Although I was unashamed of the truth, my skin prickled uncertainly as I searched her tone. “Is this the part where you say we’re both crazy?”
Delilah regarded my reflection in the mirror. “Relax. I don’t judge when it comes to matters of the heart. The only tidbit throwing me for a loop is that ahunterwould demand a spell. One for the sake of a fairy, of all people.”
The unspoken question was clear, and I found myself seeking the certainty that she could help.
“If a witch can be a cat,” I murmured, “then a fairy can be a human, right? I’m not familiar with transformation magic, but I know it must be possible. My kindhasbeen capable of taking other forms, if records and legends are to be believed.” I met her reflected gaze. “Will you be able to give me that?”
“So long as your hunters hold up their end of the bargain and you have the strength to undergo the process, I believe I can help you. Speaking of, youdounderstand that putting yourself on the front lines of this mission wasn’t part of the bargain, don’t you? You could have gotten your transformation spell without taking over Ben’s role.”
I shrugged. “What can I say? Cliff claims I can’t go a single day without throwing myself at the worst decision possible. Who am I to disappoint him?”
Delilah looked at me meaningfully. “Questionable decision or not, we’re grateful. In fact, I’m certain that Lee will give you the sun if you ask for it. But really, what compelled you to offer yourself like that in the first place?”
“The look in Ben’s eyes,” I murmured. “He seems to have suffered enough.”
“And you haven’t?” Delilah faced me fully and reached slowly in my direction. I held still, breath catching as she gingerly touched the traitor mark on my cheek. The contact made my heart flutter, even more so as she studied me closely. “I may not be familiar with every fae rune, but I know an unwilling brand when I see one. There are jumps in the linework. You were fighting hard.”
“I can’t imagine anyone receiving a traitor mark calmly,” I said, glad she could not see the newer rune carved into my shoulder. The one I had readily accepted from Marcellus before realizing the horrific truth of his intentions for me. “When my people found out I’d saved Jon…”
“A mark for saving a life.” Delilah tipped my chin up, wearing a smile that made my wings flicker gleefully. “It suits you. Wear it with pride.”
Gentle warmth rushed through me even after she pulled away. Jon had told me many times that I should not be ashamed of the brand, but Delilah had breathed new life into the idea.
I rubbed my cheek thoughtfully, listening to Jon’s muffled voice in the master suite. “Maybe if this all works out, Jon and I will travel, too. Vanish off the map together, like you two.”
“Any dream destinations?” Delilah ventured.
“Anywhere and everything,” I said, heartened at the very image of it. “I want to see it all.”
Delilah sank her chin into her hand. “I’m still trying to win Lee over on the concept of living forever, but he’s on the fence. He still has years to decide, though he won’t last long if he keeps plunging headfirst into these noble heists without the proper power to defend himself. Charm, looks, and parlor tricks can only protect him for so long.”
“I wish there was a way to smuggle in weapons,” I said, shaken by the reminder that Jon and Cliff would be stripped of their usual arsenal.
“For Lee, it wouldn’t matter. He wouldn’t fire a damn gun if it were strapped to his hand. Pathetic, isn’t it?” Her sigh was dreamy and fond all the same.
My grin faltered. “Why is that, exactly?”
Delilah’s expression flickered. “I’m not sure it’s my place to say. There was an unfortunate incident that shook him. Ever since, he’s refused to get blood on his hands through anything even shaped like a gun.”
Briefly, we paused as the sound of Jon and Lee’s voices rose across the suite. From what I could make out, they were arguing over whether Jon’s slicked-back hair made him look like a greaser or not—whateverthatwas.
“I suppose even if a human transformation doesn’t work out, we’ll still have the spectral plane to bide our time,” I said, toying with a thread on my leggings. “A small comfort, but it’s something.”
A sharpbangmade me jump: Delilah’s lip gloss had hit the tile floor. Her hand was still curled around empty air, an expression of mild horror fixed upon me.
“Spectral plane?” she asked. “Do you mean the astral realm? The space in-between?”
I nearly blushed at the slip, realizing how far I’d let my walls down for this woman when I had so carefully been trying to keep that information to my chest. Her sudden tension put me on edge.
“I suppose so, yes. Witches must have a different name for it,” I said. “We call it our sanctuary—the place where Jon and I can be equals. He can even wield the magic there. He’s a natural, actually. I’d never have believed it.”
I’d expected Delilah to rejoice for me, even pry for details. We’d both confessed to killing, so why was she looking at me likethat? She hadn’t even glanced toward the lip gloss tube, unbothered whether it was shattered or oozing onto the floor.
“How many times have you taken him there?”
“What?” I stammered.
“That realm is no place for ordinary humans. How many times, Sylvia?”
