way back up. I thought a different path would be easier, but the hatch at the top was impossible to pry open, even with my knife.”
My brow furrows as I try to follow him.
“Merde!” Bastien says. He stands and grips the empty sheath at his belt.
It takes me a moment to understand what’s upset him. I gasp. “Your father’s knife.” We left it behind in the quarry. The Chained man threw it out of reach just before Jules fell unconscious. “I’ll go back for it, Bastien.”
He blows out a tense breath and rakes his hands through his hair. “No, you can’t be exposed under the dome again.”
“I have my falcon grace.” I rise from the table. “I’ll be quick.”
“And if you’re attacked?”
“I have my tiger shark grace.”
“That’s not going to cut it if a horde comes after you.”
Marcel waves a sluggish hand. “I’ll go.”
The look Bastien gives him says that’s the worst idea yet. “I’m going,” he says adamantly.
My stomach clenches. “But what if the Chained man comes back there?”
“I’ll be fine. Until tonight, the dead have left me alone. It’s you they’re drawn to, Ailesse,” he says, and then looks down at Jules. “Will you be all right while I’m gone?”
She rolls her eyes at him and smiles. But as soon as Bastien turns away, a small convulsion runs through her.
“Marcel and I will take care of her.” I cross to where she’s now propped up against the wall. She stares at the coin purse around my neck, and her eyes grow narrow and cold.
Bastien gives a curt nod and grabs his lantern, then he bites his lip and veers over to me. “We’ll talk soon, all right?” His fingers feather across mine, and I flush with heat. His eyes are apologetic, maybe even regretful. I know the conversation he means to have when he returns. He’s going to explain his feelings about Jules.
I muster a smile. I don’t want him to think I’m upset. He and I were star-crossed to begin with. “All right,” I whisper.
He searches my eyes, and I lower them so they don’t reveal anything. “I’ll hurry as fast as I can,” he says.
His hand slips away from mine, and my fingers curl. He ducks under the low doorway.
And then he’s gone.
A fierce ache rises at the back of my throat.
Jules shoots me a look of contempt. “You’re cruel to tempt him when all you want to do is to kill him.” Her body convulses with another tremor. “I saw you two in the quarry. You were about to kiss.”
I stare at her, surprised by her sudden mood swing and rock-hard expression. I try to see past it to the Jules that Bastien has always known. I try to see even deeper to the girl she might have been if her father had lived. “No matter how much you hate me, Jules, you need to believe I’ll never kill Bastien. I give you my promise.” I wish I could save him from his fate, but he and I have been deluding ourselves. There’s no way to break our soul-bond. I knew that from the start.
She scoffs. “Your promises mean nothing.”
I draw a calming breath. I know what I need to do now, and it’s for the best. “What if I promise to leave your lives forever? Would you believe me then?”
Some of the malice leaves Jules’s face. “You’d leave Bastien? Why?”
Because you’re the one meant for him. “Wouldn’t you leave the person who’d held you captive?”
She shivers with another tremor. Her body is in shock, and I’m only upsetting her more.
I look at Marcel. “Can I talk to you for a moment outside?”
His brows rise. “All right.”
He follows me out of the chamber, and I shift back from the looming wall of skulls. “You’ve always been kind to me,” I say, keeping my voice low. “That’s why I hope you’ll help. I have my grace bones now, but I still need the bone flute.”
A shaky laugh escapes him. “You’re going to have to ask Jules. If I give it to you without her knowing, she’ll murder me in my sleep.”
“But aren’t you angry she was almost murdered? This is how you can get your revenge on the Chained man who hurt her.”
“By giving you the flute?”
“The dead can’t be killed; they can only be ferried.” I lean closer. “You must know where Jules is hiding it.”
His grin quivers as he rubs his earlobe. “Can we talk about this when Bastien comes back? I don’t think