Ink smeared, but he wasn’t done, pages flipping as he wrote. Eventually, he stopped, reviewed his impossible handwriting, and let out a discontented sound. “I hadn’t taken into account you being a ripper. I’d assumed it was the fates fucking with me—allowing you to appear, but then disappear before I could even reach you, but it seems you’re onto something.”
Grabbing the small notebook, she slid it in front of herself. Despite being barely legible, Aidan had scrawled out at least twenty different scenarios in less than two minutes, detailing their odds with thorough explanations. She pushed the notebook away like it was poison.
“You’re a psychic math nerd?”
Aidan’s face flattened, but there wasn’t any actual biteto his voice. “I’ll take that, thank you.” He tucked the ledger back into his jacket.
“Seriously, that’s what you’re doing all the time? Writing out endless possibilities and spitting out their likelihood? That sounds more like a curse than a gift. Wouldn’t the numbers constantly change?”
Exhaustion bled into the faint lines on his handsome face. “It was a lot easier when it was just races and sporting events.”
Elysia snorted. “So, what’s in ledgerfifty-five? I almost died trying to get it. I think I deserve to know.”
Aidan glowered. “I’d argue that’s exactly why you don’t deserve to know, but lucky for you I’ll throw up if I lie.”
“Lucky, lucky me.”
“Brat,” he muttered before continuing. “Ledger fifty-five is all of my notes on how the world might end.” He instantly clutched his stomach.
“Is it? Cause you’re sweating.”
Grimacing, he tried again. “It might as well be. Right now, in every single scenario I can come up with, Garrison wins, you don’t complete the death voyage, and people die. A lot of people, including the people you care about.”
Sweat rolled down his face, and Elysia tapped her fingers on the long empty glass. “What aren’t you saying? What could possibly be worse than what you’re saying? Because I’m pretty sure that not completing my death voyage is the soft version ofyou die, Elysia.”
Aidan looked at war with himself. “I’m sorry, I can’t. We’re toeing the line of death interference, and Icannotgive them another reason to make this worse.”
Elysia leaned away, resting her head on the wall behind her. “You’re turning green.”
He closed his eyes. “Mortals can’t know about impending deaths. I shouldn’t have even mentioned the possibility of yours.”
“You sound like Grim.”
“He does know the reaping rules better than me.”
“What happens if you don’t tell me?”
His blue eyes blinked open. “The intestinal pains will increase until the drink wears off.”
“Fun night for you then.” Elysia stood up, slipped on her coat, and helped him off his stool. “Come on then, let’s get you home.”
Arm draped over her shoulder; Aidan looked down at her as they awkwardly shuffled out of the lounge back into the night. “Do I even get a single question?”
The wind blew her unkempt waves around her face. “Maybe,” she responded cautiously.
“With all I’ve done, is there any hope for us?”
She didn’t have an answer for that. It looked like they’d both be writhing in pain tonight.
Chapter 34
Elysia saton a roof beside Grim, twirling a dagger and trying to enjoy the sun on her face. Her stomach growled loudly, and Grim shot her a look. Like she could help that they’d been sitting here for hours. No one could see him, but they would be able to see and hear her if she were to slip into view or make too much noise. She sheathed her dagger with a grumble. The local butcher still hadn’t keeled over, and she was getting impatient and hungry.
“There he goes,” Grim murmured, dropping onto the dusty street with the slightest flare of his wings. Elysia remained on the roof. She’d been given firm instructions tonotmove. He’d said this countless times in the last five hours along with several scarily calm reminders that he’dthrow her in the boiling river himself if she pulled anything.
Aidan had been well-aware that the prison fiasco was thanks to Maya’smentoringand Elysia’s choice to push for answers. That didn’t stop him from threatening to put the soul of Grim’s mother in the prison. She’d decided to leave them to their couple’s fight when Grim grunted about how at least Aidan had gotten over himself and told her the truth.
Grim’s wings flared again, and Elysia squinted. The bastarddid that on purpose. He’d agreed to take her on a reaping because it waseducationalbut was refusing to fly with her becauseassholes who try to get us killed don’t get flights. Grim dropped to his knees beside the corpse and held his hand over the man’s forehead until a blindingly bright prismatic ball of energy bounced lightly before his palm. Elysia audibly gasped. He’d warned her, but tosee it.
