Page 60 of Daemon Master

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. Xander told me he was on his way back to the Enclave when he saw smoke through the trees. He went to investigate and ran into your friend. At first, your friend seemed to think Xander had something to do with attacking you.”

Elana said it as though it were the most preposterous idea in the world, and Adrian fought down a savage surge of vindication. So much for Seymour’s certainty he’d made the wrong call.

“I hope Seymour didn’t do anything brash,” he said.

“Thankfully not. Xander convinced him of his innocence and agreed to help him look for you. When they received your distress call, Xander insisted he bring you here.” She hesitated. “A decision some, like my sister, feel was unwise.”

“And what about you?”

Her silver eyes studied him. “I have yet to make that determination.”

As a charged silence stretched between them, his mind drifted to Seymour, warmth blooming once more in his chest. It sounded like the watcher had continued searching for him right up until the end and might have even caught up with him before Kali had he been but a day or two faster.

Speaking of…

“What about the woman I was fighting?” he asked, holding his breath.

“Dead.” Elana gave him a disapproving look when he failed to muffle his relieved exhale. “I don’t know what transpired between you, but I cannot condone violence, no matter the cause.”

Adrian bristled at the judgment in her tone even as his own guilt reared. It wasn’t like he’dwantedto kill another human being. He’d certainly taken no pleasure in the act. But Serenity Corp had left him little choice. He’d done what was necessary to survive.Hadn’t he?

Desperate to change the subject, he asked, “Did you recover any of her daemons or gear?”

Elana shook her head. “Xander and your friend were in too much of a hurry. Besides, any daemons she had are better off now that they’re free.”

That much, he could agree with. His heart sank regardless at the affirmation of Heartrender’s fate. He’d held out some vain hope that he’d been wrong in his interpretation of their bond. Instead, she remained trapped in the woods, easy prey for wild daemons or any of Kali’s comrades still searching for her. That made it more important than ever that he convinced Elana to let him go. So far, she’d mentioned nothing of his imprisonment. Time to force the issue.

“Now that I’m healed,” he said carefully, “When might we be allowed to leave?”

Elana hesitated, her face clouding. She rose from her stool and began to pace the narrow confines of the chamber. “Leda isn’t the only one concerned about the risks you pose.”

“We won’t hurt you,” he said quickly. “All we want is to keep moving.”

“Words are easy.” Her mouth tightened into a thin line. “Yet, how can we trust an admitted murderer who enslaves daemons? Even if you left us in peace, you could tell others about us.”

“Why would we do that?”

She paused, resting her gnarled hands on the table and giving him a shrewd look. “If you’re caught by those pursuing you, you may not have a choice.”

So, she suspected more about his confrontation with Kali than she was letting on. That gave him another angle to exploit.

“By the same token, our pursuers might track us here if we stay.”

She nodded as if she’d already considered the possibility. “Hence, our dilemma. If we let you go, you may doom us. But if we keep you here, it could lead to the same result.” Herexpression darkened. “This has ledsometo propose more…drastic options.”

The way she said it made it clear she disagreed. Still, he swallowed hard. With his aether suppressed, he was utterly at these people’s mercy.

“Perhaps we can assuage some of your fears. I’m sure Seymour told you about our unique bonds?”

“He mentioned it, though he hasn’t been particularly eager to talk to us.”

Gee, I wonder why.

Keeping that thought to himself, he said, “Well, in case it wasn’t clear, we didn’t enslave our daemons. They agreed to bond with us.”

Shock rippled across her features. “Bondstones strip daemons of their free will. I’ve seen it more times than I care to count.”

“They do,” he agreed. “But they’re not the only way to bond a daemon.”