Fate's Edge (The Edge, #3)

by Ilona Andrews

He’d charm the clothes off a virgin in twenty minutes. And if the poor fool took him home, he’d drink her dad under the table, beguile her mother, charm her grandparents, and treat the girl to a night she’d never forget. In the morning, her dad would be sick with alcohol poisoning, the good silver would be missing together with the family car, and in a month, both the former virgin and her mother would be expecting.

Kaldar winked at her. “You enjoyed it. It made you feel alive. You were looking kind of green.” You bastard. “Oh, so it was a lifesaving kiss.” “Well, if you want to put it that way . . .” Arrogant jackass. “Do me a favor: next time you think my life needs saving, just let me die. I’d really prefer it.”

Ask a man how much a dollar is worth, and he’ll tell you, ‘Almost nothing.’ Try to take a dollar away from him, and you’ll get yourself a fight.”

The more he knew about her, the easier it would be to impress her. The more impressed she became, the more she’d like him. And he wanted Audrey to like him. Standing next to her was like standing in the sunlight.

He hit her with his best smile. Her eyes widened. She took a deep breath. “Oh no, not that seductive face. I’m overcome with the need to take off these awful clothes. What is happening? I do not understand. Oooh. Ahhh.” She touched her wrist to her forehead. “Somebody help me. I’m being drenched with my own fluids.” Evil woman. “See now, you shouldn’t have done that,” Kaldar said. She gave him an innocent look. “You’ve made yourself into a challenge. Now I’ll have to seduce you out of principle.”

Nor did she want to be somebody’s “ball and chain” or “old lady.” If a man thought she cramped his style that much, he could go and find himself someone else.

“You must hold on to your humanity, nephew, so when it’s time to return to your house for a family dinner, you can do so as a happy man.

Jack didn’t fully get Jesus. Audrey tried to explain it, and he could repeat it back to her, word for word, but he still didn’t comprehend most of it. The best he could gather was that Jesus lived long ago, told people to be nice, and they killed him for it. At the end, he asked who was Jesus’ necromancer and if he was in the Bible, then Kaldar couldn’t stop laughing and had to sit down.

“The last feud my family endured lasted for over a century.” He allowed himself a small smirk. “Mars hold grudges.” “I’ll have to take care never to feud with you,” she said. “I wish you would feud with me. Then, when I won, I’d reap sweet rewards.” “Picturing me as your love slave?” Audrey laughed. Kaldar nodded. “And you are divine.” “And what if I won?” “Then I would be your love slave, of course.” “So you’d win in either case.” “Precisely.”

“They fought like adults,” Kaldar said. “I’m treating them as adults. Adults understand the price and make their own decisions.” Audrey closed her eyes. “You are all insane.” “They are,” Gaston said. “I’m good.” “You are holding a decapitated head in your lap!”

“Are you familiar with the Weird at all?” Cerise asked. “Not enough.” “That’s all right,” Cerise said. “Just stay close to us. If we get in trouble, we’ll kill everything.” Somehow, Audrey didn’t find that reassuring.

“You are grounded until you forget what color the sky is,” Rose said.