Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

LYRE

He hated everything about Lilith. Her pale blond hair, so similar to his, disgusted him. Her smooth bronze skin, curvaceous body, and full, pouty lips filled him not with lust but with cold fury. And her eyes—those entrancing amber irises made his fingers itch for his bow and a spelled arrow.

Of course, all incubi hated all succubi, and vice versa. But when it came to Lilith, his loathing was personal.

“I won’t play games with you,” Ash said, wasting no time in getting to the point. “I want information, and that’s it.”

Lilith smiled. She was lounging on one of the leather sofas, legs crossed at the knee and her body positioned perfectly to show off her figure.

Ash sat across from her, arms folded and his expression on the edge of hostile. Piper sat beside him—close enough to show solidarity, but not too close. Not after what had just happened.

Fury clawed up Lyre’s throat again, and he swallowed it back. Logically, he knew it wasn’t his fault that he’d lost control—but he hated losing control.

Especially here. Especially in this room.

Too tense to sit, he’d leaned against the wall beside the sofa where Ash and Piper sat, his hands shoved in his pockets. He’d made sure he had a line of sight on the door in case any of Lilith’s succubi minions showed up.

“No games? How dull.” Lilith tapped a finger against her bottom lip. “What sort of information?”

“A location,” Ash answered shortly. “For the Gaians.”

Her eyebrows arched. “Oh my. What did a sad little group of haemons do to earn a visit from you?”

“They pissed me off.”

“Did they? Does their transgression involve a certain coveted lodestone?”

Lyre suppressed an irritated scoff. He didn’t like how quickly Lilith could connect the dots. He should have killed her five years ago. He hadn’t, and now she’d gotten this idea that he would never go that far.

“Why I’m interested in the Gaians makes no difference,” Ash said. “Where can I find them?”

“In the city? Everywhere.”

“Their primary location,” he clarified impatiently. “Or wherever their leaders are.”

Lilith folded her hands in her lap. “You better not have brought that accursed stone—and all the trouble that comes with it—into my club.”

“I don’t have it.”

Ash didn’t betray the faintest hint of deceit. He didn’t look at Piper. Neither did Lyre.

They hadn’t brought the Sahar Stone in here, but Piper had.

“Hmm.” Lilith pursed her lips thoughtfully. “In that case, let’s discuss the price.”

“The Gaians are an annoyance to all of us, including you.” Ash canted his head. “If you tell me their location, I’ll eliminate them at no cost to you.”

Piper’s eyes swung toward the draconian, wide with disbelief. Was she that surprised Ash could and would slaughter the Gaians wholesale? Lyre supposed he and Ash had grown desensitized to violence—an inevitability considering where they’d grown up.

“That may be true,” Lilith said, “but I don’t give away anything for free.” She hummed thoughtfully. “The ring has been too predictable lately. An unexpected challenger would improve my profit margin.”

Ash’s jaw tightened. “I don’t have time for that.”

Lilith pivoted to face Piper. “You know how to fight, don’t you, Miss Consul Apprentice?”

Piper frowned, suspicious of the question. “Yes, I?—”

“No,” Ash snapped.

Lyre blinked in surprise at Ash’s instant aggression—and so did Lilith.

Ash checked himself, his expression returning to its usual cold stoicism.

“I already told you,” he said in an even tone, “we don’t have time for that.”

But it was too late. Smiling with wicked delight, Lilith leaned back and crossed her legs the other way. “Piper, in my ring. That’s my price.”

“What ring?” Piper demanded.

“The fight ring, of course.” Lilith scrutinized her fingernails with casual indifference. “The Styx offers many kinds of entertainment.”

“Those fights are for daemons only,” Ash growled. “She’s a human.”

“I’m a haemon ,” Piper corrected sharply.

“Exactly,” Lilith agreed with a nod. “And don’t consuls have extensive self-defense training? I can tip the scales a bit if necessary.”

“Are we talking boxing?” Piper asked. “Or mixed martial arts?”

“She means no-holds-barred carnage where daemons beat each other unconscious,” Lyre told her before turning his glare on Lilith. “It’s out of the question. If you need more entertainment, I’ll?—”

“Don’t be stupid,” Ash interrupted.

“Agreed,” Lilith said. “ You will stay out of my ring.”

Lyre bit back a curse.

“I want the girl,” Lilith went on. “I haven’t had a female in my ring in months.”

Piper wrinkled her nose at Lilith. “Why don’t you fight in the ring, then?”

“Oh, honey.” Lilith smiled. “That would hardly be fair.”

“What about this is fair?” Piper folded her arms. “Whatever. I’ll do it.”

“You have no idea what you’re agreeing to,” Ash growled.

“The fights aren’t to the death, are they? So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is how many of your bones a daemon opponent can break before the match is over.”

Piper looked at Lilith. “I need to be able to walk away. Your information is no good if I’m too injured to use it.”

“Of course,” Lilith purred. “I have a skilled healer available, and the punishments for maiming or killing an opponent are severe. Fighters respect the rules.”

Ash’s glower intensified, and it was unclear whether he was angrier with Lilith or Piper.

“How many opponents would Piper have to fight?” Lyre asked Lilith before Ash lost his temper. “What are the rules?”

“Each fighter will face challengers until they either lose a match or win ten. The prize increases with every match won—though you will not be fighting for a cash payment.”

“Ten wins?” Piper muttered.

“Impossible,” Lyre said. Ash could do it without breaking a sweat, but a teenage girl? “One match and that’s it.”

Ash’s glare swung to him. Lyre ignored it. Lilith had all the leverage, and short of torturing the information out of her, the best they could do was negotiate.

“Withdrawing is not permitted,” Lilith said implacably. “She must fight until she defeats ten opponents or is defeated herself.”

“Could I fight one match, then fake a loss?” Piper asked. “Like, take a few hits and pretend to get knocked out?”

“If you let your opponent hit you, you won’t need to pretend.” Lilith’s lips twisted with disapproval. “No one throws a fight in my ring.”

“I’ll be her opponent, then,” Ash said, his voice dark and rumbling. “She can lose to me.”

Lyre cast a worried look at the draconian. Piper’s expression was similar.

Lilith, on the other hand, looked thrilled by this idea. “She has to win some matches first. You can be her fifth opponent.”

“She won’t last that long.”

“Her fourth, then. Surely she can win three fights.”

Ash opened his mouth, but Piper jumped in.

“Deal. Three matches, then I’ll lose to Ash.” She narrowed her eyes. “And you’ll give us the Gaians’ exact location.”

“Perfect.” Beaming, Lilith rose to her feet. “Shall we?”

As she sauntered to the door, Piper let out a nervous puff of breath and glanced at Ash. “We’re going to pretend you’re beating me up, right? We won’t actually fight.”

Ash’s eyes slashed across her, his mouth pressed into a thin, angry line. “I’m not the opponent you should be worried about.”