Chapter Twenty-Four #2
My stomach tightens and my teeth snap down hard together. Who the devil does he think he is?
I maneuver Laurel closer to them, reaching for Lola with my magic and meeting only a locked door.
The mysterious bastard twirls her out, and I mimic the movement with Laurel as I pass close enough to Lola to reach out my free hand behind me, grazing Lola’s long enough to grasp her pinkie in my own.
She falters for just a second, and I whisper, “May guile guard you, my dear,” before releasing her to complete her twirl as I catch Laurel in my own embrace.
When I glance Lola’s way, she’s staring at me, and I know she’s remembering the last time I twined my little finger around hers and spoke the same words. The final day of my tournament. Back when I was begging her to trust me.
Please, I mouth to her.
She purses her lips and turns away, and I can only pray she’ll take heed.
“What is she doing here?” Laurel says, and I jolt. Did she catch that interaction?
But she’s looking at a young woman near the refreshments in a formfitting silver gown tied around the waist with a black ribbon. Silver bangles hang from her wrists, and dangling earrings dust her shoulders.
I recognize her instantly. Estelle Monroe, the winner of last year’s tournament who became a close friend of Lola’s during this year’s.
“You know her?” I blink back at Laurel, who’s stopped dancing to stare.
Estelle holds her gaze steady, and a thousand words pass unspoken between them.
“Yes, I do.” Laurel’s mouth twists. “Go find out what she’s doing here.”
“It . . . seems like she would prefer to speak with you.”
“She doesn’t trust me anymore.” Laurel snatches up a flute of champagne from a passing waiter, downing it in one go before snapping, “I want you to get her secret by force like you did with Ostena.”
“Here?” I gesture at the crowd. “That would cause a scene.”
“You think I care if there’s a scene?” Laurel’s voice quavers on the edge of panic, and her hands shake as she hands her empty glass to another waiter. “That woman’s here to stop me, Nic. You can count on that.”
“Attacking her would only make us more conspicuous.”
Laurel purses her lips, but she doesn’t argue, so I forge ahead.
“Maybe there will be a better time to approach Estelle. One that won’t compromise us.
” Perhaps I can use this opportunity to learn more about what she meant the other day about some victims being more open to her control than others.
“What if,” I continue, steering her away from the table, “we focus our efforts on determining our targets?”
She sighs. “Fine.”
I look around, ducking close to Laurel’s ear conspiratorially. “Who do the gods want us to pursue?”
Laurel scrutinizes the dancing couples. “Her.” She nods at a woman in magenta.
“And the man in the blue tuxedo behind her.” I follow where she indicates and frown when I recognize him.
That man attended my father’s parish regularly, supplicating to the gods nightly for forgiveness for perceived wrongdoings.
He’d be the last person in Aethera I’d consider evil.
My eyes flick to another man dancing nearby—one of the biggest whales who ever frequented my casino, thanks to the exorbitant amounts of money he’d embezzled from charities.
I wait for Laurel to point him out, but she moves on to another group watching from the sidelines.
Whatever her magic runs on, it certainly isn’t “sins” the way she claims. My earlier thought that it could be fear might fit better, perhaps, but I’m still not convinced.
“And her,” Laurel says, pointing across the crowd, frowning. “Odd . . . She looks familiar.”
When I catch sight of who she means, a chill runs down my spine.
Lola stands at the heart of the crowd.
Laurel meets my gaze, expressionless. “That’s Astra Tremaine, isn’t it?”
“Maybe?” I hedge. “She looks different.”
Laurel glances back at her, frowning. “Why’s she wearing a disguise?”
Before I can stop her, Laurel has plunged into my magic once more. I panic, trying to push her out.
“Odd,” she says softly, staring through my eyes, honing in on the threads of light vibrating through the air. My magic, twining from my chest to Lola’s. “Is she . . . ,” Laurel says quietly, turning to face me, “. . . using your magic?”
I act as though I’m just discovering this as well, eyebrows rising as dread slams through me. “How the depths . . . ?”
“She’s Nocturne.” A smile dances at the corners of Laurel’s lips. “Isn’t she?”
“We can’t—”
She releases my magic, ignoring me, and begins to pace. “Oh, this is perfect. Another seaspawn . . .” Her head snaps up and a grin splits her face. “And she’s in love with you, right?”
“Well, that’s not technically—”
Laurel’s eyes gleam with a manic, vibrating light that has every alarm bell in my head ringing. “Where did she get her powers? Why is she running the game?”
My mind whirs, a desperate, foolhardy idea taking root. The only thing that might keep Laurel from hurting Lola . . . for now, at least.
“Seems worth investigating.”
“Should we steal her secrets, too?” Laurel ponders.
“People reveal far more when they think they can trust you,” I say quickly, praying I’m not about to make everything infinitely worse.
Her eyes meet mine, glowing like pale moons in the dark. Not threatened or jealous, thankfully, but intrigued. “What are you thinking?”
“If Astra believes someone cares for her—someone she’s inclined to care for herself—perhaps she’ll reveal her motives,” I say, trying to keep my expression impassive so she won’t pick up on the pang slicing through me as those words leave my mouth.
“You want to seduce her into giving up her secrets on her own.” Her mouth curls.
I force a conspiratorial smile as my stomach twists.
This is going to be dangerous. If I lead Laurel to believe I’ll woo Lola into giving me the information we want, she’ll likely take to watching every interaction from within my eyes, ready to assume control of my body at any time.
I’ll have to be extremely careful to keep Lola from mentioning anything that could put her in harm’s way.
But . . . if I play my cards right, this could give me more freedom as to how much and what I might be able to say to Lola.
And on the off chance Laurel gives me free rein at any time to do as I wish without her watching, I might get an opportunity like I did earlier to warn Lola more clearly about the danger Laurel poses.
“I like it,” Laurel says, a soft smile curling her lips.
She likes it now, but if she’s shown me anything the past few days, it’s that she’s inclined to jealousy.
“Remember,” I warn as dread makes me dizzy. “No matter what may come out of my mouth, you know where my loyalties lie.”
Her smile fades, but she nods. “Of course.”