𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑 𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐄 ~ Kai Parker • Enzo St. John

XXXIV

He glared at me and I dipped my chin as if testing him to make a move. Tyler remained still. "What the hell do you want?"

What I was about to say was possibly the strangest sentence to ever come out of my mouth — and believe me, I've said some weird shit over the years.

"This is gonna sound crazy," I murmured, "but I wanna save Liv's life."

As expected, Tyler's brows pulled together, dumbfounded, and I dropped my arm, lowering the bottle to allow him some breathing room. He gawked at me like I'd spoken some alien language.

See? Strange.

I tilted my head, awaiting his reaction. "Feel like making a deal with the devil?" I teased.

Tyler eyed me suspiciously through narrowed lids. "What kind of deal?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm looking for something — a knife," I informed him simply. "Last I heard it was in Portland but when I went to check, it wasn't there."

He continued to stare, confused. "So?"

"So I need you to find it for me," I instructed before flashing an innocent smile. "With the help of my little brother and sister."

Tyler hummed, folding his arms across his chest. "What's in it for us?"

I blinked, slightly amused by this fresh display of confidence. "Well, put it this way," I began. "That knife is filled with Jo's magic, so when she takes it back, we can merge — which means Liv and Luke don't have to and everyone can live happily ever after," I teased in a sing-song voice.

"Everyone except Jo, you mean?" Tyler scoffed.

Chuckling, I leaned against the wall. "Jo and I were born specifically for this reason, the younger twins were just the backup plan because my father found a design flaw in his first batch. It's what we were meant for," I explained. "And who knows? Maybe she'll even beat me and I'll be out of your hair for good." My lips spread into a beaming, friendly grin. "See? A win-win."

Tyler took a step back. "Why can't you just find it yourself?"

I sighed in frustration. "Because something tells me someone from the Mystic Falls gang got their slimy little hands on it while looking for a way to free Amber and Enzo, and since there's no way in hell any of those guys are gonna help me, I need you."

Almost-wolf-boy snorted, raising his chin in defiance. "And you think we'll just betray our friends to give you what you want?"

"Of course you will," I told him cheerily, straightening up to move closer. "Because you guys have something to lose if you don't."

Tyler looked me up and down anxiously.

"If I merge with Jo, Luke doesn't have the guilt of killing his twin and Liv gets to enjoy the rest of her life with... you," I pointed out, hesitating on the last word as I tried to find the least insulting one to use.

"And spend it running away from you?" he snapped. "I don't think so."

Placing the shattered bottle onto the ground, I rolled my shoulders back. "How about this? I'll throw in another freebie, since I'm feeling so generous right now," I announced mockingly. "The twins are the only ones capable of stopping me from becoming coven leader, but you see... I have a thing for removing any obstacles in my way." Shoving my hands in the pocket of my jeans, I paced back and forth. "But with them on my side? I'll let them go unharmed and they'll never have to deal with me again." I threw a teasing grin in his direction. "And, hey, maybe I won't even kill you for pushing me off a balcony."

Tyler's nostrils flared as he watched my movements with precision, remaining unsettled. "Fine," he grunted, finally giving in. "There's a party... tomorrow night," he explained. "It's a Halloween event at Scull Bar, they do it every year."