Reagan’s smile was all teeth, and it reminded me of the Strzyga’s grin before she lunged for my throat.
“I thought you preferred the company of your associates. How are they, by the way? Still wasting the magisters’ time?”
Varian’s grin didn’t reach his eyes. “Never. But I imagine they’d be quite interested to hear about your emissary.”
“Why? Are they working for Malory?” Reagan asked, his voice low and icy. “Or have they grown reckless enough to dig into my business?”
The foyer fell silent. To my right, Alameda smirked.
Varian cleared his throat. “Malory seems well aware, then,” he said, his gaze drifting to where my shoulder brushed Reagan’s arm. “And she is the magister.”
My eyes remained on him. I had a fair idea of why Reagan hadn’t mentioned me.
“We were just leaving,” Reagan said.
“Then I’ll see you at the Aurora Rite,” Varian said smoothly.
“You’re attending this year?” Alameda asked. “I thought you preferred not to mingle.”
“Just as I did last year,” he replied.
Reagan clicked his tongue, turning to the Barrows. “We have to go, but we’ll see you both soon.”
“Jane, before you go...” Alameda extended a hand and murmured a summoning charm. A small violet box shimmered into being in her palm. “This is for you.”
“Thank you. Both of you,” I managed, forcing a polite smile as I took it.
Reagan gathered both duffel bags in one hand. His other arm slid firmly around my waist before he flung us away.
???
We returned to the foyer of Mountheim Hall. Snow drifted past the windows, settling on the mountains like a pale shroud, and the silhouette of the peaks felt both comforting and familiar.
He set our bags down, and the warmth of his hand on my waist slipped away.
“We couldn’t have left fast enough,” I said, letting the words fall between us.
He folded his cloak over his arm, jaw tight, and turned towards the main hallway. “Had to get us out before I put Varian through a wall.”
I followed, matching his pace. “And you don’t...care for your cousin, then?”
A shadow of a smirk touched his lips. “That’s one way to put it.”
I noted the faint crease at the corner of his eyes, the subtle line of his shoulders. Did Varian stir this reaction?
“Because of his charming personality?” I ventured. Reagan tilted his head, gaze lingering on me for a heartbeat before shifting ahead.
“We’ll talk later,” he said finally. “I need to find Finnegan.”
“Why?” My pace quickened almost without thought. Curiosity clawed at me. “Is it about your cousin?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
“If it’s an emissary thing, you can tell me.”
But he only glanced over his shoulder, and it was like looking at a mask of cold indifference.
Travelling together, even after all that had transpired in Erisea, didn’t mean he trusted me. It was only a means to keep me under his watch.
