“I think,” I whisper, “I think she said something in her letter to me. That she… She wanted answers before bringing me into all of this.” I close my eyes, trying to imagine the words, but I only read it once. “I’m not sure—my mother burned it.”
His hand flexes against my neck and protectiveness creeps along his features.
“You have been let down by so many family members,” he says in a soothing voice, “but let’s believe Cordelia wasn’t one of them. At least not intentionally.”
Holding his gaze, I roll over the words despite my instinct to believe the worst of her. “She wanted answers first,” I breathe out.
He nods and smiles encouragingly. “She wanted answers first.”
We stay like that until I catch my breath and remember our new companion.
Turning to look at the black cat, still in the same spot, I say, “I don’t know her name. We never officially met. Rowyn probably does.”
“What do you say?” He coos at her as she stretches in a ray of sunlight. “Want to come with us? There’s plenty of witches and familiars at the Dreaming Willow Inn.”
Much more agreeable than Poppy, she jumps off the couch and leads us toward the door. With a smirk over his shoulder, Archer follows after her. I trail behind, taking in the house one more time. As I pass the desk, I swipe my hand across the pile of papers Archer was looking through. They spread out across the wood but one in particular catches my attention.
Making sure that I’m alone, I pull a sheet with my name on it.
Renata? Eye for an eye?
My breath catches as I read over the random note Cordelia must have written to herself. The handwriting is much shakier than I remember from her original letter, so she could have written this closer to her death.
She knew, or at least suspected it. A Vexley life in return for the two Blackthorn lives Barrett assumingly took that night.
The porch steps creak and the heavy footfalls of Archer’s boots come closer.
“Fuck,” I mutter and haphazardly fold the paper before slipping it in my waistband.
I’m already walking to the front door as Archer peeks his head in, checking on me. Doing my best to hold my emotions together, I offer him a small smile and step past him. He stands in the doorway, seeing through my poor attempt at acting. Or he’s using his magic to read my emotions. Either way, he doesn’t believe me, but accepts how stubborn I can be because he lets out a heavy, frustrated breath and steps to the side.
After quickly locking the door and slipping the key next to Cordelia’s note, we make our way off the property and stop on the other side of the gate.
“I’m going to walk,” I tell Archer.
His brows crinkle and frustration brews in his eyes. “Or you could let me drive you. I promise it isn’t a marriage proposal.” His tone is light, but exasperation bleeds through.
The expectant gleam in his eyes makes my stomach curdle. He probably had the same thought I did: could Renata Blackthorn have a happy, full life?
Would I even be able to allow myself to do so?
No.
I can’t allow myself to, not when his life is the price I have to pay. I don’t deserve it.
Shaking my head, I take a small step back.
He groans and throws his head back. “You… You are so…” he mutters and roughly runs his hands through his hair. “You are so goddamn infuriating, do you know that?”
I bite my lip and nod. “I know.”
He drops his arms helplessly and shakes his head before walking to his motorcycle. “I’ll see you at home.”
Cordelia’s familiar, Hexate and I stand there, watching him ride further away from me, Whisper closer behind, before we make our way back to the inn. I dread each step as much as I crave closing another food of distance between us.
Chapter 34
Renata
