Devil's Punch (43 page)

I shrug. “Loras warned us it would be like this, but…I'm not used to such abject, consistent failure. I keep thinking I'll stumble on the magic handshake and get somewhere with these assholes.”

He crosses to me and runs his claws down my back, more comforting than it sounds. “It is unlikely.”

“I know.”

My mouth sets into a firm line. “They'll regret it. Someday.”

“You gave them a chance to do the right thing. They are more interested in maintaining their own luxurious lifestyles. I shall not care when we raze them to the ground.”

His quiet assessment of their prospects makes me laugh, partly because of his calm tone and partly because that day seems so far off. But I'm capable of playing the long game, as Nicuan will discover.