Holding his gaze, I said, “You agreed to help me. Will you go back on your word?”
Bowen’s thumb ghosted over the injury on my jaw, and his gaze darkened. “My word is good. I’m assuming you want me to help you find your brother, to see if he’s still alive?”
I nodded slowly. “And there’s one other thing.”
He lifted a brow, waiting for my condition.
“When I find Hendrik, if he’s still under the witch’s control, I’m going to rescue him and make sure she never hurts anyone else again.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“It shouldn’t since you’re wrapped up in some sort of revenge plot of your own. But I’m doing this with or without you. I just hope it’s with you.”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
I reached into my pocket and withdrew the missing person poster I stole from the tavern. Flattening the crinkled edges, I placed it on the desk.
“This boy is missing too. He’s almost the same age as Hendrik was, and he has a younger sister still at the orphanage. I don’t have proof it’s related, only a gut feeling, but I think we should start with this.”
Bowen examined the image. “Trying to find missing people, hunting witches…it’s dangerous. You could get hurt, maybe killed.”
“It’s possible, and if you help me, so could you.”
“There’s that. You said yourself I have my own plan in the works. My death would throw a wrench in it.”
“Then don’t die.”
He grinned, and a spark flared to life behind his eyes. “Same goes for you.”
I held out my hand. “Do we have a deal?”
He eyed my palm, not accepting the handshake. My fingers closed into a loose fist. Disappointment bloomed inside my chest. Was he already having second thoughts?
Something wicked flashed across Bowen’s features. I held my breath as he leaned forward and brushed his hand against my waist, guiding me closer.
“Really, Liana? A handshake? That’s not how you seal a deal with death on the line.”
A tiny shiver raced across my skin. “It’s not?”
“No.” His gaze dropped to my mouth, and I reflexively bit the side of my lip. The action made his grip tighten, fingers digging into my skin. A handshake seemed ludicrous when I thought about what I wished he’d do instead.
But this was my offer, and he was asking me to give it.
There was a pang around my heart when I thought about how alone he’d been over the past few years—scorned by society, labeled a monster. I wished I could undo all the pain for him. Of course, that wasn’t how tragedy worked. You couldn’t erase bad memories, but you could make new ones. Better ones.
I slid my palm up the wall of his chest, smoothing my fingers over the exposed skin of his collarbone. His scars were rough against my hand. I didn’t mind them, exploring their texture as my fingers curled around the back of his neck.
“Well, if a handshake won’t seal the deal, how about this?” Heart-slamming against my chest, I brushed my mouth against his.
He reacted instantly, approval rumbling in the back of his throat. His palm splayed across my back, drawing me flush against his chest, and his head dipped, allowing our kiss to deepen. A shiver ran through my body as he skillfully teased my lips. This was the fearless adventurer who’d experienced life on a grand scale, and yet I tasted darkness too. I wondered if he could taste it on me.
“So is that a yes?” I breathed, arching my neck as his lips trailed along my jaw, skimming my ear.
He reclaimed my mouth as if in answer. Heat inflamed my skin as he softened the kiss, slowing the moment down until it was seared into memory.
The day we met, our handshake had been nothing more than a term of agreement, but somehow, everything had changed, and now, our kiss felt like a promise.
Pulling back, he cupped the side of my face, and the tone of his voice moved something inside of me. “Yes, I’ll help you, but not for payment. Not even because it’s the right thing to do.”
