I snort. “That's a tall order.”
“And one you will fulfill.”
My brows shoot up. “Do I need to remind you that I don't take orders from you?”
“Do I need to remind you that a goddess bound you to me?”
“She bound you to me as well.” I hold his gaze. “Does that mean you'll let me order you around?”
Something shifts in his expression. His eyes gleam under the streetlamp, golden and dangerous. “That depends.” His voice drops lower. “What would you have me do?”
Warmth pools low in my stomach, unbidden and unwelcome. I tear my gaze away, disturbed by my own reaction. We're headed to Siren's Call, where the air is thick with compulsions designed to awaken every vice and hunger. If this bond is truly anything like the raffin's, I'm walking into a trap of my own making. It's going to be a very long night.
“My brother would be better suited for this,” I say after a moment, the ache of his absence sharp in my chest. “He knows more about the curse than anyone.”
“The goddess bound me toyou, Ada.”
I look up at him. “Only because I was the one who made the bargain.”
“That's not how it works.” His voice is quieter now. Almost gentle. “When you enter a bargain with a god, you give them access to your entire life. Everyone in it. If Mortiana wanted your brother to repay your debt, she would have bound me to him instead.” He holds my gaze. “She chose you, Ada. Specifically.”
My stomach drops.
The Sages warned us against bargains, but they never told us this. I think of the people who refuse to use their gifts, who wear their amulets every moment of every day, and wonder if they somehow know. Goddess strike me. How many people have endangered everyone they love without realizing it?
“You don't know me,” he says after a moment. “I don't expect you to trust me. But we're bound whether we like it or not, and honesty is one of the few weapons we have.”
“Weapons against what?”
“The bond itself.” He runs a hand through his hair, and for the first time, he looks almost uncertain. “If we can be honest with each other, we might be able to trick it into thinking we've accepted it. That would prevent … complications.”
“The furia.”
“Exactly.” His eyes find mine. “I'm not saying it will be easy. But I think we can survive this if we start with honesty.”
I bite my lip, turning his words over in my mind. I wasn't exaggerating when I called it a tall order. The Veritas Order thrives on secrecy. It's how we've survived while other organizations crumbled to dust.
Mother forced me to end things with Cas the moment he became a dueler, terrified the Council would notice him and, by extension, notice me. At the time, it seemed paranoid. Excessive.
Now, standing here soul-bound to an outsider, I'm beginning to think she wasn't paranoid enough. Gods, I don't want to think about what Mother would do if she discovered this debt before I can repay it. Banishment is rare, but I wouldn't put it past her. Not for this.
Still, I can't deny that his suggestion makes a certain kind of sense. The music from Veneficia Alley grows louder as we approach, fiddles and drums and raucous laughter spilling into the night. Despite everything, I feel some of the tension in my shoulders ease.
"Fine," I say as we near the entrance.
"Fine, you agree to honesty?"
"To honesty." I stop a few paces from the door and extend my hand. "But it goes both ways."
"Of course." His fingers wrap around mine, warm and rough, swallowing my hand entirely. "Honesty."
We hold there a moment too long. The bond hums between us, quiet but undeniable, before we finally let go.
He pulls open the door, and Siren's Call rushes to greet us. Lively music and laughter, the clink of glasses raised in celebration, dominoes striking polished wood, the warm haze of pipe smoke and candlelight. For the first time in days, I take a breath that actually fills my lungs.
I slip off my cloak and drape it over my arm. The gold-feathered dress beneath catches the light, the hem brushing high on my thighs. Behind me, I feel Malachi's gaze land. Linger. Surprise flares through the bond. Then appreciation, slow and molten, before he wrenches it away. Heart in my throat, I glance over my shoulder and look at his face.
"Malachi."
