I wish I weren’t, but in this world it’s a price I have to pay for the things I want.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, hating the part of me that felt hurt. What had I expected? I’d hid the truth from him the entire time. As far as he knew, I started out humiliating him for some obscure reason and ended up humiliating him for some obscure reason. “I thought that hiding my identity would protect you,” I said finally. “The Redbriars would kill to keep a secret.”
“Next time, tell me the truth anyway,” said Darshan. “For some things, I’d pay any price.”
I looked at him, stunned, and he gave me another small smile. “I’m a natural-born scholar, remember? We love our answers. We’d die to know the molecular composition of a particularly notable amulet.”
I swallowed. “Come over here, then,” I said.
He came and stood in front of me, making a little gesture with his arms as if to present himself to my eyes. I huffed a laugh and put my arms around him, hugging him as best as I could with one wrist shackled.
“Here’s the only oath I’m swearing today,” I murmured against his warm shoulder, feeling the sting of my wrist as I pulled the chain as far as it would go. “I will never raise a hand against you. I will answer any question you ask of me. And to the best of my ability, I’m going to make ground beef of anyone who fucks with you ever again.”
I felt his startled laugh against me. “You don’t have to. No one’s ever—”
I held him tighter. “I want to.”
He exhaled, a little shakily. “Take me with you tonight.”
I tensed. “It’s too dangerous. I don’t want to drag you into this more than I have already.”
“I want to,” Darshan said softly. A teasing note slipped into his voice. “Besides, I can be useful. Who saved your ass in the duel again?”
I rolled my eyes, even as I rested my forehead against his shoulder. “Fine. But you’re staying out of sight.”
“Obviously. I’m sentimental, not stupid.” His breath stirred my hair.
We stayed like that, together, until Wraith returned. Whatever happened next, I’d face it with my best friend at my side.
Chapter 25
With a few stops on the way—including a physically difficult attempt to fit the sofa into a bathroom stall—Wraith dropped me off at the dorm room. The sun was setting outside, the room growing dim.
“Clytemnestra and Aegis are on their way back,” he said. “Do you need anything before I go?”
“Food would be nice, but they expect me to look like shit,” I sighed. “I can wait.” I looked around the room with its deepening, twilight-colored shadows, making sure everything was in its place. As far as they knew, I’d been chained to one corner of the room the entire day.
Wraith reached for the light switch, but I put up a hand to stop him. “I can’t reach that from the sofa. They might get suspicious if they see the light through the window. Just try to remember what you touched before you took me away, because I was pretty out of it at the beginning.”
Wraith hummed in assent, stepping lightly through the dorm room. He picked the plastic cup he’d brought me, adjusted the angle of the bathroom door, and nodded to himself.
“I hope you don’t shed hair,” I joked. “Six foot long iridescent hairs could be an issue.”
“It’s all magic,” Wraith assured me serenely. “Well, Cassandra, I must leave you for the moment, but I look forward to seeing you again this evening. I expect the most entertainment I’ve had in a long time.”
He popped out of existence, leaving me alone in the room again. I folded my arms and got comfortable on the sofa, watching the ceiling darken as night descended. This evening was going to involve a hideous amount of waiting.
If all went well, my mom and I would finally go free. And if it didn’t… the consequences would be unimaginable.
I had to get her out. The surviving Redbriars hated and feared me bitterly, all the more because they needed me. They were eager for excuses to remind me—and themselves—of the power they held over me. Being in their control was like walking over an endless field of thin ice; it was only a matter of time before something worse happened.
Even so, I was terrified that all I’d accomplish would be to make it happen sooner.
I heard sounds from the hallway, an almost welcome distraction from my