Ever After (Rachel Morgan)

task of proving Ku’Sox’s guilt onto me, and if the demons turned a blind eye, he was going to sacrifice everything to save Lucy. Ceri’s death and Lucy’s vulnerability had tipped him over the edge. “Please,” I said, taking his hand and forcing him to pay attention to me. “Promise me you won’t try to kill him. You’re right about everything you said last night. Give me a chance to make it work. Trent, you came to me asking for trust. It goes both ways.”
    Trent grimaced, his head down to look at my hand in his. His fingers moved against mine, his delicate touch skirting my burned fingertips. “You don’t know how powerful he is,” I whispered, pity surging in me, and he brusquely pulled away.
    “I’m sorry,” I said, trying again, and this time, he let my hand stay on his shoulder. It was rock hard with tension. “I’m sorry. I loved her, too. Just . . . breathe,” I continued, and listening, he took a ragged breath, holding it. “It’s going to be okay.” I moved closer, the bitter scent of burned cinnamon mixing with the burnt amber stench and making me ill. “Stay here and do what you need to do to keep Lucy safe. I’ll find something to allow us to work together. It’s a good plan, and it won’t get us killed.” I hope.
    For a moment, he stood before me, and then he slowly went back to his book, brushing his hair from his eyes before he made a hasty notation. “I thought I could do this,” Trent whispered to the uncaring pages. “I thought I could sacrifice anything to save my species.” He looked up, shocking me cold. “I can’t. She’s my child, Rachel. I can’t. If I can’t find a way to make Lucy safe, I will do everything he tells me to. I will fail everyone and everything. I will sacrifice even my species for her well-being. It’s upside down, and I . . . I can’t change it.”
    My heart went out to him. He had changed, and everything was painfully new. Now . . . he might understand me. “You aren’t doing this alone,” I said. I knew the anguish of knowing what to do but not wanting to pay the cost for it.
    Heartache showed in his eyes. Behind that was a desperate need to believe. “No?”
    There was the barest hint of air movement, and Trent’s eyes shifted over my shoulder. His expression went ugly, and heart pounding, I spun.
    Nick. At least I thought it was Nick. My relief was short-lived, adrenaline shoving it out for my hatred. “You!” I exclaimed, sure it was him when I saw his smug expression. He was in jeans and a casual tee, slippers on his feet, looking thin but satisfied, with a clean-shaven face and a haircut that showed every one of his scars. “Did you know Ku’Sox killed Ceri and Pierce?”
    Nick leaned back against the window, his ankles crossed confidently. “Who do you think helped cover Pierce’s absence from Newt long enough for them to attack Ku’Sox?”
    My jaw dropped. For three seconds, I took that in, the awful truth sifting through my brain. He had . . . Nick had lied to Pierce? Pretended he was helping them kill Ku’Sox and then left them in the lurch? “You son of a bastard!” I screamed, launching myself at him.
    Nick put up a hand to ward me off, shifting at the last moment to shove me into the wall.
    I floundered at the change of direction, snagging Nick’s shirt. I yanked him down with me. I had time for one good breath before his elbow landed on my middle.
    We were a tangle on the floor, and my abdomen felt like it was on fire. Struggling to breathe, I grappled with him, slamming his back into the floor and straddling him. He pushed at me, and I pinned his arms with my knees. Grabbing a handful of hair, I thunked his head into the floor.
    “You betrayed Pierce?” I wheezed, hearing babies start to cry, muffled from the glass. “He killed them! You helped him kill them! Ceri is dead because of you! Ceri and Pierce are dead, and I could have loved him!”
    Twisting, Nick shoved me off, a nasty snarl on his face. “You could have loved me, too.”
    He jumped at me, and I rolled, my back crashing into one of the machines. I shook my head to get the hair from my eyes. Nick was still coming right at me, and I braced myself. We went sprawling again. Nick hauled me into a sitting position, slamming my back up against the machine. “This is for bringing that putrid witch of yours into my apartment.”
    My eyes widened and I gasped in pain as his open hand met my cheek in a slap that sent stars through my