Blue’s newspaper crinkles as he looks up, and for half a second his composure slips. He wasn’t expecting me. Or maybe he wasn’t expecting me to look like a hot mess. But either way... Good.
“Saylor.” He starts to stand, then thinks better of it. “You’re awake early.”
“Funny thing about being kidnapped—it messes with your sleep schedule.” I drop into the chair across from him without waiting for permission, getting my first real look at the dining room in daylight.
It’s completely different from last night’s candlelit atmosphere. Morning sun streams through tall windows, illuminating walls lined with oil paintings of stern-faced people who probably ownedthis place generations ago. The table for twenty where we had dinner last night looks even more imposing in daylight, its dark wood surface polished to mirror brightness. Crystal glasses sparkle from an enormous chandelier overhead, and everything feels formal in a way that makes me glad I’m still in my wrinkled green dress instead of trying to live up to this level of elegance.
Wren materializes beside me with coffee and a place setting. The woman must have supernatural hearing. She pours from a silver service, the coffee so dark it’s almost black and smelling like it could resurrect the dead. When I take my first sip, it fuels my system like liquid electricity. The coffee hits my bloodstream immediately, which is the first decent thing that’s happened since I woke up.
“We need to talk,” I say, setting down my cup with more force than necessary.
Blue folds his newspaper deliberately. “About?”
“About you teaching me how to kill people.”
Blue pauses with his coffee cup halfway to his lips. “Before coffee? Really?”
“You said you’d think about it. I want an answer.”
He takes a deliberate sip and sets down his cup. “I did think about it.”
“And?”
“And I think you’re serious about this, which is either impressive or terrifying.”
“Both, hopefully.” I lean forward, excitement building in my chest. “So? Will you teach me?”
Blue runs a hand through his hair, messing up that perfect styling. “You think you want revenge, but you don’t understand what it actually costs—”
“I understand perfectly.” I point my coffee cup at him. “I understand that the Crow killed my father and got away with it. I understand that they kidnapped me and were planning to torture me before you showed up. And I understand that you’re the only person I’ve ever met who might actually be able to help me do something about it.”
Blue goes quiet for a long moment, studying my face like he’s looking for something. “You really think this is what you want?”
“I know it is.”
“And if I say yes? If I agree to this insanity?” He leans back in his chair. “You’ll do everything exactly the way I tell you to do it. No improvising, no going rogue, no deciding you know better than I do.”
My heart jumps and I feel a Cheshire grin spreading across my face. “You’re actually considering this?”
“I’m considering the fact that you’re going to try to go after them with or without my help, and at least this way I can keep you alive while you do it.” Blue picks up his coffee cup. “But we do this my way, at my speed. I’m not going to waltz you into Crowshaven with a knife in your hand and tell you to get at it.”
“Crowshaven?”
“Where the Crow operate. About thirty miles south of here.” His expression hardens. “And before you even think about hunting down Brutus and his A-team, you need to understand exactly how dangerous they are. Getting to them won’t be easy, but it will happen. Just not the way you’re probably imagining.”
I can barely contain my excitement. “So you’ll do it? You’ll train me?”
“I’ll teach you how to survive long enough to get your revenge, yes. But first”—he holds up a hand before I can interrupt—“we start small. Very small. The first thing you need to learn is just how deadly Brutus and his people can be when they’re not distracted by other business.”
“How small are we talking?”
“I bring them to you. One by one.” His voice takes on an edge I haven’t heard before. “Going after them all at once is suicide. But individually? That’s manageable. I’ll handle the hunting, the tracking, the logistics of separating them from the pack. Then I’ll bring them here, like a gift, and teach you what to do next.”
“Good. Then I’ll learn to be better than they are.”
Blue studies me again, and I catch something that might be approval in his expression. “You’re serious about this.”
“Dead serious.” I grin at him. “And let me get this straight—you’re going to hunt down murderers and bring them to me like some dark suitor offering deadly gifts? How romantic.”
