The acquisition that would change everything.
And yet one fact kept pressing at the back of his skull… Enrique and Zofia had reported that a man had been waiting for them in the dark of the exhibit. That fact haunted all of them. Tristan, especially. Not that this particularly worried Séverin. Tristan was always the most terrified out of them, always concerned they were on the brink of death, always looking for a way out of it. Only this time, Séverin hadn’t indulged him.
Last night, they’d been laying traps in the garden, trying to catch whatever creature had been killing off all the birds.
“You’re sure it’s not Goliath?” Séverin had asked.
“Goliath would never do that!” said Tristan, blushing. “But forget the bird killer. What about the man that almost killed Enrique and Zofia? Séverin, this acquisition isn’tsafe.”
“When was it ever going to be safe?”
“But no one was after us before. They could hurt us.Reallyhurt us.”
Tristan scowled. “I bet it’s Hypnos. I bet he’s leading us into a trap. How else would someone know we’re after the Horus Eye?”
“He swore an oath of no harm. He can’t break it.”
“But what about someone working with him?”
“Our intelligence cleared all of his guards.”
“But obviously there’s someone—”
“—likely from House Kore,” said Séverin. “They’ve had teams dedicated to finding their matriarch’s missing Babel Ring, and they might have mistaken Zofia and Enrique for the thieves.”
“You’re too excited to see what’s right in front of you! This is different! And you’re not listening to me!” shouted Tristan. “Honestly, it’s all about your ego. What’s the point of this—”
“Enough.”
Tristan had flinched. Only when Séverin looked down did he realize he’d slammed his hand against the desk. But he couldn’t help it.
“What’s thepoint?” Séverin had repeated. “The point is getting back what was taken, but you don’t get that, do you? You were always used to Wrath, but I wasn’t. I used to have a family, Tristan. A fucking future. What do I have now?”
Tristan opened his mouth, but Séverin spoke first. “I have you, of course,” he’d said.
Tristan eyed him warily. Tense. “But?”
Séverin turned his palm skyward, eyeing his silver scar. “But I used to have more.”
Tristan had stormed out. When Séverin had gone to talk to him, he’d found the Tezcat door locked. No matter how many times he knocked and twisted the gilded ivy leaf… he couldn’t get through.
Apparently, Tristan wasn’t the only one angry with him. Laila was acting unusually distant, and no matter how many times he ran through their interactions, he wasn’t sure what he’d done.
A knock at his door jolted him from his thoughts. He straightened in his chair. “Come in.”
At first, all Séverin’s mind registered was raven hair. Something caught in his chest. A hundred memories just like this. Laila entering his study unannounced every single week, sugar sparkling in her hair. In her hand, a new dessert she simply couldn’twaitfor someone to try.
“Um, hello?”
Enrique stood inside his office, carrying a piece of paper and looking very bewildered.
Séverin shook himself. He needed more sleep. He glanced at Enrique, noting the dark circles beneath his eyes, his usually impeccable black hair twisted into horns. Sleeplessness frayed at all of them.
“What’ve you got there?”
“Well, considering the way you were looking at me, I feel like I should be holding the secret to world domination. Sadly, I am not.” Then Enrique grinned widely. “Out of curiosity…whodid you think I was?”
Séverin rolled his eyes. “No one.”
