“Don’t I?” I gripped the dagger just a little tighter and smiled.
He knocked his chair over in his haste to get up. Reaching under his desk, he produced a well-sharpened stake. Not a trace of fear came from him. Veryl had been expecting this.
“You’re a pawn, Alexa. Playing right into Shya’s hands by doing his dirty work for him. You’re better than this.”
I stood just inside the door to his office. It wasn’t all that big, and the massive desk in the center left little room for a good fight. I had to make this quick.
“Don’t talk. It’s only going to waste time.” I held my free hand up, moving it in a counter-clockwise circle. Power went out from me, pasting Veryl up against the far wall. The stake in his hand was useless.
He glared at me, still unafraid. “We’ve worked together for years. I did all I could to keep you from him. Now just that fast he has you brainwashed? Think this through.”
“You did what you could to keep a lot of things from me. You get your hands on information, and in some cases people, and you do all you can to make it work to your advantage.” I advanced on him, the dagger warming in my hand. “Now it’s caught up to you.”
“Alexa, please! You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. He’s a demon for God’s sake! Do you think he gives a damn about you? He has plans for you. Once you stop playing along, he’ll abandon you. Or worse. Eventually, you’ll have to make a choice, and I doubt it will be his side you’ll choose.”
That made me hesitate, but I tried not to show it. I didn’t doubt that Veryl knew things about Shya that I didn’t. But, I also knew he’d do anything to save his own ass.
“You know what? I don’t care. I don’t want to hear it.”
I raised the Dragon Claw and only then did panic seep into his eyes. He fought to get free of the power holding him.
“What did he offer you? What did he tell you to get you to do this? Whatever it is, it comes with a price. You can’t trust a demon.”
“Actually, I was more than happy to do this. You’re making it easier by the second.” I wasn’t letting him plant doubts in my head. He’d done enough damage over the years. “I don’t trust demons. And, I don’t trust you. Not anymore.”
I saw myself reflected in his eyes. My mane of ash blond hair was sleek and smooth, a direct contrast to my wild blue eyes. Arys’ eyes. It was still startling. But, what struck me was the ruthless glint I saw deep within them.
“He’ll drag you into the pits of hell if you let him. You have no idea what you’re getting involved in.” Veryl glared at me with a growing hate. “Don’t do something stupid that you’ll regret.”
Unwilling to hear another word, I slammed the dagger into Veryl with enough force that we both grunted. His mouth gaped, but no further sound came out. He simply stared at me in horror before dropping in a pile of ash at my feet. A puff of ash rose up to choke me. I glanced at the bloody dagger blade, shaken and wound up. The rush of what I’d just done hit hard, and I sat heavily in Veryl’s chair.
After letting it all sink in, I turned to his computer and thought, Why the hell not? I clicked around through his documents, finding most of them to be password protected or encrypted. A series of documents with various names caught my eye. My own name was part of the grouping. I cursed my inability to do much more than stare at the password prompt. After trying several possibilities, I gave up. Hacking into protected files was not my forte.
I was itching to know what was in the files with my name on them. The bastard sure made it hard to regret what I just did. Sorry, Veryl. Payback is a bitch.
So maybe I couldn’t open the folders, but I had no problem emailing them to myself. Veryl might have been secretive, but he wasn’t as technologically savvy as one might expect. I didn’t know anyone who could get into those folders, but I’d sure as hell find someone.
I shut down Veryl’s computer and called Lilah to let her know it was all over. As I left a message on her voicemail, I busied myself turning off the lights and locking up. The moon was thrumming in my veins, calling my wolf forth. My dirty work was done for the night. I had a pack run to get to.
* * * *
I ran through the forest, kicking up the earth beneath my paws. I pushed myself hard, reveling in the exertion of every muscle. Raising my nose to the wind, I searched the night air for the scent of my wolves.