“No,” he murmured. It suggested unknown depths to magic—to Miss Harper—that fascinated and alarmed him in equal measure.
She pressed her palms to her eyes, her breath catching in a half-sob, and he realized how hard she’d been working to hold herself together. Her sister almost died—the sister she’d raised had nearly been crushed to death in front of her.Thatwas what they needed to focus on: How to foil the repeat attempts he feared would come.
“Have a seat,” he suggested, gesturing to the other bed.
She hesitated just long enough for him to remember that these words, even twenty-four hours earlier, would have acted on her with irresistible force (and thank God that wasno longer the case). Then she decided of her own accord to sit. Far enough away that there was no danger of their knees accidentally brushing. Close enough to touch, though, if he reached out a hand.
He laced his fingers together in his lap. “You’re worried they’re going to target your sister again.”
“Dreadfully,” she whispered. “She’s not going to quit.”
He nodded. He believed her. “Do you want me to teach you the best protection spells?”
“I want you—” She paused, biting her lip, and his pulse quickened even though he knew,knew, she didn’t mean it the way it sounded. “I want you to teach all of us.”
CHAPTER 26
Blackwell stared at her. Beatrix could well imagine his line of thought:What have I gotten myself into?
“I’ll require Vows,” he said.
She leapt to her feet, appalled.
“Limited to keeping the secret,” he added, looking up at her.
“Why would they say anything? They’d be thrown into jail for breaking the magic-use law! Good Lord, you’re a?—”
She stopped, pressing the tips of her fingers against trembling lips. She needed his help, it was absolutely a matter of life and death, andhislife would be far simpler if he didn’t give it. Now was not the time.
“What?” There was nothing aggressive about his question, but he stood, putting them a foot apart and giving her yet another shot of adrenaline. “What am I?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. His brown eyes were flecked with green. She’d never noticed. “I don’t know anymore. But you’re proposing something every bit as unnecessary as it was in my case.”
An ambiguous emotion twinged unpleasantly in her chest, and he winced. Was that his guilt she was feeling?
“Just because you don’t intend to reveal something doesn’t mean you won’t, once you’re faced with the threat of prison,” he said. “A Vow supersedes all that. Besides, other than your sister, how sure are you that you can trust those women?Youneed them to take Vows. They know something very dangerous about you.”
Her stomach lurched. He was right. If Ella really was a spy, despite it all?—
But the idea of standing by while Ella and the others chanted a dark spell and gave away a piece of their free will made her sick.
She hesitated, trying to think of another way.
“All right,” she said finally, forcing the words out.
“It’s going to be up to you to get them to do it, you realize.”
“Oh,God.”
“Try persuasion.” He looked at her for perhaps the space of a dozen rapid heartbeats before adding, “I wish I had.”
It was the closest he’d come to apologizing. She swallowed, throat dry. He laid a hand on her arm, a tentative barely-there connection—and a hammering at the door brought the moment to an abrupt end.
“Enough already!” Rosemarie, of course. “Open up!”
Beatrix rushed for the door, equally upset and relieved by the interruption. She wanted to know what he would have said. She wanted to keep standing there as he touched her. And she was completely disgusted with herself for it.
Focus. She needed to focus.
