Another long moment passed, then Sebastian said, very quietly, “The man who had me put under blood magic, the telepath who went by Baron Zeppler. He hated being unable to read my thoughts, so he tried to burn the tattoo off.”
Lord Fine’s fingers tightened on Sebastian’s wrist.
Sebastian had to look away. “I suppose that’s not exactly the truth,” he said haltingly, watching the couple now walking briskly across the cathedral’s small park. “Zeppler promised my family he would help us find the siphon, help us put the relics away before anyone got hurt—a lie, as it turned out. It didn’t happen right away, but when he was certain my family had bought his charade, that no one knew of his deception, he dropped the pretense that I was a partner.”
Sebastian swallowed. “So the real truth is thatItried to burn it off, because the first thing the Puppeteer did when he had my blood was make me pick up the brand myself.”
Lord Fine was still gripping Sebastian’s forearm too tightly, skin reddening under his fingers, but it was welcome, a point of strength keeping him from dipping too deep into the memories. But he was still never getting past this. He could play at helping solve murders, he could play at protecting a viscount, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t whole anymore.
“As I said, I was a villain,” Sebastian said, still quiet. “And now I still have blood terrors, and a past that has hurt everyone I’ve met, and I don’t know what I am anymore, except that I’m broken beyond repair.”
Lord Fine’s gaze was fixed on the scars. “How do you sayI don’t believe thatin Spanish?”
“Lord Fine—”
“No, Sebastian. You don’t owe me penance for anything that happened under blood magic, and you don’t get to say lovely things to me over chips and then expect me to tolerate this slander.” Lord Fine wrapped his hand fully around Sebastian’s wrist, over the tattoo. “This is not your fault. You suffered a terrible torture, and you need to give yourself time.”
Sebastian bit his lip. “But I should be past this already. I literally have the magic to weaken other paranormals’ magic. I should be able to break this magic’s hold on me.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if our minds always behaved exactly how we wanted them to?” Lord Fine said dryly.
Sebastian huffed. He rolled his eyes, but that had put a small, grudging smile on his lips.
“Now, to be clear, my mind does, in fact, behave exactly as I wish,” said Lord Fine. “But that’s one of the benefits of being a remorseless and unchanging prick.” His thumb skimmed Sebastian’s inner wrist, light as butterfly wings. “Miss Robbins said the men who did this to you have been dealt with, is that right?”
Sebastian nodded.
“Probably too good a fate, whatever it was.” Lord Fine’s voice gruff. “You lot should have let me have a go at them.”
His warm hand was still wrapped around Sebastian’s wrist. “I can’t even face my own memories,” Sebastian blurted. “How does my past not send you running?”
“Because nothing about you could scare me.” Lord Fine released Sebastian’s arm with what almost seemed like reluctance, if that wouldn’t have been odd. “Come on, let’s get back to the car before I decide you’re too broody to drive.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“I’ll make it a thing.”
When they’d made it back to the manor, Sebastian set about building a new fire in the fireplace, next to the snarling head of the tiger rug that had belonged to Lord Fine’s father. As a child, Sebastian had wished he could have a lion or a tiger as a pet. What kind of man wouldshootone?
But then, based on Lord Fine’s words in the garden that morning, his father sounded like he’d been a hard man. Lord Fine seemed to think he was the same.
Sebastian lit a match and held it to the tinder.Hedidn’t think that about Lord Fine. Sebastian wouldn’t have called him soft—he wasn’t suicidal—but he wasn’t going to listen to anyone claiming Lord Fine was cold or callous, not even Lord Fine himself. Sebastianlikedhim, and not just because he was handsome. His gruff, straightforward manner was refreshing, and he had the courage to stare down both their pasts while Sebastian still flinched from his own memories. He hadn’t expected Lord Fine to be so comforting to be around.
His gaze stole to the tattoo on his wrist, where he could have sworn he still felt the ghost of Lord Fine’s touch.
Lord Fine could see the lion.
Sebastian hadn’t expected that either.
He straightened up from the floor just in time to see Lord Fine setting a bottle and two glasses on the table between the burgundy high-backed chairs.
“Are we having company?” Sebastian asked curiously.
“Don’t be silly.” Lord Fine tapped the bottle. “My father had an excellent collection of whiskey.” He gestured at the glasses. “You’re my guest, after a fashion. Join me.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows went up. “You did hear me at the pub, when I told you I lose control of my magic if I drink, yes?”
“Absolutely,” Lord Fine said. “Your magic doesn’t hurt. Believe me, I’m well aware of that by now. If you want to abstain for yourself, I respect that and I won’t push. But don’t abstain for me, because I assure you, I’m not worried.”
