“Then fucking move.”I shoved his arm out of my way as the light dimmed.What remained was a door made of white light.I stepped forward, and Silas grabbed my wrist, stopping me.I spun back and glared.
His silver eyes bored into me.“You sure about this?”
He didn’t need to say anything more.Walking through that door meant entering a tournament that many never returned from.Death would be one thing, but no one knew what happened to those who didn’t come home.A fate worse than death was a distinct possibility.
“I’m sure,” I said and pulled from his grasp.
My surety wasn’t just about my ego or some burning desire to win.This was about protecting my home, keeping Hell intact, and protecting Lucifer, even if he had pissed me off.If this tournament could ensure things continued as they were, then I’d happily play my part to make that happen.
I took another step, and he stopped me again.I spun with a snarl.“If you’re too chicken shit, then stay the hell here.”
He stared down at me with that level, calm expression he always wore, well, almost always.That look on his handsome face projecting a whole lot of all-knowing, voice-of-reason crap just pissed me off more.How was he so godsdamn calm all the time?Nothing got to him.Not one fucking thing.That emotionless, cool self-possession made me want to drive him to the edge, mess him up, piss him off, turn him on, anything to get him to lose his shit.
“If we do this, we’re going to have to trust each other.Do you think you can do that?”he said patiently.
I crossed my arms.“No.”
He waited, and when I said no more, he sighed.“That’s it?That’s all you’re going to say?”
“No, dickhead.”
His expression didn’t change, but his eyes narrowed slightly.“You know I wouldn’t allow any harm to come to you, Ursula.”
I didn’t know anything of the sort.“Whereas I would love nothing more than to cause you all kinds of harm.”
His Adam’s apple slid up and down his corded throat and a muscle jumped at the hinge of his jaw.“For this to work, you’ll need to trust me?—”
“I only trust my sisters.”Well, except for Uma.
His cheeks darkened and that muscle did another jump.Well, look at that.How delicious.Was that real, bona fide frustration I was seeing?I hoped so.
“This tournament will test us in ways we aren’t prepared for, that no one can be prepared for.We go through that door with you still wanting to slit my throat, and we may as well hand that key back and walk away now.”
“Like I said, chicken shi?—”
“Ursula.”He growled so low and deep that I felt it roll up from the soles of my feet and vibrate in my chest.
Oh yeah, I’d gotten to him.Nice.“Yes, Silas?”
“I’m not afraid, but I do want a fighting chance.And since angels are in this tournament, my senses are useless.I’ll feel nothing.”
He should be used to that.
“I need to rely on my teammate, but you still see me as the enemy,” he continued, his eyes going all intense.“Enemies can’t fight on the same side, they can’t stand heel to heel against a mutual foe without worrying a knife will be buried in their backs.They can’t look ahead for danger when it’s right there behind them as well.”
I got what he was saying, but I wasn’t sure I could release all the anger I was carrying when it came to him.Doing so was too dangerous.Letting him get even a little closer could be detrimental to me in several ways.“Spit it out.What is it you actually want?”
He straightened.“A truce.Just while we take part in the tournament.You can hate me again when we walk back through that door, triumphant, but when we walk in, we need to be on the same team.”
He was right, of course, but it wouldn’t be easy to be this close to him, to fight beside him after what happened.I couldn’t let myself be sucked back in.I couldn’t allow myself to soften.I’d done it once with someone else, a very long time ago when I was too young and naive to know better, and the feeling of betrayal and loss had almost destroyed me.That had been nothing to how I’d felt after ending things with Silas.
I’d never been as weak as I’d been then.Allowing Silas past my defenses, giving him the ability to hurt me, had been the wake-up call I needed.
A warrior couldn’t have weaknesses.I knew it, and I’d allowed myself to fall for him anyway.
I had plans, ambitions.
I had my sisters.