Lyssa felt chilled. “I suppose. . a spell? But nothing they’ve used before, or else they probably would have caught up with me long before this.”
He hefted the parcel. “Another trap?”
It’s like cats playing with mice. “I don’t know. But whatever’s inside won’t be good.”
“Right,” he muttered, and began tearing the paper, carefully. Lyssa edged closer, trying to see.
Suddenly, Eddie stopped. “I don’t. . know if you want to see this.”
Fear clutched her heart. Lyssa steeled herself, and held out her hand.
Regret passed through his eyes, but he gave her the torn parcel. It was heavy, the contents soft, uneven. She took a deep breath, wobbly and sick, and finished opening it.
When she saw what was inside, though. . she didn’t understand. Not at first.
There were four strips of what looked like leopard hide, skinned from the legs. She knew it was the legs, because the knobby portions of the paws were attached, as well.
There was a handwritten note. It read:
Say hello to Estefan.
Lyssa stared in horror, a scream rising in her throat.
The Cruor Venator had skinned her friend.
And sent her his legs.
Chapter Twelve
All Eddie saw, before Lyssa took the package, was the edge of a sleek, spotted hide. That was enough. He knew, in his gut, what it meant. But when he saw the horror and devastation that spread over her face, he was unprepared for his own reaction.
Rage. Pure, unbridled fury.
Those women who had murdered her friend, and probably others. . who were hurting Lyssa with these terrible games. .
. . they were going to die.
No, he told himself. No, don’t think that.
But it was impossible not to. He knew what else had been done to Estefan, but seeing that fur. . holding it in his hands. . made the cruelty and horror of his murder viscerally real in a way that it hadn’t been before. The idea of those same women coming close to Lyssa strained his control to the breaking point.
She threw the parcel to the floor and turned away, gagging. He pressed to her side, holding back her hair — holding her — as she sank to her knees. She tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.
Her grief killed him. It was too familiar.
Lyssa kept trying to grieve in silence, but he was wrapped so tightly around her that every shudder filled him — each heaving breath that shook her body, shaking his as though she were going to break apart against him.
Eddie remained quiet as long as he dared, but he watched the door the entire time — straining to hear if anyone was outside.
Finally, he murmured, “Lyssa.”
She buried her face against his chest, momentarily stilling.
“We have to go,” he told her quietly. “It’s not safe here.”
Her fingers tightened around his arm. “Okay.”
Her voice was so soft and muffled, he barely heard her. Eddie helped her stand, but she shook so badly, her teeth chattered. Her skin was cold, and he slid his hands beneath her sweater, pressing them hard against her waist and back. He focused on bringing heat into palms, even more heat than he had used on Aaron Roacher.
Fire flowed through his blood, fire that sank from his body into hers, as easily as if it were the same body, same blood, same life. Golden light streamed from her eyes, mixing with her tears.
He kissed her. “Can you stand without me?”
Lyssa nodded, face crumpling as she pressed her left hand over her mouth. A sob broke, and she turned from him, choking.
Eddie took a deep breath, then another — fighting to focus past her heartbreak — but when he started wrapping the shifter’s skin in the parcel paper, she turned and watched. It was difficult to work, feeling the heat of her gaze on his every movement.
He tried to be careful, respectful, but there was only so much he could do.
Eddie placed the remains in his backpack, then picked up Lyssa’s bag, slinging everything over his shoulder. He found her wiping tears from her cheeks. Grief was raw in her eyes, but her breathing was steadier, and there was a new hardness in her jaw that made her look almost. . cruel.
“Estefan,” she whispered. “He was a good man.”
I know, Eddie wanted to tell her, but a strong sense of self-preservation kept his mouth shut. Eventually, she would discover he had known the shifter was dead — and kept it from her. But not now.
“I can’t take this anymore. I’m done.”
“Lyssa,” he said.
Her eyes glowed. “I’m going to kill them. I’m going to rip their guts out.”
Anger was better than misery. . but Eddie felt cold when she said that. He knew she meant every word.
What kind of stain would that put on her heart? He knew killers. He knew men who killed to protect the people they loved. He had known people who killed just because they liked it.
Murder always changed the eyes. Lyssa didn’t have those eyes.
But I do, he thought, filled with dread and fear — for her and himself.
“Your friend,” she said, her eyes bloodshot, bright. “I wasn’t certain Lannes was safe before. . but now? If Betty and Nikola have been following me, then they must know about him. A gargoyle. . would be as attractive as a dragon.”
Eddie reached for his phone. “If we could find a way to keep them from tracking you. .”
“I think I know how they did it.” Her voice was ragged, hoarse. “When she. . when she killed Estefan. . she stole the essence of a shape-shifter. Same essence as mine. It’s no exact science, but with enough power. . power she certainly has. . she could take that essence and use it to find any shape-shifter near her.”
“And then make Betty and Nikola do her dirty work? Why these games? Why is this so personal?”
She closed her eyes, swaying. “Call your friend.”
“Lyssa.”
“I can’t—” She stopped, and softened her voice, though it broke with grief. “It has to do with why she murdered my parents, but that’s. . that’s all I can tell you. For now. Please, Eddie.”
Her plea bought his silence but did nothing to ease the ache. He felt too much around her, too much that was reckless and dangerous.
Eddie stepped close, staring into her eyes — trying to harden his heart. But it was impossible when she stared at him with those golden eyes, tear-struck, and glimmering with light.
“They’ll come after you,” she whispered. “They’ll go after the people I care about before they come after me.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not that easy to kill.”
Lyssa stepped back from him and looked down. “Better make that call.”
She really was going to break his heart. Eddie found Lannes’s number. On the third ring, the gargoyle answered.
“Eddie,” he said, sounding breathless. “I’m glad you called.”
Dread filled him. “What’s happened?”
“Lethe’s family is in some kind of uproar. They won’t let her go.”
Eddie was silent a moment. “What does that mean?”
“It means I need to face a household full of witches to get my wife back.”
“Have you talked with her?”
“Barely. There’s too much going on in the background that I don’t understand, and she’s furious.” Lannes hesitated, his voice dropping. “She also sounds scared.”
“Hold on.” Eddie pressed the phone against his chest and looked at Lyssa, who watched him with stark concern. “Did you catch any of that?”
“Some. His wife is being held by witches?”
“Her family. For some reason, they won’t let her leave.” He hesitated. “None of them know she’s married to a gargoyle.”