“How do you know?” Basil asked, his voice shaky.
“The cards tell me everything I need to know. Is that why you’re refusing to tell us where she is? You think you’re protecting her?”
He clamped his mouth shut.
“You’re thinking, here’s my chance. If you keep this secret for her, she’ll want you back. She’ll forgive you for whatever you did. I know her better than you. She’s not coming back for you. Might as well talk and keep your head.”
There was a long pause as I let him take in what I had just said. The silence told me I was spot on in my reading. Which I always was. I grew bored and flicked my hand at the trigger-happy Arsenio.
“Take a finger.”
Arsenio moved quickly, and I looked away as he stepped forward and did as ordered. I focused on the sound of blood squelching as the dull knife went through his hand rather than the man’s screams.
“You better start talking,” Arsenio growled and tossed his pinky finger on the table. It skittered and rolled across the wood.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Basil screamed. His eyes were filled with panic now, and he was rocking in the chair. I stepped behind him and put my hands on his shoulders, pushing him down.
“What did you do to break her heart?” I bent down and whispered in his ear.
“I—I slept with someone else. It was a mistake,” he confessed.
I clicked my tongue. “Shouldn’t have done that.”
“She sent you here then? That’s what’s going on? You’re the one with the curse, aren’t you?”
“Why do you say that?” Arsenio asked, his eyes flicking to mine.
“She told me once that one of her brothers has a curse. You’ll know by his eyes. That’s why you’re wearing the glasses, isn’t it?” He cried, tossing his head back in an attempt to head-butt me.
“You’re going to kill me, even if I tell you where she went. Because you need to break your curse,” he said mournfully.
I stood up straight and looked at Arsenio. “If you tell us where she is and who she’s with, we’ll leave.” I offered.
“She’s trying to help you. A woman came by a few months ago. Really secretive. I don’t know details, but when she took off, she left me in charge and told me that the girl was going to help break your curse.”
Basil was shaking now. We hadn’t offered him anything to stop the bleeding from his lost appendage. While he wouldn’t grow the finger back, the skin would heal fast. It didn’t stop the pain, though.
I put my hands back on his shoulders and tried to steady him. I didn’t need him to lose consciousness.
“How can you break a curse that isn’t yours?” Arsenio asked suddenly. I looked up and cocked an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. I didn’t know anything about curses until I met Ludovica. She never gave me details,” Basil answered.
“Why do you care?” I asked Arsenio over Basil’s head. My friend looked away quickly, and I knew instantly.
She had lied. He did know about her curse.
“What are you not telling me?” I asked Arsenio when he didn’t answer me. My grip tightened on our captive. He began to shake his head furiously from side to side, and I grabbed for it to keep it still. Arsenio couldn’t look me in the eye.
“It’s nothing.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” I snarled. I shouldn’t have been so angry, but I was. I didn’t give a shit about Arsenio not telling me the truth. I cared thatshehadn’t. Why did she lie to me?
“You’re not the only one bound by a deal made with a demon,” he spat. I blinked and let out a laugh. So, this was how it was going to be.
I looked down at the man whose face I was cupping. “What was the woman’s name? Was she a vampire?”
“Yes. I don’t know her name. She wasn’t friendly to anyone but Ludovica,” he said through gritted teeth.
