I was ready to drag him into the bed by force.
Puffing out a breath, I reminded myself that there was a slight chance I might actually pass out, and I didn’t want to miss the moment when I finally got the aeromage out of his clothes and into my bed. I’d just have to be patient for a short while longer.
Considering Robin and Amalia had already begun preparing the ritual that would either save him or destroy him, I wouldn’t have long to wait.
Chapter Eight
Robin pushed her bangs off her face. “It’s ready.”
The museum basement was transformed. The floor had been cleaned, the cracks and nicks smoothed out. Robin and Amalia had drawn the array using silver alchemic paint, and the hundreds of crisscrossing lines and runes were dizzying to look at. Two large circles sat inside the twenty-five-foot outer ring—one for Ezra to stand in, and one into which Eterran would be summoned.
I hadn’t gotten to help at all. Elisabetta had only released me from her care yesterday, a week after Justin and I had checked out this spot.
“Ready?” I repeated, glancing between them, not quite daring to believe. “As in, we can start the ritual right now?”
“Uh, technically yes,” Robin replied, “but I don’t think we should attempt the ritual in broad daylight.”
“We should wait for tonight,” Aaron agreed, crossing his arms. “After midnight, at least. And I want Kai here too, just in case.”
Just in case could mean anything, but I was afraid I knew exactly which worst-case scenario he was thinking of—the one where Ezra didn’t make it out alive.
My stomach turned over.
A shrill ring erupted, and Aaron dug into his pocket. He pulled his phone out and lifted it to his face. “Hello? Oh, hey Girard.” He listened for a moment. “Okay, yeah, I figured ice artifacts would be difficult to find … No, the teams I sent out haven’t found any vampires. All the usual nest spots are empty. What about frost-bombs? Has Katherine had any luck making one?”
Still talking, he moved toward the far end of the room. I watched him go, trying not to worry about the guild preparations. Before we faced the cult, we needed to save Ezra—or kill him trying.
My stomach jumped again, and I pressed my hand against it. I’d never felt this nervous in my life—it was a sort of persistent, low-level panic that made me ill. I wanted the summoning ritual to be over with just as badly as I wanted to freeze time forever.
“How are you feeling?”
I blinked, bringing the room into focus. Robin was standing beside me, peering worriedly into my face.
“Your injuries … have they healed okay? Do you want Zylas to check them?”
That got my attention. “Zylas?”
“He’s very good at healing. I could probably convince him to fix you up if you need it.”
“Uh. That’s very considerate, but I’m just tired.” I shook my head, unable to imagine the savage demon volunteering to heal me. I’d trust Eterran with my health first. “How are you? According to the guys, you’ve been out here every night.”
She squeezed her hands together. “It’s the least I could do. Even without the amulet to trade, I would’ve helped Ezra. He saved Zylas’s life.”
“He did?”
“Yes.” Her eyes clouded over. “I almost lost him.”
The shadow of pain in her expression intrigued me. “Your demon means a lot to you, huh? What exactly is your relationship?”
She reeled backward as though I’d slapped her. “Wh-what? Our relationship?”
“Like … do you have a contract? Can you command him or what?”
She gulped a few times, her face beet red. “We have a contract, but I don’t command him. We work together.”
Work together. Despite my deal with Eterran for a mutual goal, the idea boggled my mind. “How did that come about?”
“We … we saved each other.” She lightly touched the infernus hanging around her neck, then tilted her head questioningly. “Are you concerned?”
“About what?”
“That I don’t command Zylas.”
I shrugged. “I won’t pretend he doesn’t frighten me, but Eterran frightens me too, and he’s not that bad … for a demon.”
“You sound like Amalia. That’s how she describes Zylas.” With a glance around, she started across the room. “Speaking of Zylas, I should find him. He wandered off again.”
I followed her toward the staircase, leaving Aaron to his phone call. “I didn’t realize he was out.”
She pushed the fire door open and started up the concrete steps. “He doesn’t like spending hours and hours in the infernus.”
“What’s being inside an infernus like?”
“I’m not sure, but the gist of it seems to be ‘boring.’” She opened the door to the main level. “Are you ready for tonight?”
As we ventured into the dusty halls of the small museum, I almost brushed off her question. But fear thrummed in my bones, and I needed to admit it.
“I’m terrified,” I whispered. “I’m terrified to lose him. It feels like we’re ushering him to his own execution.”
Robin stopped beside me, sympathy softening her face. “You aren’t ushering him. He decided this himself, didn’t he?”
My throat tightened.
“There’s a big difference between being forced to do something and choosing your own path.” She gazed down the hall, her eyes losing focus. “Choosing … means something.”
Her whispered words triggered a sudden memory: Zak leaning toward me, green eyes intent as he told me that I was as much a mythic as him. Choice is more powerful than fate.
Shivering, I shrugged off the memory—and realized Robin was still staring off into space. I waved a hand in front of her nose. “You all right there?”
She started. “Y-yes. Sorry. Just … just remembered something, that’s all.”
With a skeptical eyebrow arch, I glanced around. “So, do you wanna call for him, or what?”
“Hm? Oh, he already knows I’m looking for him. He’s got some reason for not coming to find me. Let’s check the second floor.”
I was still frowning confusedly as she headed back to the stairwell. We hurried up to
