“I’m here to hold up my end of the deal. Nothing more, nothing less. If that doesn’t work for you, then maybe I should bow out now.”
“You can’t do that.”
She huffed a laugh. “I am not beholden to you. I can do whatever I want.”
“Actually, you can’t.” It was his turn to grin. “What’s that game theyplay in the gambling dens? The popular one with individual termination cards?”
“Blank?”
He nodded. “That’s it. You can’t back out of our deal because I know the one card that can take you out of the game.”
She stared at him, her gaze hard but the edges shaky.
“You want your father out of prison,” he said. “Should that happen, for any reason, I know exactly who to blame. And if you leave the city, I’ll hunt you both down. So if you would be so kind as to drink or take or whatever it is you need to do with that stuff in your flask and sniff out the Witch for me, it would be much appreciated.”
Her fingers sprang shut around his crystal ring. “Fine,” she snapped.
“Fine,” he repeated, matching her tone.
“Ass,” she muttered as she pulled the flask from her belt and took a swig.
He felt his teeth grind a bit more. “What was that?”
She replaced the flask and closed her eyes. “Nothing.”
Nes’s whole face smoothed, as if she’d rested it against the softest of pillows. She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers dramatically.
Though he got the sense this was all for show, he kept his mouth shut. He knew the ability she wielded was real. It was just a matter of getting the wielder to use it.
Nes opened one eye, sneaking a peek at him. A giggle crossed her lips, and he scowled. She promptly shut her eyes again. Seconds passed, and the smile on her face grew in intensity.
At last, he said, “If you aren’t going to take this seriously, then just leave. I need to find the Witch to keep more innocent women from dying, and you’re wasting my time.”
Her eyes flew open. “You think I don’t know that?”
“No,” he spat. “I know you know that. You just don’t care. About me or all the people being drowned.”
She shoved herself into his personal space like an avalanche. “Don’t you dare say that,” she seethed. “You know nothing about me. I care.Not a day goes by when I don’t think about the women drowned in that Goddess-forsaken well.” Her breath was hot, the freckles on her face blending better as her skin turned red. “Being born with magic doesn’t make the Witch easier to find. Do you know how much magic is in this city? Of course not. You prefer to pretend Gadore is this urban paradise. Well, it’s not and—”
She cut off. Shock ran into her features for only a second before confusion overtook it.
“And?” he prompted.
“And I…” She hesitated.
He watched her tongue roll around the inside of her cheek.
She inhaled, a frown taking hold as she exhaled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I found something.”
12
Nes
It was magic.
Of that much, Nes was certain. Only it was magic like she’d never felt before. It called out to her, not in the greedy manner she’d come to expect but as if it were screaming for help.
She didn’t trust it. Magic was coy and mischievous. That was why it so often smelled like something sweet or pleasant first—like the scent of hyacinths grasping for her now—to fool her into thinking it was something she wanted.
