The air was too cold for an outdoor mope. My numb cheeks were proof of that and I'd only been there for twenty minutes. A wave of fog drifted above me as I sighed. This new problem couldn't have come at a worse time. On top of worrying about my decaying friendship with Blake and my, unfortunately, cemented relationship with Lucien, I had to question whether or not Rhett wanted to be friends. It he hadn't been cursed, would he have given me a second thought?
Probably not.
"You could come inside, you know."
A shriek nearly slipped past my chapped lip as I snapped my head up in search of the owner of the voice.
The masked man, Valdis, stood in the window. His gloved hands gripped the edges of a window without glass and his clothes were just so that I couldn't see a single shred of skin or strand of hair that might help in identifying him. Danger aside, I was curious about anyone that could unnerve Lucien Lacroix.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Valdis. But you knew that, didn't you? Give me your name."
Fear kept me from answering. Lucien had been adamant that I not give this weirdo my name. Adamant in a way that almost made it seem that he feared Valdis.
My pause prompted him to laughter. "Come, now. I already know your name. I just wanted to hear you say it. Won't you say it, for me?"
"Why?"
"Because it makes you nervous." He leaned forward so he was hanging out the window. "Having a bad day?"
Despite myself, I nodded.
"From what I've gathered, you don't have good days, do you?"
I glared.
Valdis spiraled into another bout of laughter. "Apologies. I can't help myself."
I tugged my ponytail over my shoulder, twisting it. "You know Lacroix."
"I do," Valdis said. The window creaked as he leaped forward and landed before me, arms sweeping in an elegant arch before falling to his sides. "But you don't. You'd like to ask me some questions? Turn-about is fair play. I have questions, too."
Every ounce of logic at my disposal begged me not to engage. If Lucien found out, I'd be reading books on curiosity for the rest of my life.
"Don't worry. It will be our secret." Valdis drew his finger across his beak as if to zip it. "He'll never know we spoke."
"Fine."
Just as I opened my mouth to begin, Valdis held his pinky aloft. "Let's make our deal binding, first."
A pinky-promise was more than superstition. It was an oath between witches that had dire consequences in the event that an oath was broken. Even then, he hadn't given me any conditionals. The only condition was that Lucien Lacroix wouldn't know we'd spoken.
Eyeing him with suspicion, I hooked my pinky around the cool leather of his gloved one and together, we said, "The bargain is struck." A twist of magic wound our fingers and settled against my skin with a tingly warmth. Then it was gone.
"You may start us off," Valdis said, freeing his hand and stepping some feet away.
"What do you know about him? Lacroix, I mean."
"A broad question for a complicated man. What do you really want to know?"
"Can I trust him?" I asked, wondering, at the same time, if I could trust Valdis—even with the oath.
"This is rich. Can you trust your own husband?" His cackle made my cheeks burn. "Everyone has secrets. He may avoid some truths, but for as long as I've known him, he's always said what he means."
That was comforting. A little, anyway. I didn't know how well that answered my question, but it was good information to have.
"My turn." Valdis turned his hand like he wanted me to deposit something in it. "Give me your name."
My gut churned. Obviously, telling him my name served more than his twisted sense of humor. Whatever Lucien worried about, names must be directly correlated. "You know my name. Seems a waste of a question."
"You wouldn't go back on a deal, would you?" Valdis tilted his head back, his beak lifting to the sky, and still I could see nothing but fabric. "I would have thought that you, of all people, had enough curses for one lifetime."
My eyes narrowed as fire rushed through me. He brought his chin down, and even though I couldn't see his eyes beyond the dark sockets where eyes should be, I knew he was staring with the smugness of victory. "Vera Lacroix."
"Ah. There it is. I do believe that's the first time you've said it. Well done."
"Have you been following me?"
"Yes. My turn," Valdis said, pacing in front of me with his arms tucked behind him and his torso tilted forward in a way that made him appear more like a bird than a man. "What happened to Haywood?"
Biting back my anger, my lips curled with mischief. Two could play at that game. "She was killed."
"How?"
