Darius’s eyes narrowed. “If I make the guild a safe place for Robin, you’ll protect the guild? Is that what you’re saying?” Zylas bared his teeth in a wolfish grin. “And”—the GM’s gaze sharpened—“you’ll protect the guild against Claude and his demon?” “One thing for another thing, hh’ainun.” “I see.” A faint smile curved Darius’s lips. “I believe I’ve been outsmarted. This is not my night.” Pushing to his feet, he nodded toward the door. “Robin, could you please give me and Zora a minute alone?” “Sure,” I mumbled, feeling sick. Grabbing Zylas’s wrist, I pulled him into the empty room beyond. Closing the door, I sagged against the wall. “I can’t believe you did that, Zylas.” He gazed intently at the door. “Better this way, vayanin. The female hh’ainun was too dangerous. Now she will do what her leader tells her.” “You’ve been waiting for something like this to happen, haven’t you?” I wasn’t sure how comfortable I was with that level of scheming from my demon. “How many plans did you have for keeping Zora from blowing our secret?” “Too many for your hh’ainun mind.” “Ha ha.” Sighing, I let my head fall back against the wall. “You’re putting more thought and effort into my safety than I am.” “I know. You need to make me more food, vayanin, or I will think you do not want our contract.” My cheeks heated. I hadn’t given him any food, let alone baked for him, since the whole “sharing food is a courting ritual” conversation. Any thought of how my end of our binding contract was the demon equivalent of hot and heavy flirting … it made me want to crawl under a rock and die. The office door opened. Cheeks still warm, I minced back into the room, Zylas behind me. Zora stood beside the desk, warily eyeing the demon as Darius returned to his chair. “Well,” he said, his tone a mystery; I couldn’t tell if he was amused, angry, or resigned. “We’re all agreed, then. Zora will keep your secret, Robin, and in return, you and Zylas will protect our combat teams from Claude, his demon, and any additional threats he might introduce tomorrow night.” I nodded. “And I’ll be going with you.” My gaze jerked to Zora. She folded her arms. “Illegal contractor or not, you can’t go out there unprotected. You need a champion.” “You … you’re going to …” She glanced at Zylas, her expression a mix of wariness, determination, and a hint of curiosity. “If nothing else, it should be interesting.”
Chapter Nine
“Stealth is crucial for this mission.” Crouched in the shrubbery beside me, Zora kept her voice low. “At this very minute, we have five teams moving in on different locations. They have to simultaneously disable Varvara’s golems, ambush her rogue soldiers, and capture the sorceress. If any one part fails, the whole mission and all our guildmates will be in severe danger.”
I nodded earnestly, my gloved hands tucked in my leather jacket’s pockets for warmth. “So why,” she asked, her voice roughening, “did you just let your demon run off by itself?” “Himself,” I corrected. “He’s not an ‘it.’”