Chapter 62

He reached to take it, but immediately checked the impulse. Though his hand fell back into his lap, the twist of his fingers betrayed his desire to take the weapon from Jesse.

“I suppose it’s presumptuous to think you might be offering that as payment for my services,” he said, his voice surprisingly even.

“Even if I wanted to give you the extremely rare and highly dangerous weapon, which I don’t, you couldn’t even touch it. In fact, given your history and the amount of dark magic you use, it would probably cause unbelievable damage to you.”

A speculative gleam appeared in John’s eye. “Unless I find the protective magic you need from me.”

Jesse’s stomach clenched. This was a bad idea. He’d known it before he knocked on the door, but now he felt it all the way into his bones. He’d never completely trusted Black John, but he had never been this uneasy about the man, either.