But the way he studied my face with that half-lidded stare unleashed a crawling dread along my spine, along with something else I dared not think about that nearly shrank me.
He was too sure, too calm, as though my spells were mere decorations and amusements to him.
His lips turned into a satisfied smile. “Your father’s gone. Are you quite certain you want to remain here with me? Maybe you should run, too.”
I raised my chin, refusing to show any hint of fear.
“I’m not running. I promised I’d trade myself for my father. And I keep my promises.”
My friends didn’t know I’d planned to turn my dad into a giant to allow him to escape, but everything else would go according to our plan.
A low chuckle rolled in his throat.
“Such loyalty. I admire that, Maeve. So many in Stonewick claim loyalty, yet they cower when tested. Your father, for one, learned that the hard way.”
I bristled.
My dad’s captivity and the risk of genuinely losing him pulled me to this moment. Letting Gideon’s barbed words get under my skin would only weaken me.
“He’s free now,” I reminded Gideon, injecting a note of triumph into my voice. “At least from your control.”
“Is he?” Gideon asked, arching a brow. “You have no idea how many traps I’ve set, do you? That giant bulldog might be loping across the snow, but what if the real man is still caught in my domain?”
My heart stopped.
He leaned in as his breath ghosted over my cheek. “What if you let an illusion slip away, convinced it was him?”
My heart jolted. Could he have tricked me again? I steadied my resolve and pressed my lips together.
No. I needed to trust myself. That was my father.
“If that were the case, I’d find him.”
Gideon’s grip tightened on my fingers, and I bit back a wince at the icy fire that danced across my knuckles.
“Perhaps you misunderstand me, though,” he purred. “I do these things out of necessity. You see, your father made enemies far worse than me. I’m his safe harbor, in a sense.”
“Safe harbor?”
He tilted his head, feigning a regretful sigh.
“And you’re such an innocent, aren’t you? You’re the one who shrank from your heritage, from your mother’s path. Your father was never strong enough to lead the pack. Perhaps I spared him a worse fate.”
“I shrank from nothing. I was lied to and now I’m home.”
The mention of my mother sent a stab of pain through my chest, but I shoved it away. She’d abandoned Stonewick, but that didn’t mean Gideon had any right to twist her memory.
“She wouldn’t have followed you anyway. Sorry to disappoint.” I shook my head. “You’re just a master manipulator.”
He gave my hands a slight tug, pulling me closer until I could see faint lines around his eyes.
“Manipulation, Maeve, is the art of survival. Ask your mother if you ever find her again. Ask the Academy how many manipulations they weave daily to keep Stonewick afloat.”
Heat flared at his insinuation.
“You don’t know what the Academy stands for.”
The runes under my feet flickered, wanting to coil around him again, but my will had to remain steady if I would glean any real answers.
