He sighs in a drawn out, dramatic way. “Alas, my stupid, stupid boy. Bolt cutters won’t help. Not even on your finger. The stone’s fused toyou, to your blood, not to your skin.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
“The cursed kind. The kind you get when you mess with dark magic.” His lips curve around his cigar as though he’s done with anger and has moved on to derision. “You reap what you sow in Brume. Welcome.”
I shiver from the chill of his greeting.
Cadence looks at her father like she’s seeing him for the first time. “The Bloodstone’s real?”
Every line on Rainier’s face softens as he nods.
“And it was in Maman’s grave?”
He exhales more smoke. “I’ve been planning to sit you down for some time now. To explain your family’s history. To tell you about the Quatrefoil Council and your role now that you’re of age—”
“Me? The Quatrefoil Council?”
“You’re a De Morel. Like your mother.” Cadence doesn’t seem surprised by Rainier’s statement, but it makes me pause. Rainier took his wife’s surname? Not unheard of, just unusual. Unless he isn’t her biological father but some uncle she calls Papa?
Little seems to make sense right now.
Cadence shakes her head like she’s trying to clear it. “So, the Council exists? And thediwallers? And magic—”
“Magic exists. Well, existed. Since 1350, it’s been contained inside the separate leaves of the Quatrefoil.”
A new light burns beneath Cadence’s mottled skin. “Magic is real?” she breathes.
A whole world of emotions and unsaid words pass between them as they look at each other. It’s like they’ve forgotten I’m here. Like they’ve forgotten a stone filled with blood has bonded to my veins.
As I watch her gaze at Rainier, something dawns on me: Cadence may lust after that Adrien professor dude, but she doesn’t worship him. The man she worships is her father.
I attempt to get up in silence, but the leather under my ass groans as I shift. Both Cadence and Rainier’s gazes snap over to me, then to the red stone glinting garishly on my finger. “So, I’m stuck looking like a pimp for the rest of my life?”
Cadence grunts; Rainier takes a long puff of his cigar.
“Yes. You’re stuck like that for life.” Smoke makes his face appear wavy. “But the good news is it won’t be that long.”
“That long until what?”
His smile suddenly seems genuine, as though he’s getting off on torturing me with scraps of information that my muddled brain is trying to keep straight and piece together. “Why . . . until you die, of course.”
I take a step toward Rainier. “Are you threatening me?”
Cadence bounds off the sofa and sticks herself between us before slamming both her palms into my chest. If I weren’t so distracted by the whole insanity of the conversation, I’d be impressed by how fiercely protective she is. Since I’m fuming, I grip her wrists as gently as Slatelypossible and push them off. I don’t advance, just glare at Rainier over the top of Cadence’s head.
“I wasn’t threatening you, Monsieur Roland; I was simply stating facts.” He sucks on his cigar, taking his sweet time explaining what’s in store for me. “The Bloodstone is cursed to keep magic contained. Ironically, the only way to free yourself is by restoring that magic.”
I’m aware it’s my own fault the ring’s stuck to my finger, yet my urge to poke his eyes is mighty strong. “Stop with the goddamn riddles!”
Cadence’s breath whispers over my clenched jaw. “You need to reunite the pieces.”
The odor of her shampoo fills my nostrils.Putain, she smells good. Does she wash her hair with jam? And why the hell am I sniffing her right now?
I take a step back and throw my hands up, careful not to hit Cadence. “Okay, then. That’s what I’ll do.”
Rainier laughs, a deep, soulless laugh. A Disney villain laugh. “This is not a game of Connect Four, Monsieur Roland. This is a battle against potent magic. First, you must locate the pieces, pieces that are hidden by magic. And then you must fight for them. And believe me, you’ll lose. The curses put in place to keep them hidden are formidable. And the stone’s curse is the strongest of all.”
“You don’t know that,” I say.
