“Good morning, beautiful. You’re looking delicious today.”
His voice is loud, and he smiles at me before sitting at the bar, yet the smile doesn’t reach his eyes, making me wary. There’s a darkness in him that doesn’t sit right, an unease Icannot place. Something rings wrong and his peculiar behavior disturbs me.
I crane my neck to see if his little bitch is near him, and when I don’t spot her, I turn my attention back to Fynn. I feel upset at his brazen display of affection toward me, especially since it seems Jodelle now holds the power to hurt me badly. It’s not the right moment to begin taunting her.
“How about you tone down the flirting, huh?” I whisper sharply. “That crazy nutjob of yours seems to possess your magic as well. Do you know what that means?”
“Relax, I’ve got Jodelle under control. She knows that hurting you would piss me off.”
“Oh yeah? That’s comforting. And will she apologize before or after she murders me?”
This seems to provoke a reaction from him, his eyes harboring an evil glint, and it frightens me. His lips stay sealed.
“There’s something off about you, Fynn; I can sense it, and honestly, it scares me,” I tell him.
“Listen, if she lays so much as a finger on you, I’ll handle her,” he says, ignoring my comment.
“Well… I think it’s better if we keep our distance… I don’t want her to even try to lay a finger on me. I don’t trust her,” I insist, using Jodelle as an excuse for needing to stay away from him.
Heat starts to rise around him, and I watch the fine hairs on my arms catch fire, curling into black, vanishing in a hiss of smoke. The bitter stench of burnt keratin fills the air, the scent acrid. The pain is gnarly, like a serpent’s venom spreading under my skin.
“Fynn… stop…Fynn! STOP!” I begin to yell at him as I pat my arm.
Other customers start clawing at their skin and faces, unable to escape their seats as something or someone compels them to remain seated. Whisps of smoke fill the inn.
“Okay, Fynn, I’m sorry. Forget what I said, FYNN!”
“I’m glad we settled that,” he says, a saccharine smile on his face, and I feel the welcome chill in the air as the sizzling sensation fades away. I shudder, as nausea creeps into my throat.
“What the hell was that?” I hiss, my skin a deep pink. “You burned me on purpose?”
My eyes flick to vampires and witches who scurry away, and I can’t blame them. I long to join them, away fromhim.
“I’m not sure what happened with Harlot,” he takes a sip from the drink I put before him, “but it seems my magic has become stronger, maybe it’s because she bonded with that tick. After all, the Aurum is there to protect us against these abominations, not to encourage us.”
I glare at him, and he continues. “Anyway, it seems I can now push out the effect, hitting creatures without actually touching them, making it much more effective—kind of like your shadows, a protective layer. It’s a pretty cool trick. I’ll be heading to Faas’s later today to practice some more. He’s been helping me a lot lately, teaching me about all sorts of things… Like witches.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “You’re going to meet with that dhampir? Like, what, you’re just going to gather people around you that all wantmedead?”
“That’s your take on it… As I said, he’s been helping me… Telling me about this world, the creatures that inhabit it, the blood witches, and the different covens, death witches like yourself, it’s been very… eye-opening, to be honest. He mentioned you actuallydoknow about Aurum… Even better, he told me it’s part of your fucking education, ingrained in yourupbringing… He explained that every fucking witch is taught about it. Yet, you pretended not to know about it.”
The sharpness of his tone increases with each syllable that he spits out. He glares back at me, his gaze fixated on mine, meticulously scrutinizing every movement of my body, every twitch of my eye, and any trembling in my voice, anything that could betray me.
“I wasn’t brought up with the witches, not like younglings are usually brought up. It’s why I’m in this city, unable to use my powers properly, and I never received an education. I… I ran away. That’s why I didn’t recognize it that evening with Lucian, or couldn't tell you more. That’s why my shadows are so volatile and unpredictable.”
The lie rolls off my tongue so easily, it’s almost frightening, but thankfully, my voice stays steady. It must be my survival instinct that kicks in. This person, this human being with his cursed Aurum, has suddenly become the biggest threat to my life and my loved ones. I hold his gaze and tilt my chin, challenging him back. I steel myself and feel my posture harden like armor as I stare at him. I hope my resolve functions as an indirect threat to ground him slightly. My shadows pounce on my skin, and out of nowhere, Hako jumps on the bar, hissing at Fynn, his shadows merging with mine, his sharp teeth snapping at him.
Fynn cocks his head, then begins to laugh, his shoulders slumping. The sudden change in his demeanor breaks the deadly tension.
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. Shit. I let that fucking dhampir get into my head, I’m so sorry, Caria. It’s just… First Faas, then Lucian, both of them told me you should know about Aurum. So, I could only conclude that you’d lied to me, but now I get it. Fuck, I’m so relieved.”
It's as if a dark veil lifts from his eyes; his light gray eyes are once again cheerful and loving. Yet, despite the change inhis attitude, there’s something fatal in the way he glances at me. It must be the curse influencing his mood swings, making him mercurial, which is a dangerous problem. He tried to burn me because I didn’t give him what he wanted, and he only stopped when I gave in. Reiner will wish to kill Fynn, and I can’t even condemn him for it. Part of me wonders if we can even still stop him.
My smile fades as I reach for Fynn's hand, our fingers weaving together. “I’m sorry they filled your head with those lies. I get why you're confused, and I’m glad you came to me to discuss it first.”
I pretend to ignore the fact that he literally cornered me by using his sickening magic on me, leaving me no choice but to cave in.
“Of course, you know I’ll always come to you first.” He gives me a sheepish smile.
