“I walked my people into that casino knowing the calibre of humans we were dealing with. I never suspected, never had a plan B, and never considered what came next—and that’s where I failed Ed, failed you and your family.” Valdemar holds his hand up, pre-empting my interruption. “I know I’m beyond retribution, but I need you to know what happened, why your brother asked me to shoot him. But to do this, I must divulge something that I would never normally tell anyone, and this is the reason why I’ve asked you not to report any of this, coupled with the fact that Fortunato would have you killed before you’d even finished typing his name.”
He places his hands flat on the table. “You must swear to me that what I’m about to tell you goes no further than here.”
His words slip into my core, and I don’t even hesitate. “I swear.” My voice is light, and I wonder how I’ve come to be swearing allegiance to a murderer.
He shifts in his seat. “The gifts of the Raven Hands aren’t something we want known to the world. We’re sworn to secrecy. Some Raven Hands don’t even know what other Ravens’ gifts are, they’re that closely guarded. Other than Ed, no one has known what my gift is, and I need to keep it that way.”
“Then why are you telling me this? What’s to stop me telling the world what you all are?” I ask.
“Because of Ed,” he replies.
As my brother’s name simmers in the air, the grey hand lands on Valdemar’s shoulder, and I fight the pull to look up to find Ed’s eyes boring into me, his lips dried and cracked, the gunshot a perfect hole between his eyes.
“Ed would not have wanted the world to know what he could do, and you can’t tell this story without revealing who he was,” Valdemar points out.
“How the fuck do you know what my brother would have wanted?” I snap.
Valdemar takes his time, as if adjusting to the guest standing behind him. “Because Ed was my Blood Brother.”
Have I misheard him? Did he sayBlood Brother?
“Your what now?” I ask.
“There’s a ritual, a pledge that some Raven Hands take when they feel a connection to another within the fold.” He flips his hand over, and I spot the scar running diagonally from his wrist to his finger. “I felt it with Ed, like we were bonded in some way, like he was important to me, so, after a year of him being a Raven Hand, we took the Blood Oath, cutting the palms of our hands and sealing our fates, making us Blood Brothers.” Valdemar clasps his hand together as if reenacting the ritual.
“This is like something out of a fantasy film.” I shake my head. “As if it wasn’t bad enough that you inducted him into your little boys’ club, then you had to spit on each other’s hands and swear loyalty for the rest of your lives,” I scoff.
“It’s hard to understand, I know. But this is ancient power, a ritual that’s been performed over centuries, and until you experience it, you can never understand. Some Raven Hands never take the Blood Oath. They don’t want to be bound to another for the rest of their lives.”
Glancing up at Ed, I realise why he’s never visited me. It’s because even in death he’s still tethered to Valdemar Montresor.
I search Ed’s eyes, trying to find a spark of life, a glimmer of the brother I once knew, but all I get in return is the stony stare that’s accompanied him every time I’ve seen him—until Valdemar’s words snap me out of my trance.
“He’s here, isn’t he?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“What?”A coldness creeps over my skin as I feel like I’ve been stripped bare for the world to see.
“Ed is here with us now,” Valdemar says, his voice low, quiet, as if keeping this between the two of us—threeof us.
“How?” Tearing my eyes from Ed, I try to hold my gaze on Valdemar. “Can you see him? Is that your gift?”
“No. But you can.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” The speed of my response betrays me.
“Yes, you do,” he says.
Ed was the only person who knew I could see the dead. I’ve never spoken to anyone about my ability, yet Valdemar is regarding me as if I’ve just told him I can hopscotch. Like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“It’s not a gift, if that’s what you’re thinking,” I blurt out, forgetting myself for a split second.
“I never said it was.”
“No one would want this. It’s of no use to anyone other than to drive them insane,” I say.
“Yet here you are, and so is Ed.” He sounds pleased about this.
