Finale

ground,
looking startled.
    His eyes instantly hardened. So did mine. I pounced on him, straddling his chest, and mercilessly slammed his head repeatedly into the ground. Not enough to knock him out; I wanted him stunned,
but still able to speak. I had plenty of questions I wanted answered
now
.
    Bring me the whip,
I ordered the dog, transmitting a picture of it to his mind so he’d understand my command.
    The dog obediently trotted over, dragging the whip between his teeth, seemingly immune to the effects of devilcraft. Was it possible this prototype couldn’t harm him? Either way, I
couldn’t believe it. I could
mind-speak
to animals. Or at least this one.
    I rolled Dante onto his stomach and used the whip to handcuff his wrists. It burned my fingers, but I was too angry to care. He made a groan of protest.
    Standing, I kicked his ribs to get him fully awake. “The first words out of your mouth had better be an explanation,” I said.
    With one cheek pressed into the gravel, his lips curved into a bullying smile. “I didn’t know it was you,” he said innocently, mocking me.
    I crouched down, locking our gazes. “If you don’t want to talk to me, I’ll turn you over to Patch. You and I both know that road will be a lot more unpleasant.”
    “Patch.” Dante chuckled. “Call him. Go ahead. See if he answers.”
    Icy fear fluttered in my chest. “What do you mean?”
    “Unlock my hands and maybe I’ll tell you, in great detail, what I did to him.”
    I slapped him across the face so hard my own hand stung. “Where is Patch?” I asked again, trying to keep the panic out of my voice, knowing it would only amuse Dante.
    “Do you want to know what I did to Patch . . . or to Patch
and
Scott?”
    The ground seemed to tilt. We’d been ambushed all right. Dante had taken Patch and Scott out of the picture, and then come for me. But
why
?
    I put the puzzle together on my own.
    “You’re blackmailing Pepper Friberg. That’s what you’re doing here at the graveyard, isn’t it? Don’t bother answering. It’s the only explanation that
makes sense.” I’d thought it was Dabria. If I hadn’t been so set on it, maybe I could have seen the bigger picture, maybe I could have been open to another possibility, maybe I
could have picked up warning signs—
    Dante stretched out a long, evasive sigh. “I’ll talk after you untie my hands. Not the other way around.”
    I was so consumed by anger, I was surprised to find tears burning at the backs of my eyes. I’d trusted Dante. I’d let him train and advise me. I’d built a relationship with
him. I’d come to regard him as one of my allies in the Nephilim world. Without his guidance, I wouldn’t have made it half as far.
    “Why did you do it? Why did you blackmail Pepper?
Why?
” I shouted when Dante merely blinked up at me in smug silence.
    I couldn’t bring myself to kick him again. I could hardly stand, I was so overcome with hot, aching betrayal. I leaned against the stone wall, breathing deeply to keep my head on straight.
My knees shook. The back of my throat felt slippery and tight.
    “Untie my hands, Nora. I wasn’t going to hurt you—not really. I needed to calm you down, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you and explain what I’m doing and
why.” He spoke with calm assurance, but I wasn’t going to fall for it.
    “Are either Patch or Scott hurt?” I asked. Patch couldn’t feel physical pain, but that didn’t mean Dante wasn’t employing some new devilcraft prototype to cause him
harm.
    “No. I tied them up the same way you’ve tied me. They’re about as pissed off as I’ve ever seen them, but no one is in immediate danger. The devilcraft isn’t good
for them, but they can last awhile longer without negative side effects.”
    “Then I’m going to give you exactly three minutes to answer my questions before I go after them. If you haven’t answered my questions to my satisfaction in that time, I’m
calling out the coyotes. They’ve been a nuisance around these parts, eating domestic cats and small dogs, especially with winter coming on and food scarce. But I’m sure you watch the
news.”
    Dante snorted. “What are you talking about?”
    “I can mind-speak to animals, Dante. Hence the dog attacking you at exactly the moment I needed him. I’m sure the coyotes wouldn’t mind an easy snack. I can’t kill you,
but that doesn’t mean I can’t make you regret crossing me. First question: Why are you