Typical Henrik — making a loan sound like a generous gift.
“Oh. Thank you.” Gen accepted it uncertainly.
Henrik tensed when she touched the lid and asked, “May I open it?”
The time he took to answer spoke volumes.
“Yes,” he finally said.
Only then did I realize where I’d seen it. That was the box Mina had retrieved for him from a burning villa in Mallorca.
Gen opened it slowly, revealing a worn black velvet interior. Clearly, that box had seen a lot of use over the years — and a lot of care, because the outside didn’t show so much as a scratch.
“Oh. It’s beautiful,” she breathed, carefully holding up the necklace within.
An obsidian pendant hung from a silver chain, held in place by intricately worked silver settings.
“It is my most precious possession. A reminder of someone very dear to me,” Henrik murmured.
A woman, obviously. And I had a good bet who that might be.
Katarina. It had to be.
Gen looked at him in surprise, then quickly turned away.
“I entrust it to you as a token of my gratitude,” he said, then fished for words. “And as a…guarantee of my trust. I will never harm you or your sister, and I will do everything in my power to protect you from others of my kind.”
I nearly snarled, because protecting Gen wasmyjob.
Gen carefully put the pendant away, keeping her eyes down. “That’s very…”
Dark, I nearly filled in the blank. And that was just the first of several adjectives that jumped to mind.
Limitedwas another, because he was offering one lousy favor, not eternal gratitude.
Unsettlingwas yet another. Would Gen be fair game if she hadn’t saved his ass?
“Generous,” she finally said. “That’s very generous.” Then she paused, carefully formulating her next words. “How long do I have the honor of keeping this for?”
I could hear the snark between the lines, but Henrik was tone-deaf.
“Until you feel the need to invoke a favor,” Henrik said with his usual arrogant air.
“I see.” She shut the box. “Well, I’ll let you know.”
Not anytime soon,I hoped.
Henrik gave a little bow and quietly left.Creepilyquietly, to be precise. The dry leaves in the aisles barely stirred under his feet, but the candles shone a little brighter for every step he took.
When I was sure Henrik was a safe distance away, I exhaled and slid closer to Gen.
“What a ray of sunshine that man is.” She blew out her cheeks, then shook her head. “Wait, I take that back. He has every excuse to be grouchy after getting locked up for a crime he didn’t commit.”
Once again, she was more generous than I would have been.
“Anyway, thank you,” she whispered. “For saving me yesterday. Thank you for today. For everything.”
“Not necessary. Really.”
