It iss the Jewel for Kaeleer’ss Heart.
There was another dreamer.
Sshe iss who sshe hass alwayss been.
I lost nothing I regret losing. I am what I want to be.
Lorn was right. He should have looked with his heart to find the answers. If he had, he would have realized there was one person who had no regrets, who felt no grief about the power that had been lost. Was, in fact, enjoying her “diminished” strength.
There was another dreamer.
One tear spilled over, not from sorrow this time but from joy.
He raised the glass of yarbarah in a salute. “To you, witch-child.”
FIFTEEN
1
No one saw him, heard him, felt him as he entered Lektra’s town house and climbed the stairs. He paused on the landing. He’d spent the day learning about his prey, so it was simple enough to sense which woman huddled in which bedroom.
Turning away from Lektra’s room, Daemon walked down the corridor. As he passed through the door of Roxie’s bedroom, he placed aural and psychic shields around the room that would keep this conversation private.
She was curled up in a chair, reading a book—something he doubted she usually did for entertainment. She wasn’t aware of him as he watched her, as he breathed in her scent.
An illusion spell could hide what a person looked like, but it didn’t change her psychic scent. When he’d seen her in Banard’s shop the day he bought the bracelet for Jaenelle, he’d felt pity for the witch who needed an illusion spell to hide a disfigurement.
Tonight, pity—and mercy—were words that had no meaning for him.
“So,” he said pleasantly as he dropped the Black shields that had kept him hidden from her, “since you couldn’t have my brother, you decided to play games with me.”
Roxie sprang out of the chair, dropping the book. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Roxie, darling, of course you do. Lucivar exiled you from Ebon Rih when you tried to force him into your bed. I know all about you. Or enough about you. I made it my business to find out. But I really don’t care what games you played with Lucivar. I want to know why you decided to play games with me.”
Roxie pouted. “Lektra wants you. I just helped her.”
“By spreading lies about me, by watching me when I was in Amdarh so you could build those lies on a foundation of truth?” Smiling, he crooned, “Did you also help Lektra with the carriage accident that could have injured Jaenelle?”
“No!” Panic laced her voice, filling him with pleasure. “I didn’t know about that! Not until she got back to the town house.”
“Ah.” Daemon sent wisps of a seduction spell into the room—just enough to dull the sharpest edges of her fear. “Everything has a price, darling. It’s time to pay the debt for your part in these games.”
“I suppose you’re going to tell Zhara to exile me from Amdarh.”
Smiling, he glided across the room until he stood in front of her. “Exile? Oh, no. That was Lucivar’s choice.” He held out his right hand.
As the seduction spells coiled around her, her eyes gleamed with speculation. She slipped her hand into his, then sighed with pleasure when he raised her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles.
Roxie licked her lips. “So you’re not going to exile me?”
“No, I’m not. Because there is one small detail you didn’t take into account.” He licked the back of her hand as his fingers shifted to her wrist.
“What’s that?” she asked, sounding breathless.
“I’m not my brother.”
His nails stabbed her. His snake tooth pricked her wrist, and he pumped half of his venom into her before he released her and stepped back.
She stared at the wounds on her wrist, then looked at him, stunned.
“As I said, darling, everything has a price.”
He watched her die—and it was a hard death.
Hearing the click of a lock, Lektra spun around and stared at Daemon Sadi, who was leaning against her bedroom door. She pressed a hand against her chest, as if that would control the sudden pounding of her heart. “How did you get in? My butler didn’t announce you.”
“I didn’t want to be announced,” he replied.
“You came for me.” She breathed out the words, hardly daring to believe. Her beautiful love was here. He had realized who really loved him and had broken his ties with Jaenelle in order to be with her.