Ileaned against the peeling paint of the wall opposite the fourth story apartment in the Third Ring. Remaining in the shadows so as not to be seen by any other residents coming and going this late at night, I tapped my foot impatiently and glared into the darkness. Where the hell was he?
I’d spent almost all night observing House Viper from afar, trying to detect weaknesses and mark routines. The back entrance Pax had given me was a good one but only if no one was in the sitting room or the acolyte’s office. So far, I’d found that at least one of them was occupied at all times which made sneaking in impossible.
Now it was almost two in the morning and Harrison still wasn’t home from wherever he spent his evening. I was tired and grumpy and nearly about to give up and call the whole night a failure when the sharp ping of boots on a metal grate caught my attention.
My gaze shot down the stairs to find a body moving upward in the shadows. I pushed slightly off the wall and leaned over the railing enough to make out Harrison’s messy hair and lankyform in the dark. Sliding down the wall until I was right beside the door, I leaned back and waited until his eyes snapped up to see me there. The corners of his lips pulled up in a grin as he extracted his keys from his pocket and shuffled toward the door.
“You’re following me now?” he asked as he fumbled with the lock.
“It isn’t safe on the streets anymore,” I replied. “Especially down here.”
“Really? The way I see it, the murderer is up there with you.”
He met my gaze in the dark for a beat before turning the key, pushing open the door, and stepping inside.
“I didn’t realize you were so concerned for my safety,” he called from within. “I’m flattered, beautiful.”
I took that as the only invitation I was likely to get and followed after him, ignoring the nickname and kicking the door shut behind me.
“There’s a symbol painted on the side of your building,” I told him. “Do you know what it means?”
He didn’t turn on the light so it was still dark when he turned to face me. The silence between us stretched endlessly, the quiet becoming impossibly loud the longer we stood there. He cocked his head to the side as he watched me, likely only able to see my outline in the pitch black, but I’d passed the Second Trial. I could see him. His expression was guarded but there were hints. His jaw was tense, hair disheveled, and there were bags beneath his eyes I hadn’t noticed before. Something had changed. Something was wrong.
“Where were you?” I asked, unable to hold my curiosity at bay any longer now that the look on his face had my stomach churning.
“The mother of the boy who was beheaded found half a year’s worth of meat at her door earlier today,” Harrison interruptedme. “Beef, I think it was. The good stuff too. I was there when she brought it in. I helped her cut it up and stow it away.”
I didn’t say a word, even when he took a step closer and a beam of moonlight slipped through the window to illuminate his face. Tendrils of golden brown hair fell just above his shining eyes. He was watching me with an expression I couldn’t place but that utterly terrified me. I had the sudden urge to turn and run. I didn’t.
“Why do you want people to believe you’re a monster?” he whispered in the dark.
My breath hitched.
“Because I am,” I replied.
He shook his head, slowly, and his eyes remained fixated on mine.
“I know you sent the food, beautiful,” he told me. “Only you would send a bloody mound of meat as a peace offering.”
I’d brought it to the woman’s door myself after stealing it straight out of Avus’ kitchen. I hoped it might become one bright spot on a horribly wretched day. Not that any amount of sustenance could make up for what she’d lost, but I’d had to do something. I could see, from the set of Harrison’s jaw, he wasn’t going to believe any denial I offered. So I deflected.
“Don’t pretend you know me,” I retorted. “You’ve only known I exist for a few weeks. It’s not like we’re best friends. You caught me breaking into your apartment, for the Geist’s sake. Besides, I saw the way you looked at me at Milo’s dinner, like you were disgusted by me, by who I really am.”
“What I found disgusting was Milo’s dinner,” he said with a slanted frown.
“He’s trying to do the right thing. He married the Lynx girl and secured the succession to form a united front against Cosmo, he’s calling a council to hold a trial for what he did to that boy, he’s extended a hand of friendship to Adrian’s family, he–”
“Why did you come here tonight?” he asked and this time, his tone was low. It rumbled against my ribcage as I reminded myself to breathe and hated myself for it in the same breath.
Harrison took another step forward, out of the moonlight, and every muscle in my body tensed. Even without enhanced hearing gifted by the gods, I was sure he heard my intake of breath.
“The Bexleys haven’t taken Milo up on his offer to visit him on the First,” I said, breathing through my nose so my voice wouldn’t shake and betray me. “He invited them to his wedding and they didn’t show. It’s disrespectful. I wanted to know–”
“So why aren’t you on the Second?” he inquired, stepping closer yet again.
I fought against the urge to back away. I did not back down from anything or anyone, especially some self-important Third Ringer.
“You’re their friend,” I argued, though it sounded weak even to my ears. “You would know–”
