Haism looked like he was going to answer but then he turned away. He said something in Arabic to the two men flanking the door and they nodded then took up positions just outside the door. Then he began to walk out of the room without a backward glance.

He’s going to let them have Nate too. The realization almost sent me to my knees. No, I won’t let that happen.

The idea came to me out of sheer desperation and I clutched it like a lifeline. “I want to make another trade,” I called after Haism.

“You have nothing of value to me,” he replied dismissively without looking back.

“How about the sheik’s life?”

Haism stopped mid-stride and spun to look at me with narrowed eyes. “What did you say?”

“You heard me. How much is your beloved sheik’s life worth to you?”

He stared at me and I said, “I know he has Alzheimer’s. It must be terrifying for such a powerful man to know he’s going to slowly lose his memory, his mind before he dies.”

He strode back to me, stopping inches away, his face contorted in fury. “Do not speak of him!”

I laughed coldly. “Or what – you’ll kill me? Get in line. But that won’t save your employer.”

He studied me, trying to see if I was lying or trying to stall him. I stared back confidently and he blinked first. “What do you have?” He could not disguise the hope in his voice and I hid my triumph.

“Not more trolls if that’s what you think,” I said, reading the question in his eyes. “But I have the next best thing.”

He stared at me blankly until realization finally dawned. “You have troll bile.”

“Three whole ounces. Enough to keep your evil boss alive and kicking for many, many years.”

There was no mistaking the hunger on his face at the prospect of redeeming himself in the eyes of his beloved sheik. “Where is it?” he hissed.

“Yeah, not so fast,” I scoffed, determined to make this work. “First we make a deal.”

“Name it,” he replied way too easily. Like I was going to trust him a second time.

“First, you let Nate go. One of your goons takes him home and once he is safely inside he calls me to let me know he’s there.” There was no way Haism’s men could get past my wards; their mauled hands were proof of that. The only way to assure Nate’s safety was to get him inside our building.

Nate pulled me closer to him, his eyes wide with fear. “Sara, I’m not leaving you here alone with these people.”

I squeezed his hand. “I’ll be fine. Once I know you’re safe I’ll take them to the bile and they’ll let me go. That’s all they want.” It was probably the last lie I would ever tell him so I might as well make it count.

“How do I know I can trust you to do this once I deliver your uncle safely home?” Haism asked.

“You don’t,” I replied and his mouth tightened as his earlier words came back to him. “But can you afford not to?”

He glared at me, his eyes inky pools of hate. Haism was a man used to getting what he wanted and he wanted what I had. He was also a very proud man and I could see it rankled him a lot to not have the upper hand. However, it did not take long for his need to please his employer to overpower his pride. “We have a deal.” He called to the blond man. “Gerhard, you will return Mr. Grey to his home. When it is done, I will tell you where to meet us. Tarek, you will come with me.”

He looked at me again. “If you think to stall here until your friends find us you are mistaken. We will take a ride until your uncle calls. Then you will take us to the bile.”

Nate clung to my hand. “No. I’m not letting you do this, Sara.”

I kneeled in front of his chair again and took both his hands in mine. “I know what I’m doing and I’ll be okay.” I had no illusions about Haism willingly letting me go once I delivered him to the bile but this was the only way. I had a better chance of escaping Haism on my own if I didn’t have to worry about Nate’s safety.

A tap on my shoulder made me look up into Gerhard’s unsmiling face. I stood and gave Nate a quick hug before the big blond man started to push the wheelchair out of the room. I fell in behind them with Haism and Tarak behind us. Nate didn’t say much until we reached the exit where he tried again to talk me out of it. Nothing I said to him convinced him I would be alright and his face was drawn and fearful when Gerhard lifted him into the Escalade. My chest ached at the thought that this might be the last time I ever saw him and I wanted to run to him and hug him one last time. But Haism kept a firm hold on my arm and I could only smile reassuringly at Nate as they drove away.

Haism led me to a white Cadillac sedan and told me to get into the back seat. He climbed in beside me and Tarak got behind the wheel. He said a few words in Arabic to Tarak who started the car and began driving with no apparent destination in mind. Haism did not try to talk to me and I was happy not to talk to him.

I thought about Nate and the vial of Ptellon blood still hidden in my room. If only I had given it to him yesterday none of this might have happened. It wouldn’t have helped, I told myself. Ptellon did not work against humans. I’d thought to protect Nate from monsters but I forgot they came in human form too.

It felt like an eternity passed before Haism’s phone rang and I held my breath as he answered it then handed it to me. I saw my home number and exhaled deeply.

“Nate?”