swallowed hard. “But why would Cottus attack you? Unless—”
Ash’s eyes darted toward Piper.
Lyre bit off his sentence, then pressed both hands to his face. “This is bad.”
“’S not so bad,” Ash breathed, almost smiling. “Piper got . . . stuff . . . you know.” His breathing was getting faster, harsher.
“Ash, you’re dying,” Lyre snapped. “I don’t fucking care about the Stone right now.”
“Oh,” Ash muttered. “Yeah, guess . . . not.” He frowned. “Dying, huh . . . Sucks.”
Her lips trembled. “You can’t die,” she told him angrily. “You told me you’d be fine. I thought you were tougher than this! Isn’t half the Underworld afraid of you?”
“Nah,” he said breathily. His head thumped back into the wall behind him. “They’re scared of . . . boss.”
“What boss?”
“Fucking boss,” he mumbled. “Hate him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Piper, leave him be.” Lyre’s voice shook.
She looked at the t-shirt. It was soaked through, blood dribbling over her hands and down her arms. Her hands shook as she kept on pressing it against his wound. Tears spilled over and ran down her face.
“Stupid daemon,” she choked. “Stupid. Getting killed. Look what you’ve done.”
“Don’t cry,” he whispered, sounding vaguely surprised.
“I’m not crying!”
“I was going to . . . die anyway . . . You heard. I screwed up . . . big time . . .”
“Huh?”
“Stole.” He was gasping now. “Cursed . . . fucking . . . Stone.” He slid a little sideways as he looked at Piper. “Sorry . . .”
“Sorry for what?” she demanded, angrily wiping tears from her face. “You saved my life. Twice.”
“Three . . . times . . .”
“Shut up!” Furious and beside herself with helplessness, she tried hard to hold onto some composure. How could she just sit there while he died right in front of her? What was she supposed to do?
The door to the garage burst open, knocking the shelves over. Piper’s jaw fell open, fear spinning through her.
Doctor Daemon stood in the doorway, staring at them.
CHAPTER 6
“ Y OU!” Piper yelled. She tried to make her glare as threatening as possible. “Get the hell out.”
Not surprisingly, he didn’t listen. He stepped inside and closed the door. The air crackled with magic as he did something to it, probably sealing them in. Lyre stood and put himself between them and the daemon. The doctor, still in his scrubs, stepped farther into the room.
“The prefects are searching for you,” the doctor said. “I’ve hidden your trail, but the mask will only last until sunrise. We shouldn’t waste time.”
“Waste time how?” Lyre spat. “Like resisting you killing us?”
“I’m not here to kill you.”
“Like we’d believe—”
“I am Vejovis.”
Lyre’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Piper stared, not quite sure what to think. If the daemon truly was Vejovis . . .
Depending on their magic and race, daemons could live a human lifespan or they could live as long as forever. Some of them were very, very old, and Vejovis was one of the oldest. He was an Overworld daemon, and though Overworlders liked to pretend they were the good guys, in reality they were just as bad as Underworld daemons. Vejovis, however, had truly renounced the typical violence of his kin and dedicated himself to the healing arts—so the legends said. He was the best healer in any of the worlds but rarely seen or heard from.
There was no way to prove this daemon was Vejovis, but it was a risky claim to make. If the real Vejovis heard about it, vow of non-violence or not, there’d be hell to pay.
“You—you—” Lyre took an urgent step forward. “Please heal him. I beg you.”
Vejovis smiled coolly. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Fuck off,” Ash rasped unexpectedly.
“Now, now,” Vejovis said calmly to Ash. “I estimate you have ten minutes left. If you want to live to
Ash’s eyes darted toward Piper.
Lyre bit off his sentence, then pressed both hands to his face. “This is bad.”
“’S not so bad,” Ash breathed, almost smiling. “Piper got . . . stuff . . . you know.” His breathing was getting faster, harsher.
“Ash, you’re dying,” Lyre snapped. “I don’t fucking care about the Stone right now.”
“Oh,” Ash muttered. “Yeah, guess . . . not.” He frowned. “Dying, huh . . . Sucks.”
Her lips trembled. “You can’t die,” she told him angrily. “You told me you’d be fine. I thought you were tougher than this! Isn’t half the Underworld afraid of you?”
“Nah,” he said breathily. His head thumped back into the wall behind him. “They’re scared of . . . boss.”
“What boss?”
“Fucking boss,” he mumbled. “Hate him.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Piper, leave him be.” Lyre’s voice shook.
She looked at the t-shirt. It was soaked through, blood dribbling over her hands and down her arms. Her hands shook as she kept on pressing it against his wound. Tears spilled over and ran down her face.
“Stupid daemon,” she choked. “Stupid. Getting killed. Look what you’ve done.”
“Don’t cry,” he whispered, sounding vaguely surprised.
“I’m not crying!”
“I was going to . . . die anyway . . . You heard. I screwed up . . . big time . . .”
“Huh?”
“Stole.” He was gasping now. “Cursed . . . fucking . . . Stone.” He slid a little sideways as he looked at Piper. “Sorry . . .”
“Sorry for what?” she demanded, angrily wiping tears from her face. “You saved my life. Twice.”
“Three . . . times . . .”
“Shut up!” Furious and beside herself with helplessness, she tried hard to hold onto some composure. How could she just sit there while he died right in front of her? What was she supposed to do?
The door to the garage burst open, knocking the shelves over. Piper’s jaw fell open, fear spinning through her.
Doctor Daemon stood in the doorway, staring at them.
CHAPTER 6
“ Y OU!” Piper yelled. She tried to make her glare as threatening as possible. “Get the hell out.”
Not surprisingly, he didn’t listen. He stepped inside and closed the door. The air crackled with magic as he did something to it, probably sealing them in. Lyre stood and put himself between them and the daemon. The doctor, still in his scrubs, stepped farther into the room.
“The prefects are searching for you,” the doctor said. “I’ve hidden your trail, but the mask will only last until sunrise. We shouldn’t waste time.”
“Waste time how?” Lyre spat. “Like resisting you killing us?”
“I’m not here to kill you.”
“Like we’d believe—”
“I am Vejovis.”
Lyre’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Piper stared, not quite sure what to think. If the daemon truly was Vejovis . . .
Depending on their magic and race, daemons could live a human lifespan or they could live as long as forever. Some of them were very, very old, and Vejovis was one of the oldest. He was an Overworld daemon, and though Overworlders liked to pretend they were the good guys, in reality they were just as bad as Underworld daemons. Vejovis, however, had truly renounced the typical violence of his kin and dedicated himself to the healing arts—so the legends said. He was the best healer in any of the worlds but rarely seen or heard from.
There was no way to prove this daemon was Vejovis, but it was a risky claim to make. If the real Vejovis heard about it, vow of non-violence or not, there’d be hell to pay.
“You—you—” Lyre took an urgent step forward. “Please heal him. I beg you.”
Vejovis smiled coolly. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Fuck off,” Ash rasped unexpectedly.
“Now, now,” Vejovis said calmly to Ash. “I estimate you have ten minutes left. If you want to live to
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