Page 97 of Hell’s Weapon

“No.”

“Then why are you a contestant?”

“I’m undercover. In more ways than one.” Her eyes flick to Garrick who is drinking her in and offering his silent support.

“Tell me, Mo Stór,” I encourage her. “I can handle it.”

“You may have seen me around the compound, as the Death Bringer.”

It takes a second for her words to land. I look at her horns again, her wings, the features matching that of the cloaked figure which turns up with each murder over the last few weeks.

“I am the head assassin to our Lord, Hades. I go by several names, Death Bringer, Hades’s Assassin, the Silent Death. But not even the demonic world knows my true identity, they all get the masked version.”

“So, Tacita?”

“Tacita is my real name. No one but a few very close friends know I am one and the same.”

Garrick huffs a laugh.

“What was that for?” Tacita narrows her eyes at him.

“You may as well tell him that your friends are Hades and his husband Khaos. Unless there are others that you’ve not told me about.”

“My parents know the truth.” She pouts.

“How long have you known?” I throw to the man standing across Milo’s bedside. I don’t know why it’s important but I need to know.

“Since the day you both got yourselves chucked into my cells,” Garrick replies. “Trust me, it was a shock to me to find out I’d got a spy amongst the humans from our side. Let alone the Death Bringer. She’s kind of notorious in our world.”

“Does Milo know?” I ask next.

“Not fully, but he was conscious when I flew him back here.”

I watch Milo’s chest for a breath, seeing it rise and fall gently, like his lungs are perfectly healthy and not recovering from what should’ve been a fatal injury.

Then I step towards the woman watching my every reaction. I can’t tell if she expects me to yell, or run, or what, but I reach out to cup her cheek. Stepping into her space I search her eyes. I see everything laid bare in her deep amber pools.

“That’s your final secret?”

She nods, not breaking eye contact. “You know the real me, Wyatt. That’s more than almost everyone on any plane of existence. As Tacita, you already know me. I’m just even more of a badass than you knew.”

“Can I tell you a secret of mine?”

She blinks and tilts her head in my hands, eyes turning questioning.

“I love you,” I whisper.

“What?” She stills.

“I love you,” I repeat. “Have done for a while. I don’t care what you are, although I’m damn curious to know more about the Death Bringer. I want to know your history, your job, everything about you. But it doesn’t change how I feel.”

“You’re not angry that I kept this from you?”

“Yes, there’s some anger there, but I understand it. I’ve lived that double life, remember? I am–or was–a hitman. I had the pseudonym. I understand the need to protect it. And it was yours that saved the other love of my life tonight. How can I be truly angry about that.”

“I love you too, Wyatt,” she says.

I tilt her head up slightly so I can kiss her. Her hands come to my sides and I move mine to wrap around her back as I deepen the kiss.