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"Ah." I nodded. Devlin had his moments, but he wasn't a tyrant. Benevolent bosshole was more accurate. "Thanks for choosing the dark side."
She snorted a laugh. "Dork side, more like it."
I grinned. "That too." I'd rather be labeled a dork than a dictator. I hesitated for a moment before I added, "If you feel the need to switch sides, I'll understand. I don't want anyone to die for my sake." Or Devlin's.
She gave me a long look. "What kind of guard would I be if I switched sides to save my own ass?"
"An alive one," I said. "I need you to stay that way. Someone needs to keep my aunt in line."
Assuming they hadn't killed her. Calista wouldn't go down without a fight. She was the definition of badass.
"That will be you," Kerina assured me. "We'll get out of this. Knowing him, Bain is planning to burst through the door at any moment."
We waited, but Bain didn't appear.
"He won't be back for days." I sighed. "At least they're safe up north with Slade. Safe from this, anyway."
"Unless the Watcher is involved in this," Kerina pointed out.
"Yes, unless that," I agreed. If that was the case, we were all screwed. What had I sent Viva into? Why in Hades name hadn't I fucked her when I had the chance? I wanted to wait until she was fully ready, but I could have talked her into it. Or at least tried. She was mine, I should have claimed her.
Gwendolyn finally stirred. Her eyes opened and she looked right at me. She seemed surprised to see me. Or surprised I wasn't dead.
She sat up, eyes wide now. "Devlin, where are we? What's happening? Why am I on the floor?" She seemed genuinely annoyed at the last point.
"According to Dex, someone staged a coup," Devlin said, as though it was all my fault. "He seems to think you knew about it."
"Me?" She was the picture of wide-eyed innocence. "Why would I know anything?"
"I don't know." Devlin's eyes were on me. "Obviously he's wrong."
I was seething, but I smiled. "I must have misheard."
"Why are we still here?" Gwendolyn asked. "There's three of you and one of him." She nodded toward Viper.
"Four of us," I said firmly, but with an ingratiating smile for Gwendolyn. "You did kill that tiger shifter."
If that was news to Viper, he gave no sign, not even a flinch. That might be part of her plan to throw us off the scent. I would give almost anything to know what her end game was.
The look she gave me was pure venom. "I'm sure you don't need me against one little shifter," she said. "Besides, I've just gotten the taste of blood out of my mouth."
That confirmed what I suspected. Viper was a hemitheos, and she knew it. She wanted to watch us get our asses kicked. But why?
If she wanted us dead, we'd be dead. Unless she wanted to make it look like she was the innocent party every step of the way.
"You know, if these nice folk want us out, that means all of us," I told her. "They won't let you be queen."
"Dex," Devlin growled.
I shrugged. At this point, I couldn't see what I had to lose. Once they got what they wanted from us, they would kill us. That would include Gwendolyn, no matter what she thought.
Unless…
I cocked my head at her. "You're one of them, aren't you?"
"Dex, for the last time," Devlin snarled.
I ignored him. "You're hemitheos."
