As Enne searched the vehicles for Levi’s white Amberlite, she felt something strong tug on her shoulder. She whipped around and faced a man trying to grab her purse. Its contents were minimal—her two tokens, her white Spirit gloves and her black Séance mask—but she wasn’t keen to lose any of it.
“Let go!” she shouted. When he wouldn’t obey, Enne kneed him in the groin. He doubled over onto the ground, releasing his grip.
“Not bad,” Grace said, smirking.
“Does that mean you forgive me?” she asked.
As the thief scrambled away, Grace shrugged. “I’m not sure. You might need to kick a few more men in the—”
A motorcar honked repeatedly, and though it was only one of many, Enne and Grace looked toward it. Lola leaned out the window, motioning frantically for them. Enne and Grace sprinted across traffic and leaped into the back seat. As soon as Lola sped off, dodging pedestrians and whiteboots at Tock’s panickedlook outs, Enne felt Levi’s hands on her shoulders.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, but her voice cracked. “Is everyone all right?”
“We’re fine, but we haven’t been able to find anyone else. This wasn’t what we planned.” Levi slammed his fist against the side door.
Enne pulled away from him, tears streaming down her face. “Yes, it was,” she said hoarsely. “This was exactly what I planned.”
He frowned even as he tried to wipe the tears off her cheeks. “What are you talking about?”
She could’ve lied—she’d gotten good at lying, even to him. Buthewas the reason she hadn’t killed Owain. Because of him, she wanted to be better than that.
“This wasn’t Vianca’s idea—it was mine. Owain is a member of the Phoenix Club. I... I thought that if I killed him...” Enne looked away from him. It ached to see his expression change, from confusion to concern to shock.
During the drive home, Enne told him everything—about questioning Roy, manipulating Vianca, lying to him. The Shadow Game didn’t haunt Levi the way it did her, but at least he, more than anyone, might be able to understand.
Enne didn’t finish her story until after they’d reached the Ruins District. The others got out of the car, but Enne and Levi remained behind. It wasn’t until Levi slammed the door closed again that she noticed a muscle straining as he clenched his jaw.
“You manipulated Vianca so she could make me do what you wanted,” he murmured, and Enne’s breath hitched. His voice was unrecognizably cold. “You used her to use me. How am I supposed to forgive you for that?”
Each of his words sent a blade through her heart.
He made her sound despicable.
And he was right.
Enne bit her lip and blinked back tears. “You’re not.”
Levi took a shaky breath, his eyes closed. “I’ve done a lot of things I never thought I would, but not to you.” His voice cracked, and Enne resisted the urge to comfort him. She no longer felt like she had the right to.
“I don’t think I know you anymore,” he said.
Enne hugged her arms to herself and put as much distance between them as possible. It was strange to think that many months ago, when they’d first met, he’d laughed at how naïve she’d been.
“Do you wish you’d killed him?” he asked her.
She’d originally thought the price of killing Owain would be her soul, but now she knew the sacrifice had been far greater. The moment she’d used Vianca against Levi...thatwas when she’d paid her price.
And now she had nothing to show for it.
“I don’t know,” she murmured truthfully.
Levi shook his head and, without a goodbye, opened the door and walked away.
10
“These stories aren’t justlegends. There are too many things in the North Side you can’t explain. Oaths? Shadow Cards? They have to be talents, don’t they? I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately, and I think they do. You might say legends are superstition. I say they’re a pattern.
