For now, he didn’t really see any other options. He’d have to wait and do what the King said.
From outside the car came a noise that sounded like shouting, but he didn’t think Jen and Kyra would be stupid enough to draw attention to themselves. They knew how important this girl was to the King—to the Vittra as a whole—and they wouldn’t mess it up.
He leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes and humming along with “Hurt Makes It Beautiful.”
“Go!” Kyra shouted as she yanked open the passenger door.
“What?” Loki sat up and turned to the backseat to see Jen hopping in. Alone. “Where’s the girl?”
“Just go!” Jen snarled.
“Seriously?” Loki rolled his eyes but did as he was told.
He started the car, and when he didn’t speed up fast enough, Kyra pushed her hand on his leg, forcing his foot to press harder on the gas.
“Easy there,” Loki told her. “Just because the King is going to kill you two doesn’t mean we all need to die now.”
She let up, and Loki turned a corner just in time to see the police cars with their flashing lights approaching.
“Hey, you’re in this as much as we are,” Jen snapped.
Loki glanced in the rearview mirror at him. Jen’s eyes were black, and every time Loki looked at him, he was afraid that Jen saw into his soul and stole a bit of it.
“If anything, you’re in worse, Loki,” Kyra said. “The King put you in charge.”
“Yes, he did, but I delegated to you two.” Loki gestured between Kyra and Jen. “You both promised me you had this in the bag. It’s one girl who has no idea how to harness her powers. How could she possibly have eluded you?”
“Finn took her,” Kyra said through clenched teeth. “She’s probably on her way to the Trylle palace as we speak.”
“I’ll kill that bastard if it’s the last thing I do,” Jen muttered.
“Finn?” Loki shook his head, not understanding what they were talking about. “What is that?”
“He’s a Trylle tracker,” Kyra explained. “But he’s the best they have.”
“You know him?” Loki raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you socialized with the Trylle.”
Kyra shot him a glare and said, “We’ve run into him before. He’s tried to stop us from getting other changelings.”
“But he’s just a tracker?” Loki asked, watching her from the corner of his eye.
“He’s not just anything,” Kyra insisted. “He’s strong and a really good fighter.”
“So? You should’ve been able to crush him like a bug,” Loki said. “That’s what the King will say, and he’s right. There’s no reason why a damn Trylle tracker should ever get the upper hand in a fight.”
“I’m sure you could’ve taken him, but you weren’t there,” Kyra pointed out.
Jen crossed his arms and grinned with smug satisfaction. “And that’s what we’ll tell the King.”
“Oh, really?” Loki looked at Jen in the rearview mirror again. “You’ll tell the King that you’re weak and useless and you need me to do your job for you?”
Jen’s smile faltered. “I don’t need anybody.”
“That’s what you just said,” Loki countered, his own smile growing. “Just admit it. Admit that I’m stronger and better than you, and I’ll take the fall for this, Jen.”
“Screw you, Loki.” Jen narrowed his dead eyes at him, and Loki couldn’t help but laugh at his displeasure. “When the King executes you—and he will—I will spit on your grave.”
“You’ve been on her for three weeks, Jen.” Loki dropped his playful tone, and his words were hard. “Three weeks, and you haven’t done anything. The King sent me in to finish the job you barely even started, and I let you take the lead out of respect for your position—”
“Oh, bullshit,” Jen interrupted him. He leaned forward in the seat, so he could yell more directly at Loki. “You were lazy and didn’t want to do any of this. You ‘let’ me do it because you don’t want to get your hands dirty.”
“Oh, I’m sorry that I don’t get my jollies by kidnapping young girls,” Loki snapped back. “You realize the King is either going to torture her the way he has the rest of us or kill her? You’re bringing her back to get slaughtered.”
“Who cares?” Jen leaned back in the seat. “She’s not my problem. And she’s not yours either.”
“Since when do you have a conscience anyway?” Kyra asked.
“I don’t.” Loki paused, thinking of why he didn’t want to be a part of this. “I’ve just never been one to advocate murder.”
“Well, it’s her or us.” Kyra shrugged. “If I have a job to do, I’m going to do it.”
“You mean, except for this job, which you completely ruined, and now we’ll all die horrible, painful deaths?” Loki asked.
Jen kicked the back of Loki’s seat, and Loki slammed on the breaks, causing Jen to lurch forward, hitting his head on the seat.