Like her ears, her eyebrows were heavily pierced, her jewelry a diverse assembly of stainless-steel studs, large pieces of black plastic, and tiny sparkles that somehow all fit together organically. Some of her studs were spikes, and I could tell she put a lot of thought into every single one. What went well together. What was too much. Rebellious — but not.
“What’s with thehalfkeg?” asked Leland.
I shrugged so it wouldn’t seem like a big deal. “My flask is broken.”
“Your flask is broken?”
“As of last night,” I informed him, attempting to sound upbeat as I marched to the kitchen, where the bacon was cooling. Even with my back turned, I felt Leland’s eyes on me, judging my perky tone.
He walked up behind me in the kitchen, missing every cue that I was still mad about the coin and the lying, about the night I’d had with Jaxan whilehewas at a brothel, about his Death Bond being the only reason hewantedme here, and about the fact that, if I didn’t play along, someone he cared about was going to die.
I could no longer hope to find the portal and go back home. I had to stay until Selection, otherwise I’d end up inadvertently killing someone.
It had been too long since my last sip of moonale for me to feel numb. Withdrawals were my new normal, and that included thinly veiled blood rage, thinnest around Leland.
I removed a small bowl from a cabinet and banged it on the counter, then reached for tongs. Skye joined, the three of us crowding around the butcher block island in the small, cornered-off kitchen. Four, if you counted the cat, who had relocated from the living room to perch in between a mosaic bowl of grapes and the sheet of freshly cooked bacon on the counter.
I was careful with how many glances I stole at it, wanting the cat to approach me on its own terms. I was also a little unnerved. With its glowing, green eyes, it watched me closely. And they were the same eyes as Skye’s, I noticed.
Leland caught me sneaking a glance at the cat on the counter and gave me a weird look.
I steeled my eyes and smiled tightly. “Would you like anything to drink? Or is there another reason you’re standing so close?”
“You’re . . . interesting this morning,” he said, frowning at my fake smile. “Something happen?”
I wasn’t interesting.I wasstuck.
“I think, where Blackburns are concerned, it’s safe to assume something isalwayshappening,” Skye said.
“Severalthings happened,” I said. “Including the revelation that it’s time for me to embrace Everden. Wear your clothes. Spend your money. And, I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear, react to things with my mouth.” I twitched my lips for him. “I figured if I have to be here, why not make the most of it?”
Skye leaned into Leland. “Do we believe her?” she asked.
“No,” Leland said, directly at me. “We don’t.”
Ignoring them, I used the tongs to transfer half the bacon into a bowl. I hadn’t lied to him. This was the new plan; it had been since I’d figured out Leland’s Dark Deal was likely tied to a Death Bond. That being uncooperative could have serious consequences. That me fighting to go back home couldkillsomeone.
Skye popped a grape in her mouth, her green eyes darting between me and Leland. “Huh,” she said, realizing something. “So are you guys like a — ”
“No.” I shoved the bowl of bacon in front of her. “Bacon?”
She pushed the bowl back toward Leland, shooting him a death glare.
“Thanks, Ember,” said Leland, taking the bowl in his hand andwalking off. “Skye’s a vegetarian.”
“What?”
“I don’t eat meat,” Skye offered.
I let out a tight exhale. Hehadtold me she liked bacon, a lie I hadn’t heard because he’d said it in a message. He did nothing to hide his amusement, half smiling, half sucking on a piece of bacon in a way that —
I dumped the sheet of leftover bacon in the garbage, banging out the crumbs to release my frustration.Clang. Clang. Clang. Skye slow-clapped.
“Tell me you’re not shopping with us,” I said, and byus, I obviously meant me and Skye, who I already liked more than Leland. Especially because her father was the Echelon to the School of Elemental Magic, and if she had a Familiar, that meant she was an Aspirant who might know more than Leland did about managing withdrawals.
“Not staying — just stopped by to eat,” he said. And grinned. Then he set a velvet drawstring bag full of coins on the counter, which Skye snatched and immediately dumped upside down.
An endless stream of gold coins clanged and thudded as they piled up. It had to be at least fifty gold. Way too much. But I remembered his threat to double it, as well as my commitment to making his Deal easier for him, and said nothing.