"My turn," I said, rubbing my palms together. "You're an immortal, aren't you?"
"Yes. I answer to Lokahn."
Given the chaos with which Valdis arrived, that didn't surprise me at all. I'd certainly read about Lokahn once or twice before I chose Athena. An old god of death and victory through deception. What did surprise me, though, was the fact that he told me of his own volition. It was such a personal thing to choose a god. Few witches shared such thing among strangers.
"Now," Valdis said, breaking me from my thoughts. "How did Haywood die?"
"With magic."
Throwing his head back, Valdis cackled. "You brat. I had half a mind to spare you, but I can see you've got some fight in you." He paced again.
I didn't have any real question I wanted to ask, but I wanted to get under his skin the same way he got under mine. On nothing but a hunch, I said, "What was your name before you were Valdis?"
Valdis stopped mid-stride, briefly silent, and straightened his spine. "That person is dead."
"I hope you're not going back on our agreement."
Valdis approached me with swift steps. I leaned back as he placed his hands on either side of me, his gloved fingers curling against the stones, and craned his mask down so that an empty eye-socket aligned with my eye. "You think you're clever enough to dance with the devil?"
"Not with the devil, no," I said, voice level despite my thrashing heart. "But with you, maybe."
"We. Shall. See." Valdis lifted off the bench and turned from me, retreating a few steps. "The man who died before I came to be, his name was Marcus Thistle."
I'd have to look into that later.
"I will ask one last question, and our game will be through."
"I believe it's my turn," I said, unable to stop myself from smirking. "Unless you'd like that to be your last question."
"You are as infuriating as your husband." Valdis whirled to face me, his gloved hands curling so tight that the leather squeaked. "Ask."
"What do you intend to do with my name?"
He stalked close again, his voice excited like he was grinning, "When the time is right, I'm going to crush you. I will crush you bones and all until you are but a soul. If you are worthy, you will turn into a diamond."
The implication there, I was pretty sure, was that I would die if I was unworthy.
"Give me the name of the witch who cursed you."
A shiver tickled my spine and shook me to my core. Damn him. Why did he want to know that? "Nimda."
"That completes our exchange, Vera." Valdis turned from me. "We will speak again."
Before I could respond, a puff of smoke engulfed him, and from it, a raven flew. It took to the sky with a caw like laughter on the wind.
Marching through the snow-covered banks took a bit more effort than expected. The sky burned orange and purple by the time I made it to the lake, stopping beside a tree to catch my breath. It was a miracle I found my way back at all. It was significantly farther than I anticipated, and the temperature was dropping. If it had taken any time more than it had, I might have been sleeping in the forest for a night.
Half-way up the hill, I caught wind of loud, crunching steps in the snow. Shades rushed toward me. They began screeching before I could even think of fleeing.
"Where have you been?"
Facing the school, I found Lucien standing. His eyes were like molten fire in the setting sun and his brows were pinched in what I thought was anger.
"The burned building," I said through chattering teeth, curling my toes to keep them warm. "I needed air."
With a flick of his hand, the Shades vanished into smoke. The anger seemed to go as he looked me up and down. "You walked all the way back?"
"Cold."
Sighing, Lucien closed the space between us and yanked me off my feet. I grabbed his shoulders, my frozen fingers twisting in his robes, and wheeled my stare in all directions in search of any prying eyes. "Sir—"
"Lucien," he said softly.
The curl of heat in my cheeks made them itch. "People will get the wrong idea."
"The wrong idea?" Lucien looked down at me, a hint of a smile on his face. I didn't like that look. How could he possibly be happy? "If we wish to be technical about it, I am yours. There is no idea about it."
"Stop," I said, lowering my hand to his arm in an attempt to free myself. "I can walk back on my own."
He offered no response as I felt the floaty sensation of Relocation. When it stopped, I examined the room. It was warm, small, and had a desk and an over-stuffed bookshelf. A pair of chairs stood in front of the desk. He lowered me to a chair and held a hand up. "Wait here."
In a twist of magic, he vanished from the room, and though I considered leaving, I didn't feel like walking any further.
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