Brigette hesitated, then shrugged. She’d rather discuss Levet than her uncomfortable emotions.
Hell, she’d rather discuss beheadings, rabies, or projectile vomiting.
“We have a lot in common,” she said.
Xi grimaced. “I can’t imagine anything you have in common.”
Brigette might have agreed when she had first encountered the tiny demon. Levet had latched onto her when she was trying to escape the mer-folk castle, and she would have killed him if she’d known how. But as they’d traveled through the strange dimensions together, she’d discovered that the gargoyle had suffered far more than any other demon she’d ever met. And yet he was always positive, always eager to help others. He’d changed something deep inside her.
Something that made her…a better female, and a better Were.
It was because of him that she’d come to the tunnels to discover what was happening. In the back of her mind, she knew he would expect her to do the right thing.
“We’re both exiled from our people,” she told Xi. “Although Levet is treated as an outcast because he looks different, which isn’t fair.”
Xi was shaking his head before she finished. “Don’t let his act of martyrdom fool you. He might be exiled by the gargoyles, but he’s managed to worm his way into the affections of every demon female he encounters. Including Darcy, Styx’s mate.”
Brigette searched Xi’s exquisitely carved features. “And that bothers you?”
“It didn’t. Now I have an unreasonable desire to strangle him,” he admitted in self-derisive tones.
“Why?”
He stepped toward her, his eyes narrowing. “I’ll answer your question after you answer mine,” he promised.
“What question?”
“Why do you try to keep others at a distance?”
Brigette sent him an annoyed glare. “I thought I made it clear that I don’t want to discuss it.”
He took another step forward. Not close enough to touch her, but easily wrapping her in the comfort of his icy power.
“Are you afraid of hurting others, or afraid of them hurting you?”
Brigette turned her head away. She didn’t want him to the see the wounds that were opening deep inside her.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she muttered.
“Fine.” There was a long pause, and Brigette could feel his gaze skimming over each line and curve of her profile. As if searching for the truth etched on her face. “Why do you insist on reminding me you’re evil?”
She kept her head turned away. “I can’t let myself forget.”
“Forget what? Your family?”
She clenched her teeth. Nothing could make her forget her family. Her memories of them were seared into her soul. No. They weren’t what she was afraid of forgetting.
“That I hate myself,” she breathed.
Xi made a sound deep in his throat. As if he’d taken a punch to the gut. “How long are you going to insist on this self-imposed punishment?”
With an effort, Brigette turned back to meet his smoldering gaze. “Forever.”
Chapter 11
Levet reluctantly returned to London with the doulas stone clutched in his hand. Stepping out of the portal, he glanced around the shadowed vault, where Troy was standing guard to ensure nothing could creep through the opening.
At least, he was supposed to be standing guard. Instead, Levet discovered the troll sprawled in a corner, snoring loudly enough to wake the dead. Really. Levet’s tail snapped around his feet as he marched forward. So much for the frivolous creature having his back. This imp would have slept through an entire horde of trolls marching into the lair and through the open portal.
Which meant that he had put not only Levet in danger, but Inga as well.
That was unforgivable.
Halting next to the imp, Levet kicked him in the leg. “Wake up.”
Troy opened his eyes, glaring at Levet. Then, with a sinuous motion, he stretched his arms over his head and yawned.
“Couldn’t you see that I was sleeping?” Troy groused, without apology, as he shoved himself to his feet. “Or at least I was, until you so rudely interrupted my dreams. And they were some very fine dreams. There was this exquisite harpy who held me captive during her breeding season who—”
“Not now,” Levet interrupted, turning to head across the vault. “I have important matters to attend to.”
“How long are you staying in this smelly lair? It’s going to take an eternity to get the fishy smell washed off my skin.”
Levet wrinkled his snout. The imp wasn’t wrong. Dead fish was the sort of stench that tended to linger. And not in a good way. He’d need a good scrubbing to get rid of it.
“Oui, it was not pleasant. I was very stern with Styx,” Levet assured his companion. “He needs to have the lair thoroughly cleaned. Perhaps fumigated.”
Troy laughed. “I’m sure he was delighted to be chastised for his lack of housekeeping skills.”
He should have been, Levet told himself. How could the king know what needed to be done if he wasn’t told? But, as usual, the leech had been utterly ungrateful for Levet’s assistance.
“To be honest, he is a grumpy pants.” Levet shrugged. Styx’s default setting was grumpy, but now he was uber-grumpy. “Still, he has agreed to contact his brothers to discover which one left his amulet behind in the vault.”
Troy strolled to stand next to Levet. “Then what are you doing?”
Levet squatted down, his gaze locked on the footprint. “There is more than one way to pet a cat.”
“To what?” Troy made a sound of impatience. “Never mind. Tell me your plans.”
“I’m going to use one of the artifacts that was collected by Riven to help me track down the owner of this footprint.”
“Really?” Troy knelt beside Levet, his expression suddenly interested. “I’ve studied the collection, but I’ve never been allowed to use them. Which artifact do you have?”
Levet held out his hand to reveal the small pebble balanced on his palm. “The doulas stone.”
“Of all the powerful items, that’s the one you chose?”
“Oui.”
Troy snorted. “It looks like something I shook out of my shoe.”
Levet clicked his tongue. “Appearances are always deceiving when it comes to magic.” He ran a dismissive gaze up and down Troy’s spandex-covered body. “Usually, the flashier the object, the less power it possesses.”