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“I don’t know. It was dark.” I wet my lips. “One had a scar on his lip.”
“How many?”
“Two.” I can’t block out the memory as it floods my mind. “They called their boss. One is dead, I think. The other…” It’s like I’m in the cornfield again, feeling the dread. “I got away from him.”
Edwin drags a hand through his hair. The movement is human, almost ordinary, but the tension in him sharpens until the room seems to pulse with it.
“Where is the medallion?”
I fumble with my purse and almost drop it. My fingers shake as I pull the medallion free. The chain catches once, then slips loose into my palm. I hold it out to show him.
He reaches for it, but I pull back.
We lock eyes for a moment, his hand stuck in mid-air. Shock crosses his face as if he genuinely can’t believe I denied him something. My hand trembles as I clench it tight.
“You know what it looks like,” I say.
His chin dips with his mouth curving into the faintest grin. Then he looks back up at me, the smile fading slowly.
“These are sacred among the Serpents.”
“Who are the Serpents? People keep saying it like it’s obvious.”
“Your brother didn’t explain?” The surprise in his voice is annoying.
“No.” My grief hardens the word. “He was too busy being shot.”
Edwin’s jaw ticks, and I wish I could swallow the words back. But he lets the bitterness pass, at least for now.
“Every Serpent has one. When he gives away his medallion, it’s more than a gift.” His gaze lifts to mine again. “The person who receives it can ask for anything they want. Money. Protection. A new life anywhere in the world.”
One corner of his mouth lifts. “Think of it as a wish, of sorts.”
My mind runs in every direction at once. Freedom. Safety. A life no one can lock away. A place of my own. A future that belongs to me.
Then it narrows back down to one thing.
Asher bleeding into the gravel. The hole his death ripped through me.
But nothing ever comes this easily, especially not the perfect answer.
“What’s the price?” I ask.
Edwin’s smile turns delectably dangerous. “The recipient must do something for the Serpent in return.”
“Something like what?”
“Whatever the Serpent wants.” He steps closer. “And since Asher isn’t here to collect what he’s owed, I’ll take his place.”
I stare at him, struggling to absorb everything.
“You’re a Serpent.”
His head bows in a formal nod.
So Asher was a Serpent too. I'm not sure what that means, but no one can take his place.
This is why Asher sent me here. To use this medallion for protection. For a way out of our parents’ house. But I can’t see it as protection alone.
