“Never been too smart.”
A lie, but she played along. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
“I need your help.”
A little thrill skittered over Esha’s skin. Ignore it. “Not interested. Last time you needed my help, you set me up. Oh, and that was last night. Not nearly long enough to forget.”
He stepped toward her. The breath caught in her throat, and she backed up until the cold metal of the car pressed against her back. She despised herself for backing away, but she couldn’t trust her control where he was concerned. She was determined to have a little more self-respect this time around.
“No’ intentionally,” he said.
“You’re saying you didn’t know I’d be locking up another soulceress?”
“Nay. But I dinna know the extent of the spell or what it would mean to you.”
“Why me?”
“I need your help to find another of your kind. Soulceresses can find one another. You’re the fastest way for me to get to her.”
Really? “Why are you looking for her?”
“Her power outplayed that of the imprisonment spell. She’s out, and she’s gone rogue.” He paused. “We want to make sure she’s on our side.”
“Like you did with me.” And see how well that worked out.
“Basically.” He looked away, swallowed hard.
He’s lying. Warren was a terrible liar. A disgusted laugh burst from her lips. He expected her to trust him. But how could she when he made it so clear that he didn’t trust her?
“If you insist on having this conversation, don’t lie to me. You aren’t planning to ask the other soulceress to join the university.”
His jaw clenched.
“What,” she said, “not used to being caught in your lies?”
“I doona lie—”
“Often. I know. You’re too bloody honorable to stoop so low. But you did this time. Why?”
“Because I need your help, damn it!”
Esha had to work to suppress a shiver of delight at his words. On the surface they were what she wanted to hear. To be needed was a lovely thing. But beneath, the reasons for his lies writhed. “You think that the reason you want the soulceress will keep me from helping you, don’t you?”
A tic began in his jaw.
“You’re going to imprison her again. Or kill her. Aren’t you?”
His eyes flickered at the word kill. She had him. She laughed, the sound dark and bitter. “You were going to try to trick me again—into helping you hurt another of my kind.”
“She’s evil, gods damn it!”
“So am I, according to you! There’s no way in hell I’m helping you with this. All you’ve done is fucking lie to me when you need me.” There was that word again. That lovely, lovely, dangerous word. “And inevitably, you need me to do something that I absolutely refuse to do. I’m not leading you to her so you can hurt her.”
Warren dragged a hand through his hair, frustration evident on his face. “Honestly, Esha. I doona think you’re evil. I’ve been an arse to you. Unforgivably so. It’s just… You tie up my mind and my tongue until I say the worst possible things. And I’m no’ trying to shift the blame. It’s my own damn fault that I get screwed in the head around you. And I’m sorry.”
Shock almost put her on her ass. A genuine apology… for her? An apology that confirmed she wasn’t crazy for what she believed was happening between them?
Huh. “Well, don’t do it again.”