Purgatory after the Atlantis thing, but that was a lie, told by the authorities who were in Antarctica at the time. I guess they thought it would have made them look bad or something, if a Child of Chaos had dispensed with him instead of using the proper avenues for justice. In my opinion, she delivered the best justice possible. He’s going to have to spend eternity with no one for company but himself, and there could be no worse punishment than making him hate the sound of his own voice. That’s what my mom says, anyway.”
Laughter pealed out of Nathan’s mouth, taking me by surprise. “You know what, I think your mum is right. Ah, Persie, you’ve just made my childhood self ridiculously happy. You see, I always hoped he’d met a more creative fate than just Purgatory.” He grinned at me. “If I ever meet Lux, I’ll have to bring her the biggest gift basket I can find.”
“I figured you ought to know.” I smiled, pleased that I’d been able to brighten his mood.
Still beaming from ear to ear, he carried on down the aisles of the market, and I fell in step beside him. “You must have heard some incredible tales in your time, I imagine,” Nathan said thoughtfully.
“And some that still haunt me.” I laughed, recalling the story of Davin being eviscerated by Murray. My mom had banned Finch from telling it to me for years. I briefly wondered if I should tell Nathan that one, but figured it might be a little much. Davin had continuously wriggled his way out of death and many maulings without a scratch on him, and Nathan clearly had no love for the guy, but it didn’t mean he’d want to hear all the gory details.
“Have you used your ability much, or is it something you avoid?” I asked, eyeing an array of jade bangles.
Nathan puffed air through his teeth, as if trying to remember something. “I don’t think I’ve used it since I was eleven, maybe twelve. I saved a friend who completely destroyed his spinal cord after hitting a rock. Besides you and Genie, only my mum knows about my ability.” A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Before that, I mostly used it to bring back my hamsters. They had a tendency to die on me.”
“Maybe that was the real start to your love of monsters,” I teased. “Syrian hamsters can be cute and cuddly, but those Russian ones are savage to the core. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out they’re actually monsters in tiny, fluffy disguises.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like you had a bad experience.”
“One bit me in a pet shop, and I hold the entire species accountable.” I stopped to look at some silver rings, but none of them screamed ‘Genie.’ She didn’t wear jewelry often, aside from her barrette Esprit, so it had to be something truly unique if I was going to fork out major Euros for it. “By the way, how are you feeling about revealing your ‘ability’ to us? I know it couldn’t have been easy, and we didn’t exactly give you much choice.”
He put the last of his mango in his mouth, his forehead creasing. “It’s… strange. I shared a piece of myself that I’ve never shared with anyone but my mum. I think it’ll just take some getting used to.”
“You know your secret is safe with us, don’t you?” I assured him, a bit of mischief lightening my tone. “Plus, after being her hero, I’m one hundred percent sure that Genie will accept your offer of a date now, if you’d just get your ass in gear and ask the girl out.”
Nathan almost choked on his mouthful. “How did you know?”
“Because I’m not blind.” I smiled at him. “So, just ask her, okay? She’d kill me for saying it, so you should probably keep your ability primed, but she’s waiting for you to make the first move. This time without being disturbed by naughty pixies.” I grinned.
His eyes bulged. “She told you about that?”
“There are no secrets between us, which is why your secret will be safe. Nothing escapes our covenant.” I paused. “Well, aside from that little tidbit that I just told you, but that’s different—that’s to make my friend happy, and so the two of you will stop making goo-goo eyes at each other in front of me and actually do something about it.”
We walked on in silence for a few minutes. I