I slid closer to the row of flowers he stood by, absentmindedly fingering the leaves. “I could help cover for her so she can get away and see you.” I looked up to see his eyes brighten. “If you wanted.”
“You would do that?”
“Definitely. Now that I can leave the tower, I could distract the head housekeeper. Give you some privacy in my room while Rebekah’s on her shift. I’d be happy to help you, Milo.”
His lips twitched. “That would be?—”
“If you do something to help me, of course.”
His grin faded. He tugged on his earlobe, leaving faint traces of green behind. “You really shouldn’t be here.”
“Oh, come on.” I propped my elbow on the nearest counter. “Don’t you want to see Rebekah? I’m sure it’s been a lonely fewmonths. And if it works, maybe we can get a routine going. You’d never have to go this long without seeing her again.”
He brushed back his tangle of curls. I could see every thought running through his mind, displayed to the world on his youthful, freckled features. I knew I’d gotten to him. He just had to take the bait.
His shoulders moved up and down as he let out an exhale. I watched him lick his lips, then swallow hard, eyes darting with his thoughts. I tapped my fingers at my side.Come on, kid…
And then?—
“What do you want?”
There it is.
I smothered a smirk. “For you to drop the wards on the house.”
He crossed his arms. “Absolutely not. Silas would kill me.” The blood drained from his face. “Noxwould kill me!”
Silas. One of the names Nox had said last night. I didn’t know who the man was, but I filed it away for later. “Just for tonight, I promise. One single night for endless hours with Rebekah. That’s more than a fair trade.”
He shook his head defiantly. “They trust me. I can’t let them down.”
“Look, Milo…” I rested my hands on his shoulders to make him meet my gaze. I changed tactics, quickly thinking through my options. “You care about them, yes? Nox and the others? You must know where they are tonight.” He blinked, then nodded. “So you know this shipment from Mysthelm could be dangerous.”
His lips parted. “Wait, how doyouknow about that?”
“Because Nox told me.” Okay, I’d crossed over intoblatantlies, but I was in too deep to stop. “It’s alright; I want to help them. I’m from Mysthelm, remember? Maybe there’s something I could do if things go wrong. But I can’t do it from here. Please, Milo. Drop the wards, just for a few hours, and I’ll make sure they get back safely,andI’ll help you see Rebekah again.”
His light brown eyes, so sweet and naive, slowly took in my words. I saw the moment he made his decision.
“Just for a few hours?” he whispered.
I smiled. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
He let out a long, shaky breath. “Fine. But theycan’tfind out.” He reached for his pocket and pulled out a small burlap pouch, then shot me a warning look. “If they get mad at me, I’m telling them you tied me to a tree.”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Deal. That was my next move, anyway.” He jerked backward, and I laughed again. “Kidding, Milo. I knew you’d make the right decision.”
He mumbled some choice phrases that had my eyebrows rising before he placed a few stems from his pouch onto his tongue. A string of unidentifiable words flew from him. There was a strange tightening sensation around my chest, almost like something was pressing on my lungs, and then it released.
He stared back at me grimly. “It’s done. You’re free to go.”
A wicked smile curled on my lips. “Perfect.”
10
Devora
Fates, it was cold.
