Sheri held her breath as he eased the katana away from her throat, eyes still wide in shock as she looked up at him, very slowly and carefully nodding.

“Good choice.” Deadblood brought the katana back a little further, allowing her to sit up, her hand automatically going to the back of her head, wincing as she felt the knot the fall had raised on her head. Hopefully he’d been correct and no real damage had been done. He had no way of knowing, but it had been a massive blow to the head that had triggered her strange abilities to begin with.

“You think you know me?” She whispered, still gingerly touching the lump on the back of her head. “You think I did this because I was angry? You think that’s all it was, that I was just having a tantrum because I didn’t get my way? Deadblood, do you not get it? They’re going to send someone else, this time for both of us.”

“They can send whomever or whatever they please. You saw first hand exactly how powerful the title is, what it can do. Unlimited potential combined with a powerful sense of ambition, what could the company possibly have that could compare with that?”

“And where does that leave me?” Her voice was tight, hands almost shaking. “Deadblood, you fucking promised me you were going to fulfill your contract, and you didn’t. I listened to you, and now I’m in this mess, and all you can do is stand there and talk about that shiny, freaky belt. I know you don’t probably give two shits about me, but I gave you a chance to make good, and you threw me under the bus. When they send someone else out, which they will, it won’t just be for you.”

“No one is throwing you under a bus. If you can stop worrying about the company for one minute, and just listen to me, I promise it will be well worth your while. You won’t regret it at all, trust me.”

Sheri flicked her eyes over to one of the large condiment jars and giving an experimental push. It fell from the shelf with a thump , and Deadblood gripped the katana tighter in response. She flashed him an innocent look in return.

“Just making sure everything still works, that’s all.” Sheri said, which was true, she didn’t intend to bludgeon him with a jar of mustard or crush him under a freezer. She did feel a little better knowing the bump on her head was only that, just a bump and nothing more serious than that. As irritated with him as she currently was, he had spared her life while she was unconscious and the way he was talking he seemed to know something she didn’t that allowed him to have no fear of the company and whatever they might send his way. Satisfied for the moment, she awaited his reply.