That was until Iris told her that he’d almost gotten herkilled. His side of the story had conveniently left out that tidbit of information.
Which in turn made Suyin wonder … how many other things had Murmur done that she didn’t know about? She’d thought she’d made a clear judgment about him based on her observations, but could she really make an informed decision without all the facts?
“Look,” she told Iris. “I’m not making excuses for Murmur. I mean, he left me in a cell for days with no food or water. But—”
“Hewhat?”
Probably should have skimmed over that bit.“But he and I swore a binding vow. Even if I don’t trust him, I know he has no choice but to stick to that at the very least.”
“How careful were you in your negotiations? Because I’m telling you, I saw him swear on his own blood that he wouldn’t come after me, Lily, and Mist, and he wouldn’t tell anyone where we were going or send anyone after us. And yet, somehow, Valefor showed up here saying Murmur sent him. He found a way around that vow, and I still have no idea how.”
Okay, that was a little freaky. “He has no reason to kill me. In fact, I can’t tell you why, but he has a vested interest in keeping me alive.”
“He could lock you up in his dungeon forever.”
She grimaced. That did sound like something he’d do.
“Su, I’m serious, this is dangerous. We should go to Meph and his brothers right away and see what they can do—”
“No.” She held up a hand. “That’ll just piss him off, and that’s the last thing I want. We have a weird kinda friendship right now, and I’m choosing to trust in it.”
Iris was shaking her head, but she knew Suyin well enough to know that when she made up her mind, there was no changing it. They were both stubborn like that.
“So … are you really half demon?”
She suddenly smiled at her friend. For the first time in her life, all her secrets had been aired. Iris knew everything there was to know about her. “Yeah. Crazy, right?”
“You’re going to have to tell me about your family and why you didn’t know. You’ve never really talked about your mother. And I need to hear every detail of the conception ritual so I can make sure to avoid it at all costs.”
Suyin chuckled. “I think you secretly want little demon babies running around. A whole brood of them, tugging on your pant legs, demanding peanut butter sandwiches—”
“Stop it!” Iris waved her hands frantically. “I’ve already got one man-child. I don’t need another.”
SOMETHINGWICKEDTHISWAYCOMES
SUYIN SPENT THE REST OF THE DAY WITHIRIS. THEYstayed downstairs at the coven for at least four hours, catching up and readingThe Book of Gamiginon the computer. When they got hungry, they went out for a late lunch before finally walking together back to Suyin’s place.
It felt like the friendship Suyin had so valued was rebuilding. Now that they were free to speak openly again, she remembered why they’d become close in the first place. Iris was fiercely loyal to those she cared about, and Suyin admired her dedication to protecting her loved ones.
When they reached the base of Suyin’s staircase, they stopped.
“Want to come up?”
“Nah,” Iris replied, “I should get back. I kinda blew off Meph to catch up with you. He’s gonna be mad jealous.” She grinned like she liked the thought. “It was good to see you, Su.I mean it. I hated not speaking to you. It sucked, but I thought it was what I had to do.”
“It’s all right. I get it.”
They smiled at each other. Neither of them had ever been the touchy-feely type, and this was about as intimate as they got. But it was enough. Suyin saw the apology in her friend’s eyes, and she let her friend see the forgiveness in hers.
“Are you going to tell him?” Suyin asked suddenly.
“Who? About what?”
“Meph. About everything I told you today. About Murmur.”
Iris winced. “Yes. I’m sorry, but I have to. I’m going to be completely honest with you because I’m sick of lying. I lied to Lily for years, and then I lied to you, and now that everything is finally out in the open, I never want to lie to anyone ever again.”
It was understandable. Iris had hidden that fact that their parents been killed by a demon from her sister for years, and Suyin knew their relationship had suffered as a result.
