Chapter 15 #2
So I do. I'm halfway through the Valdez do-over and the not-so-subtle hints that she knows more than she's saying when a shadow falls across the table.
"Cora? How lovely to run into you.”
I look up at the tall man with the dark eyes and chestnut hair. He shifts, and a bit of dappled sunlight reveals hints of copper that remind me of my own hair.
“Mr. Vance.” I catch Tia’s glance as her eyes go wide. I’m sure she’s thinking the same thing I am—can we get out of here before Sebastian Vance starts asking me all sorts of weirdly personal dream questions, just like he did at the Whitehall party at the beginning of the semester?
“It’s nice to see you,” I add, because what else could I say?
“Sebastian, please.” He nods at Tia. “And Tia. So nice to see you again, too.”
He gestures at the empty chair next to mine. “May I? Just for a moment. I won’t keep you.”
I glance at Tia. She gives me a fractional shrug. Your call.
“Sure,” I say.
He sits, then puts down his own coffee before settling into the chair in a way that doesn’t quite jibe with his I won’t keep you promise.
“I admit I’ve been hoping to run into you,” he says.
“Yeah? What’s up?”
He smiles, fidgeting a bit with the stir stick in his coffee. “When we spoke at Whitehall, I told you I’d been close with your mother. I don’t think I did her justice.”
“Oh.” I lean in. If he meant to grab my attention, he’s succeeded. “What do you mean?”
“I said we were close for several years. And that’s true. But I made it sound tidy. He shakes his head. “Cassie wasn’t tidy. She was the most alive person I have ever known. When she walked into a room, the rest of us were furniture.”
He draws a breath, and for a moment, he seems to be far, far away.
“The truth is, we had a falling out. By the time I learned she was back in Florida, it was years too late to tell her any of the things I should have.”
I turn my coffee cup in a slow circle and say nothing, because I don’t trust my voice.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t come over here to make you sad. I came because—well, you have her hair.” His eyes move over my face. “And because I’d like the chance to tell you about her. The version before you. If you ever want to hear it.”
If you ever want to hear it. Right on the heels of what Professor Valdez just offered. But is that a funky coincidence, or some strange, dark portent? After all, this man is head of the Oneiroi, a freaky group that studies dreams and the barriers and bloodlines like mine.
So, yeah, I’m a little wary.
I’m also curious, albeit more about Mom than about dreams.
“This,” I say, holding out my hand with the ring. “You said before you found the band for her ring.”
He looks down, and when he speaks, I hear the sorrow. “I did.”
“She never told me,” I say gently. “I was with her when she found the stone, but I never knew how she got the band.”
“No,” he says softly. “I don’t imagine she would have said.”
Secrets, I think. So many fucking secrets.
So many that this man may have answers for, and right then all I want to do is grab him by the expensive lapels of his tailored suit and demand he tell me everything—about the band, about Mom, about whatever the Oneiroi have been writing down about my family for generations.
I want to, I really do, but Tia’s knee presses against mine under the table, a small, steadying pressure, and I make myself sit still.
“Something’s on your mind,” he says, and I fight a grimace, hating that I’m that transparent.
“Actually, yes. At that meeting, your people said the Oneiroi had studied my family for generations. That was the word. Generations. So you must have files, right? On my mother. On me. On this whole Bride thing.”
He says nothing.
“I want to see them,” I say, looking him straight in the eye.
“It’s not as simple as handing over a folder.”
“Why not?”
“Because what we’ve gathered isn’t a folder. It’s a body of knowledge, and it belongs to the Oneiroi.”
“The Oneiroi need to learn to share.”
He almost laughs. “You really are like her.” He studies me for a moment, then dips his head. “There’s more I’d like to tell you in time. Stories about your mother. Bits I know of your family. But that’s a longer conversation.”
Frankly, it’s a conversation I want to have. But I don’t want him to see how eager I am. So I shrug in a way that I hope looks casual. “Maybe we’ll talk sometime about my family, but honestly, I have an uncle who can tell me all that.”
“I know Finn, of course. I understand he’s taken some sort of leave of absence from the school.”
I force myself not to react. I didn’t know there’d been anything official, but it makes sense. The Dean disappears, and the University Powers That Be are going to cover.
“I’d very much like to speak to your uncle. Is he available during his leave? Perhaps a phone call.”
I force my face to stay neutral. As far as I know, cell phone signals don’t reach all the way into the Nightmare Realm.
“He’s travelling,” I say. “Perhaps when he’s back.”
Sebastian’s mouth curves. He must know it’s a dodge, but he doesn’t call me on it. Instead, he says, “Perfect. In the meantime, the offer stands. Stories about Cassie, anytime. And anything else you might want to discuss.”
He stands and picks up his coffee. His gaze skims over me one more time. “It was good to see you again, Cora.” He nods at Tia. “Miss Mendez.”
And then he turns and walks away.