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“What is this?” It had the earmarks of a death charm, and I wanted nothing to do with death.

“It’s a proxy charm. If mortal harm should befall you, you cannot die. No matter how badly something hurts you, you won’t perish. And whoever has made the attempt will suffer for their efforts.” She gave another huge grin, and I had to look away.

I wasn’t sure I liked the whole no matter how badly something hurts you part. Did she have a different charm that also deflected pain? I’d take twelve.

I toyed with the bracelet, looking at the tiny hands shining in the low light. “Thanks?”

Why did it feel as though she was marking me for her own than protecting me? I already owed fealty to one god, I had no interest in owing Badb anything. She scared the crap out of me, and the idea of her coming to call on me for a favor in the middle of the night—or any time, really—was terrifying.

She pursed her lips like she’d tasted something sour. “Your gratitude overwhelms me.”

Wait, was she being sarcastic? Since when did the gods understand sarcasm? They were always so rigidly literal that I didn’t quite know how to process this new development. So I said nothing. It felt like the safest alternative.

Badb moved to stand in front of Cade, and he stiffened, a tic appearing in the muscle below his jaw. “My Luckless One.” She lifted a hand as if she was going to touch him, then let it drop once more. “You would have been so marvelous by my side. I would have put you to such majestic use, but instead you waste your life with Ardra.” The way she said Ardra’s name made it sound more like a curse than a moniker. Evidently there was no warmth of feeling between the goddesses.

“We don’t choose our path,” Cade answered, boldly meeting her gaze dead-on. I bet he was just as spooked by her as I was, but he was doing a much better job hiding it.

“The fates committed such a folly, marking you for her.”

“Then take it up with Clotho.”

Badb frowned. “They won’t let me near her anymore…” As her voice drifted off, a demented smile softened her features. What on earth had she done to the spinner of fates to ban her from their presence?

Nope. I didn’t want to know.

“Thank you for this.” Now that I was able to speak, I wanted to find a way to get rid of her. “And thank you for the warning.”

“All I ask is that you keep it interesting.”

“Interesting?”

She nodded. “Amuse me. I’m in such dire need of amusement these days.”

Badb didn’t need to tell me what would happen if I stopped being amusing. This wasn’t my first day on the job. Her protection came with strings, and if she got bored, I knew I’d be on my own. Less than a day into this trip and already things were going about as badly as could be expected.

Thanks a heap, Cade.

“Will we see you again?” I asked cautiously.

“Not unless things go very, very poorly for you.” She turned, took a step, and then her bird form took flight in a flurry of feathers and wing beats, vanishing like the fading light of day.

The bracelet glinted on my wrist every time we passed under a streetlight.

After Badb left, we’d worked quickly to change the tire and get back on the road. To say the atmosphere in the car was tense was like saying the ocean was damp. We hadn’t spoken a word to each other, yet the weight of worry and fear filled up the front seat as if it were a tangible entity. Fen felt it too, because he’d begun to whine occasionally from the back.

“She could be lying,” I offered.

“And she could be telling the truth.”

Neither option gave me much comfort. If she was lying, then my new bracelet must serve a more nefarious purpose. If she was telling the truth, we were basically fucked. I let out a sigh and fidgeted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat.

Cade glanced over at me. “Can I ask you something?”

“Do you need my permission?”

“This idol you took from Manea…what is it that’s so important to her?”

Reaching behind me into the backseat without taking my eyes off the road, I hauled my purse up from the floor and dropped it in his lap. Cade hesitated, like something feminine inside might rub off on him, infecting him with secret estrogen poisons.


Tags: Sierra Dean Fantasy