Be it fate or luck, they ran into no one else on the way back through the mansion. Both recreation rooms were void of watches. Her back ached and her legs wobbled, but Jo wasn’t going to let the man down. He didn’t really deserve her loyalty, a logical part of her mind insisted. But Jo couldn’t forget what she’dseen.
“Here’s far enough.” Snow raised his head, outstretching a shaking hand to support himself against thewall.
“It’sright—”
“Here’s far enough,” he repeated, looking down at herwarily.
Jo looked back to the last two doorways at the end of the hall. She put her hands on her hips, opened her mouth, and then Snow stole the lastwords.
“Leave me here, for both of oursakes.”
Jo opened her mouth to fire back. There was a strong urge to put the man in his place. But no retortcame.
Instead, Jo’s feet pulled her away. She felt his eyes on her as she traversed the length of the hall. She didn’t look back once the whole walk to her room. It wasn’t even until she was behind her own closed door that a deep sense of overwhelming dread collapsed on her, dropping her to herknees.
Chapter 31
Black Door
IN THE MONTHthat passed after Snow’s unexpected reveal of his magic, surprisingly littlechanged.
Perhaps it was because she seemed to be acting like nothing happened. Jo had neither seen nor spoken a single word to Snow. She knew where to find him, in theory. But every day came and went, and she was no closer to finding the motivation (courage) to seek him out. It was as if speaking of that night alone would reveal a truth she wasn’t yet ready tohandle.
Despite the new information, the new conflicting emotions she felt towards their “king,” Jo felt just as welcome and respected by her team as ever and immersed herself in that. She drank coffee with Nico in the mornings and jokingly flirted with Wayne to distract him from kicking her ass in billiards. She watched Samson tinker and accompanied Takako to target practice, and sometimes, on really quiet days, she’d read in comfortable silence with Eslar, trying not so subtly to catch glimpses of the odd runic script that filled hismanuscripts.
Samson’s cooking prowess was unmatched and a constant source of delight. It didn’t matter that she didn’t need to eat. With him around, Jo certainly wantedto.
The first breakfast he’d made for her had been nothing short of five-star brilliance. Bacon and eggs, the world’s fluffiest pancakes, waffles, and French toast, pastries of nearly every variety, even some homemade cereal with grains andfruits.
It had been grander than any breakfast Jo had ever eaten, and she’d made it a point to tell him so. Samson had blinked at her in surprise before smiling a small, embarrassed smile and offering his ownthanks.
It only had gotten better fromthere.
Today was an equally lavish spread. Not only had Samson laid out a slew of meats and cheeses to choose from, various vegetables and chips, but he’d also baked an obscene number of different breads. Ciabatta, Rye, Sourdough, and some Jo had never even heard of—maneesh,lavash,piadine.
Once she’d filled her plate with all the delicious makings of the perfect Philly Cheese Steak, Jo scanned the available seats at the kitchen table. Luckily, there was an open spot next to the great chef in question, and Jo took it hastily, bouncing a little in her seat as she settled by hisside.
Though Samson still seemed a bit uncomfortable by her now countless attempts at conversation, he’d eased quite a bit over the last few weeks, no longer shying away from her attention. Well, not entirelyanyway.
Jo took a bite, savoring and swallowing, before jumping in thistime.
“Once again, you blow me away, Sam,” she said, taking another bite and reveling in how the ingredients blended together in a way that was almost supernaturally perfect. Which was only a little ironic,considering.
“I didn’t do much.” Samson shrugged, though a pink tint had begun to creep up from his neck, his lips quirking up in a poorly contained half-smile.
“Well, then,” Jo said through a mouthful before swallowing and trying again, offering up an apologetic smile. “I look forward to seeing what you come up with when you really give it your all.” To Jo’s immense satisfaction, Samson actually snorted at that, a barely audible huff of laughter that had her heart soaring. Missionaccomplished.
As Jo ate, she glanced around the table. She listened as Nico debated the deliciousness of the Italian sub over the Rueben with Wayne. She watched as Eslar picked at his hoagie with one hand while keeping a book propped open on his knee with the other. Even Takako was having a conversation with Pan—whose hair was now short, spiked, and vibrant green—though it was hard to tell what it was about, considering Pan kept laughing and Takako kept shaking her head with afrown.
She was supposed to go shooting with Takako later today, and Nico had offered to teach her how to paint (which, Jo suspected, would take a long time). While she hadn’t had much one-on-one interaction with Eslar since the wish from the hospital in Canada, she could still feel a silent camaraderie there; when no one else had stood up for, believed in her, Eslar had. And that really did something formorale.
Wayne and she had said little beyond their occasional flirtations following the wish, but not necessarily in a bad way. It felt like settling into their own skins, like finding the way they meshed best and absorbing into it naturally. He was always good company for a night cap and a laugh, at the veryleast.
In fact, right here, surrounded by the rest of her team, Philly Cheese Steak dripping oil onto her plate, it felt like everything was falling together naturally, in a way she would have never expected weeks ago. In many ways, it felt like something clicking into place, like acceptance, and a place she’d been meant to be allalong.
Maybe, just maybe, things would be all righthere.
Now if only she could manage to wrap her head around the still-pressing enigma that wasSnow.
