Shayla drew herself up indignantly. “We are the sole supplier in the state.”

Ian snorted. “Second time this week I’ve heard that.”

“Then that other person lied,” Shayla began furiously.

“Getting bored, too,” I interrupted, sagging in Ian’s arms.

Ian settled me more comfortably against him. “I know, luv, we’re leaving. Shayla, this offer is going once, going twice . . .”

“Sold,” she said, glancing at the vouchers again before looking back at us. “Wait here.”

“Need to go outside,” I said, running my hand down my front as if the thin material of my blue dress was stifling. “Too hot. Need air. Starting to feel . . . sick.”

Ian gave me a jaded look. “You’re going to paint the walls red in the next five minutes, aren’t you?”

I burped and visibly swallowed what came up. “Maybe.”

“Yes, go outside.” Shayla yanked the door open. “We’ll bring the bottle to the weather center’s observation deck.”

I made sure to grab Shayla and give her a sloppy hug before Ian hauled me back. “Thanks!”

“My pleasure,” she said in her most obvious lie yet. “See you soon.”

Ian carried me out of the many rooms of the castle, getting backslaps from some of the people he passed. I didn’t know what the hell they were congratulating him for. I was the one who’d won the contest. Once outside, I took in a grateful breath of cold air as Ian carried me to the end of the bridge. I hadn’t been faking about feeling hot and sick. Everything I’d consumed felt like it was hitting me all at once.

As soon as Ian set foot on the ground, the castle and the stone bridge disappeared. Ian walked a little ways away and then set me down near the rocky base of Belvedere castle. Then he waited to see if my legs could hold me before he stepped back.

“I know you aren’t truly intending to consume more Red Dragon, so what are you intending with this latest ruse?”

I met his turquoise gaze and gave him a lopsided smile. “Going to paint the walls red, just like you said.”

Chapter 18

Ian’s gaze hardened until it resembled pale blue-green diamonds. “So the spell isn’t making you obey my command?”

“Spell works,” I said, hiking up my dress as I started to climb the rocky ledge around Belvedere Castle. “Not acting as a Guardian. About to break a lotta laws instead.”

He vaulted up after me with one leap, reminding me that I could fly, too. How had I forgotten that? I must be much drunker than I realized. “How so?” he demanded.

“F’eeing a p’isner.” Okay, I slurred that too much. I tried again. “Freeing a prisoner. The Red Dragon source. You should help. With your demon brands, could be you held as source one day if you”—loud hiccup—“survive Dagon.”

He stared in shock, then hauled me close. “What did you say?”

“Who’s drunk, you ’r me?” I asked, exasperated. “Don’t you know what your blood is now that Dagon’s brands are on you? Eh, maybe you don’t. Not like vampires drink themselves when they’re hungry—”

“Stop.” If his grip on me was any tighter, my bones would crack. But from the wildness in his gaze, he was holding himself back. “You’re saying you know the other effect of demon brands?”

“Red Dragon. In your veins. Making you a source,” I confirmed. “C’mon, you must know. Your friend was a demon-branded shape-shifter—”

“What friend?” he asked instantly.

“Herrrr.” Was the ground tilting, or was I swaying? “S’pose it could’ve been a he,” I amended. “Couldn’t tell. He or she had shape-shifted to look like Cat’s little girl at the execution—”

“Lucifer’s bloody bones!” Ian shouted, shaking me until my head felt like it would fall off. “You knew the council had been tricked? You knew they didn’t really murder my friend’s child? This whole time, you knew?”

“You knew she was alive, too?” Somehow, that struck me as funny. “Heh, I thought I had to pretend she was dead to protect her, and here you were pretending she was dead for the same reason. I’d laugh if I didn’t think it might come out as vomit.”

“That’s why you insisted Cat be given the executioner’s sword!” Even though he was no longer shaking me, it still felt like my brain was sloshing around inside my skull. “Thought you only did that as a gesture of remorse, but if the executioner had tasted a drop of her blood, he’d have known he’d just beheaded a shape-shifter and not Cat’s little girl! You made him give up the sword so he’d never get that chance. All this time, in different ways, you’ve been protecting her!”

“We should probably stop talking about this,” I said, staring at the ground. See? It wasn’t heaving. It was just my imagination.

“Stop?” Ian repeated. “Veritas, look at me.”

I refused, so he tilted my head up and forced me to meet his gaze. “It’s Ian’s Little Poppet now, remember?” I said snippily.

His eyes were blazing with green. “Oh, it is indeed, and more than you realize.”

I stared at him, a different sort of dizziness overtaking me. The intensity in his gaze invited me to fall into it as if I were a human under his thrall. Oddly, the thought didn’t rankle me. Instead, I found myself fantasizing about surrendering to him. Another wave of dizziness hit me and I swayed. He had me in his arms at once. I found myself smiling. He’d caught me before I fell. And I’d let him. When was the last time I’d trusted anyone to do that?

Then, I felt a set of pings, like sensors going off inside me, and turned toward the weather station at Belvedere’s Castle. “Shayla’s going there,” I mumbled, pointing.

He cast a doubtful look in that direction. “She hasn’t left the castle. I’ve been keeping an eye on the bridge.”

“Under us,” I said, pointing at the ground.

“A tunnel?” He looked intrigued. “Why do you think that?”

“Put a tracking spell on her when I hugged her.” Even drunk, I sounded smug. “Knew she’d go right to her source to fill that bottle. Her aura turned green. She wanted that money.”

A gleam appeared in his eyes. “You don’t say?”

I didn’t like feeling as if I’d let another important secret slip. Damned Red Dragon. Why did people willingly drink that stuff? Made you talk too much. And made you tired, gods, so tired. I could sleep on this rock, if I didn’t have to kill a bunch of people first. Eh, I’d deal with what I said to Ian later. Right now, had to free the captive.

I pushed at him. “Gotta rescue the prisoner—”

“No, you need to sit down before you fall down,” Ian interrupted. “Stay here. I’ll sort this myself.”

Outrage had me sputtering. “I can kill ’em all!”

“Of course.” Was he stifling a laugh? “You’re beauty, you’re grace, you’ll shoot them in the face.”

I smiled. “That’s pretty.”

“So are you, my lethal one, but you still need to stay here. Shayla might send one of her attendants to check on us. If we’re both gone, it will look suspicious.”