33. Fading
FADING
Alex
I’d spent the night and the day next to Irene.
I’d left her side only when Myrtha and a couple of maids had washed and changed her into a fresh nightgown. Darius had given her an entire bottle of a purple potion that smelt of chickweed. I’d just watched her.
Her heart beat steadily, but as Myrtha had said, she wouldn’t be able to do much. She would fade unless she killed a man. Not even Darius’s magic could prevent that.
I placed my hand an inch over hers and sighed when her warmth touched my skin. Her lips had regained some colour, but her radiance burnt like candlelight.
Darius slid into the room, carrying another bottle of purple liquid. “I have news. Not good, I’m afraid.”
“How can things go worse?”
He set the bottle on the nightstand. “Irene’s house brims with magic.
The green powder on the wall comes from a magical blast and is the same as the one I found in our flat after Riley had attacked you.
At that time, I hadn’t realised Riley possessed magical powers, but now I have no doubts. That means that…”
“Sean and Riley are the same person. And he’s a wizard?” I ran a hand through my hair.
“That’s what I think.” He gently caressed Irene’s forehead. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Anger made me speechless. I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to kill Riley.
Darius tucked the cover around Irene. “At least we know why we haven’t caught him yet.”
“It’s a very small comfort.”
“Still a comfort.” He smiled sadly. “We aren’t two street thieves just arrived at the court. We’ve learnt a lot in the past years. We can beat him.”
“That’s a bigger comfort.”
“Try to sleep.” He patted his shoulder, signalling he wished to pat mine.
I boiled in my own wrath, listening to Irene’s heartbeat. My presence had only brought misfortune to her.
When she woke up, she tilted her head towards me.
“Irene. Finally.” I let out a noise halfway between a laugh and a sob.
“Alex.” She turned her palm up, but I didn’t take her hand.
“I’m sorry. I lost control.”
The words rushed out of my mouth as if they were in a hurry. A mere human had stabbed someone I should have protected because he’d been faster than I.
“I’m not angry with you.” Her voice was a whisper. “I tried to cheat death, and now he wants to claim me.”
“To hell with that. You aren’t going to die. We must find Sean, and your revenge is my revenge. Riley and Sean are the same person, and he possesses magical powers as we supposed.”
Her reaction was a mild sigh of surprise.
“We need to go hunting,” I said.
She licked her bottom lip. “I feel too tired to live. How can I kill anyone?” She exhaled. “I thought you would have left me there, but you carried me to the carriage.”
“I would have carried you with one arm. I would have crawled over the cobbles if needed.”
Her smile was weak, but it had the strength to lift my mood. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me when I’m the reason you’re here.”
She shook her head. “You endured a lot of pain to carry me. You saved me.”
“Your kindness distorts reality.”
“No, it makes me see things more clearly.”
The door inched inwards, and Graves peeked inside. “Ravenhill, may I?”
I composed myself, pressing my lips together. “What do you want?”
“Miss.” Graves gave a brief nod to Irene. “I have an idea to help Miss Harlowe make her first kill without straining her.”
“Go on.”
He shook his head. “First, you must promise me you’ll help me bring Knight down and get my house back to me.”
The annoyance within me was welcomed because it erased the last body tremors and reinvigorated me. “Are you blackmailing me?”
“No.” He glanced at Irene. “Sod it, yes.”
I bared my teeth. “How can I promise anything if I don’t know your idea is good?”
“It’s good. Trust me. I know you’d rather get a tan than trust me, but that’s the deal.”
“How can you bargain with me when Irene’s life is at risk?” I shot up so quickly Graves took a step back.
“I’m desperate.” He thumped his chest. “You made me desperate because you don’t want to fight the Moon Court. And a desperate person isn’t afraid of becoming a monster.”
That caught me off guard. I worried about being a monster. Had I pushed Graves to become one?
“What do you care more about?” he asked. “Miss Harlowe or a werewolf?”
The wolf had a point, but I wouldn’t start a war with Knight and put everyone at risk. I’d done enough damage.
“Miss Harlowe. Now speak.”
He glanced at Irene. “We’ll take Miss Harlowe to the hospital, identify a desperate case, a man who’s going to die soon, and let her give him the final blow. I’ll carry her myself. Hell, I’ll hold the dagger for her, but I believe that killing a dying man would be easier on Miss Harlowe.”
She flashed another fleeting smile. “Yes, it would be.”
“Ravenhill?” Graves’s smug tone would have earned him a speech if I hadn’t been in Irene’s bedroom.
“It’s a good idea.”
“What about Knight?”
“I will not go to war with the Moon Court.”
He growled, and his teeth lengthened.
“However.” I raised my voice to interrupt his noises. “I’m going to start a negotiation.”
His hair grew and reached his shoulders, something I found disturbing. “That’s not what I asked.”
“I won’t put lives at risk. A conflict is the last resort.”
The muscles in his neck swelled, but after a few deep breaths, his hair and teeth shortened. Werewolves were so emotional.
“Fine.” Graves stretched out his arm to shake my hand, but I ignored it.
“We’ll leave in a few hours.”