Jinx’s eyes narrow. “Then you’re a fool. And a dead one at that.”
Before I can snap back, Jinx returns to her cat form. She elegantly hops off the desk and saunters through the room to slip out the door. I sigh harshly, exhaustion dragging my feet. I step through the doorway and come face-to-face with Lucas.
My breath leaves me, my eyes widening. Jinx wraps around his ankles before trotting away into the stacks. That backstabbing bitch.
I grit my teeth. The rising emotional discomfort within me sharpens my words like a knife. “Spying on me now?”
It’s the wrong thing to say. Lucas’ gaze hardens, his jaw flexing. He steps forward and I step back, a shiver tingling down my spine. I back into the room and Lucas rests his arms on the doorframe. His muscles catch the light, his shirt tugging on his chest. It’s not fair for him to look that good when we’re about to argue.
The silence is palpable. I swallow and my hands twitch.
His voice is low. “Something you want to tell me? Perhaps the truth about the unicorn hair?”
I filter through my options rapidly. They range from lying, to running, to releasingThe Arachnomiconto devour me. My silence is worse, and I can see it in Lucas’ tightening body and darkening eyes.
His fingers curl into fists, his voice rasping. “Don’t do that. Don’tfuckingdo that. I already know.” My breath catches and he growls, “There’s only one place in this damn city where you can get a hair, and that’s Nora. And if you bought it from Nora, then you had to make a deal with Dimitar.”
My eyes flare. “Lucas?—”
“How much? Tell me.”
I weigh the pros and cons of letting Lucas believe what he wants about the hair. It could get me out of telling him about my past and the curse.
I make my decision. “I had no choice,” I rasp.
“You had a choice!” His anger makes me jump. “You didn’t have to make a deal with that monster.”
Defensiveness flares, even though I’m lying. “And risk an imperfect hair?Fuckno.” Fury feels better than anything else creeping up. “You could’ve died.”
His hard eyes bore into me, making me shift under the intensity. Maybe this was a mistake and I should’ve listened to Jinx.
He grits his teeth, his rings flickering. “Stay here.” He shoves off the frame. “Lock the doors behind me.”
I stumble forward, snatching his forearm. “What’re you going to do?”
“I’m going to transfer your deal to me.”
“Lucas—”
“No!” The rage in his snap has me flinching, eyes going wide. He’s breathing heavily, his eyes closed. He hisses in a low voice, harshened by poorly restrained emotion, “You don’t understand. Dimitar will use this to sink his claws into you. You’ll never make enough to pay it back, and if by some miracle you do?” His breath shudders. “He’ll find a way to keep you. You’llneverbe free of him or the Guild.”
“Lucas—”
“Astoria.”
His use of my name silences me better than anything else he could say. Pain, fear, and darkness all swirl in his eyes. “You don’t know what he’s like. You have Jinx to protect you. You have a life that you could return to.”
My chest tightens. How wrong he is. The room blurs slightly. Exhaustion is getting the better of me. “Let’s not play the ‘who had it worst’ game. No one wins it.” This is spiraling out of control. If Lucas confronts the Amur now, with his still-healing rings…
“I didn’t make a deal with Dimitar,” I whisper.
Lucas’ eyes narrow. He doesn’t believe me, which is a shame, because this time I’m telling the truth. “Then how did you get the hair?”
I hesitate, my eyes meeting his. My heart hammers, chest tightening. He scoffs. “Aster Rosemont and the endless lies. Typical. Maybe this will be easier for you to be honest about. Tell me about the amulet.”
I go stone cold. “What?”
His lips thin, his gaze sharpening. “You recognized it. Don’t fuckinglieto me. You want me to believe you didn’t deal with Dimitar? Then tell me. Where’s the amulet?” His eyes tighten, distaste harshening his words. “Does it have to do with why Valentin Bauer the Sixth was in here the other day?”
