Katie's Hope

He strode to her and snatched her arm, squeezing until it hurt.

"I don't know!" she cried. "I gave it to Kris!"

His face mottled with anger, he released her with a curse and paced. She noticed his limp. "What happened to you, Jade?" she whispered.

"Shut up! Everything that's gone wrong has been because of you!" he returned. "If you hadn't appeared, Kris …" He stopped suddenly. "Where's your mating tattoo? Is Rhyn dead?" "Not hardly," she said and turned away. "Sounds like he did the same to me as Kris did to you."

Jade was silent. She wondered if Kris would check on her then dismissed the idea he'd seek her out for any reason. Her guards changed every eight hours, and this one would've started his shift at midnight. Two hours ago, according to the clock on the mantle. If she called for Rhyn, he wouldn't come. Desolation absorbed her into her thoughts, until Jade spoke again. "Demons. They'll take more than your soul."

She looked at him to see the haunted look that crossed his face.

Rhyn. Jade was lost in his thoughts for a few minutes, staring without seeing. Rhyn didn't come. Crushed, she realized she had six hours to keep Jade busy in the hopes he didn't kill her. By the wild look in his eyes, she doubted she'd make it one. Jade shook his head, as if tormented by his own thoughts.

"I can ask him for it," she ventured. "Like I'd trust you."

"If it's what you came for, then what choice do you have?" "I've got you if I can't get the vial," Jade said. "Darkyn said-- "

"Darkyn?"

"You know him?"

"Only from my nightmares. He's been tracking me for weeks." "So you'll take him from me, too, will you?"

"I've never taken anyone from you!" she said, baffled. Fury she didn't understand crossed his face. He raised the knife, lowered it, raised, lowered. His gaze burned into her, and she held her breath, awaiting his decision of whether or not to leave her alive.

"I've crossed that line," he muttered to himself and moved forward. He snatched her arm and sheathed his knife. Hauling her to the bed, he shook out a pillow from its case and draped the case over her head like a hood.

"What line?" she asked.

"The one where I kill innocents to get what I want."