. No friendly faces cheering from the stands. Having Lincoln in my life makes me realize how alone I once was. A happy, summer-warm feeling spreads through my heart. “Okay, you’re coming along.”
He winks. “How very big of you.”
“Also, there may be a way I can protect you from her. You know, so she doesn’t turn you all demon-eyed. It’s a lot more bluffing and lies, but there’s a chance she’ll buy it.”
“What can I say? I love this plan.”
“You know we’ll have to hide this from your parents, too?”
“Clearly.”
“So, how do we sneak into Antrum? It’s always locked down super-tight. Right now, your parents are probably keeping an extra-close eye on who comes and goes.”
Lincoln rubs his chin as he walks along. “Let me guess. You don’t want to ask Walker.”