“All right. All right, I said!” He snapped that out as if she’d been arguing with him instead of just turning that flat, dark gaze on him. “I’ll help. I’m a double-damned idiot, but I’ll help you. For whatever good it will do,” he added gloomily. “I don’t know how to open a hellgate. I don’t know anyone who does.”
Cynna really, really didn’t want to say anything, but her mouth made a decision without consulting her brain. “I do.”
Cullen’s head swung toward her. “Who?”
In for a penny… She sighed. “Two people, actually. One who does know, and one who might be able to figure it out. That’s Abel. You know him,” she said to Cullen. “Abel Karonski. He can close leaks, and wouldn’t this be like doing the same thing in reverse? We don’t need a great big gate.”
His eyes narrowed as if he was totting things up mentally. Reluctantly he nodded. “It might work, if he’s capable of creative thought. Spells don’t reverse neatly.”
“No duh.”
Lily shook her head. “Karonski would be last-ditch. Aside from the fact that he’s in Virginia, he’s not going to agree. Opening a hellgate is illegal. Who’s the other person?”
“No one I want to talk to, if I can avoid it. She, ah, probably wouldn’t be happy about me tracking her down, and she might not help, anyway. And if she did, it would come with a price.”
For a few minutes, none of them spoke. Lily had herself back under control. Cynna couldn’t read a thing on that pretty face as she sat there, one finger tapping against her thigh. Finally she said, “I need to get out of here. I guess the things I was wearing are around somewhere.”
“I think your chums collected them as evidence,” Cullen said. “Evidence of what, I’m not sure, but they have a passion for plastic baggies.”
She grimaced. “There’s a gift shop downstairs, isn’t there? Would you see if—”
“No need,” Cynna said. “I’ve got that covered. Only where… oh, yeah.” She went to the door, where she’d dropped her tote upon being introduced to the cop with the Santa Claus face and the big gun. She snatched it, unzipped it, and pulled out a wrinkled T-shirt and the pants to her second-best gi. “They won’t fit,” she said apologetically, “but they’re better than nothing.”
For the first time, Lily smiled. It wasn’t much, but it was a smile. “You came prepared to bust me out.”
“Pretty much. Oh, here. You’ll need this to hold them up.” She pulled out her belt. Unlike the rest of the outfit, it was neatly folded.
Lily took it, a small V between her brows. “A brown belt. Judo? With those long legs, you’d be good at it.”
“Judo’s mostly defense. I’ve been told I’m offensive.” She grinned. “Tae kwon do. I don’t practice enough.”
“Brown’s nothing to apologize for.” She swung her legs to the side of the bed, managing to keep it modest in spite of the hospital gown’s shortcomings.
Cynna was hit with a nasty, rotten suspicion. “You do judo, don’t you?”
Lily nodded. She was so short her feet didn’t quite reach the floor, so she had to slide off the bed.
“What belt?” Cynna asked that even though she was sure she wouldn’t like the answer.
“Black. Second dan. I’ll be right back.” She headed for the tiny bathroom, the mismatched clothes over her arm. She moved slowly, as if she hurt, but Cynna was pretty sure an offer of help would get her snapped at.
Second dan—that was like second-degree black. Impressive as hell, dammit.
“Jealous, shetanni rakibu?” Cullen’s voice was lightly mocking.
Cold prickled up her spine, popping out in goose bumps on her arms. She wanted to rub them, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “It’s been a while since I heard that.”
He nodded, satisfied. “Then you were a demon rider. I thought so.”
What exactly did he think? How much did he know about shetanni rakibu? She asked very casually, “So where did you hear that title? It’s not exactly common knowledge.”
“I read a lot. Is it a demon you’re hoping not to consult about opening a wee little hellgate?”
“Dumb question. Most of them wouldn’t know how, either, or they’d do it. Seen any demon hordes ravaging the countryside lately?”
He surprised her by grinning. “Touché. If you’re not consulting a demon about the gate, it must be someone in this realm. You know a master, don’t you?”
“Everyone knows there aren’t any real demon masters.”
“Everyone knows there aren’t any real sorcerers.”
“You talk too much.”
“It’s part of my charm.” He moved closer. “Are you going to help?”
She needed to say no. Lord, but she did not want to go looking for Jiri. She wasn’t crazy about crossing into hell, either. “You didn’t want to do it.”
He snorted. “I’m a selfish sonofabitch. What’s your excuse?”
“That the whole idea is nuts?”
“Consider that a drawback, do you?” He glanced at the closed bathroom door. “She’s going. With or without my help or yours, she’ll find a way to go after him.”
“Yeah.” Cynna didn’t think Lily was fooling herself about the odds. They just weren’t a big factor in her decision.
What would it be like to have someone matter that much? To matter that much to someone?
Rule didn’t matter to her that way. She’d had some hopes about him, yeah. She’d wanted to be with him again, and not just because of the mind-boggling sex. Lord, the things a lupus could do… but that hadn’t been all of it. She’d wanted him to see who and what she’d become. To approve. It made her squirm to admit that, but it was true.
But Rule did matter. And she owed him.
Cullen moved closer. Close enough for her to see that he hadn’t shaved that morning. Close enough to see the darker rims around his irises, and the way his pulse beat in the hollow of his throat. “Even aside from opening the hellgate, you know more about Dis and demons than I do. Our chances would be better with you along.”
“That must have hurt, saying it out loud.”
“I’m tough. I can take it.” He ran his fingertips along the side of her neck. “What do you say?”
Her heart was pounding. He’d know it, too, dammit. “You offering me sex in exchange for tossing my career in the trash, maybe ending up in prison?”
He smiled into her eyes, and that was seduction more potent than the stroke of his fingers. “Think of it as a bonus. For both of us.”
She stepped back. It was harder than it should have been. “Do I have ‘idiot’ stamped on my forehead?”
The bathroom door opened. Cynna glanced that way… and had to bite her lip.
“Did your mommy give you permission to play dress-up, little girl?” Cullen asked.
“Shut up, Cullen.” Lily shuffled out.
Cynna’s lips twitched. “Sorry. I should’ve stopped and picked up something in your size.”
Lily flipped one hand, dismissing it. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s get me checked out.”
“You could just leave.” Cynna kind of liked the idea of smuggling her out.
“I need to get my prescription first. I don’t have time to deal with an infection.” She made it to the chair, lowered herself, and reached for the buzzer to call the nurse. Then she faced Cynna. “I need to make plans, and to do that, I need to know where you stand. The Bureau is not going to investigate Rule’s disappearance. They aren’t going to like it if we do.”
“No duh.” Cynna frowned. “It bugs me, though. Ruben made it sound certain-sure that Rule was dead, but he’s not stupid. He had to realize that wasn’t a sure thing. Well, when we tell him what we’ve figured out, he’ll—”
“We won’t be telling him.”