“You’ll barely notice it, I swear.” Hecate stroked the fennec’s head. She’d painted on a trust me smile that was doing precisely the opposite.
“I’m not agreeing to anything until you tell me exactly what you’ll give us and exactly what you want. No vagaries, no games, just tell me what to expect.” I knew whatever she wanted from me I wouldn’t like it, but I was hoping it would be worth the trade. I’d sacrifice a great number of things if she could possibly make things the slightest bit easier for me.
“The man you’re looking for, I know where to find him.”
Cade’s hand moved from my belt to my neck, his fingers tightening at my nape. His message was unnecessary but clear: Don’t give anything away.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” This could easily be a trap, and if I admitted we were looking for Leo, or any man at all, I’d be confirming it for her. It wasn’t out of the question for her to be playing us to help Manea. We’d need to tread very carefully.
“Sssstupid,” Mormo groaned.
“As for y—”
Cade squeezed my neck hard, shutting me up mid-sentence as I readied a crippling insult for the hidden god. Might have been for the best. I’m pretty sure Mormo could eviscerate me with one arched brow. Not the kind of deity you want to mouth off to.
My temper got the better of me sometimes.
Hecate was still smiling, rubbing Fen’s ears. “Pay no mind to Mormo.”
Sure, I’ll just ignore the rude, sulfur-smelling beast from the stankest reaches of the underworld who happened to be standing ten feet away from me and kept calling me stupid. No problem whatsoever.
“Tell me what you’re really here to offer us.”
She looked up, dark eyes glowing in the low-wattage bulb overhead. “You want Leo Marquette, and I know where he is.”
Cade’s hand froze on my neck, his thumb grazing the place beneath my ear, tickling in a not-altogether-unpleasant way. Another time I might have enjoyed him touching me in that exact spot, but as it was I could practically feel his fear pouring into my skin.
We both knew this was going toe-up fast.
I gritted my teeth, not sure what to say that wouldn’t be a mistak
e.
“I don’t know what—”
“Tallulah, can I be frank with you?”
“Okay.”
“It doesn’t please me to do nice things for Seth. The night and the storm have long been in contention.”
“Yeah it’s a real who can make things darkest contest, isn’t it?” I retorted.
Squeeze.
“I like you, though.”
“Goddess knows why,” Cade muttered.
“She’s different from the rest of you,” Hecate replied to him. “Perhaps it’s being one half of a whole, perhaps it’s her spirit, I don’t know. But you’re often very entertaining.”
One half of a whole.
She knew about Sunny.
“What do you want?” I snapped. It was obvious she knew about Leo, so what was the godsdamned point in pretending she didn’t? If she could get us to him, I’d pretty much agree to anything within reason. Especially if it got Mormo out of my room and Fen out of the goddess’s clutches.
“There will come a point in your journey, Miss Corentine, where you will find yourself at a crossroads.”