“What a precarious predicament we have landed in,” she mused. Her attention remained on her nails, sparing me even the most insignificant glance.
Moments ticked by while I waited in the tension-filled room for the fate of my job—and maybe my life. My pride wouldn’t allow me to bargain for my job, and even if I did manage to be successful, the cloud of doubt would linger. Trust had been splintered.
“William took the bracelet?” she asked.
“He sent someone to get it.” I showed her my wrist. Contractually, I was required to wear it at all times.
In a flash of movement, she was in front of me, giving me an evaluating look. Her presence so quickly in front of me made me realize how inefficient my weapons were when I didn’t have the element of surprise. Even the stake of necri was inconsequential, because in the time it would have taken to remove and brandish it, Corrine could have easily taken it from me.
“I value honesty.”
So everyone in this room is a liar? Okay.A pang went through me because I hadn’t informed her Diehle was dead and her grimoire wasn’t needed. She’d given it to me in lieu of payment, so technically I’d purchased it. But that deal was made when she trusted me and I had her affections. It was moot now. The book would return to her.
“I also value power. Unfortunately, you don’t possess either.” She slowly returned to her seat, gentling swiveling the chair, her dagger nails steepled in front of her. “Did the House of Knight give you a severance?”
I nodded and gave her the figure, which was two months of my salary. She nodded, took out the phone on her desk, and after a few taps, I received a notification. Money had been deposited, a third of what the House of Knight had given me.
“Thank you.” There wasn’t a severance condition in my contract, so I was grateful for whatever I was given.
She dismissed me with an apathetic wave. A parting shot. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. I felt discarded, not just terminated.
“Do you know what an ashinwa is?” I asked.
She shook her head. “But I will make it a priority to find out. I don’t trust that you’d be forthcoming with the information, so I’ll find it through means I do trust.” Her chilly accusation was a slap.
“I didn’t need your grimoire. I’ll return it to you,” I said.
“I’m assuming you don’t want to disclose the reason.”
“Diehle is dead.”
Her lips parted and then slowly moved into a smile. Her frosty disposition lifted and her head tilted, reassessing me as a worthy adversary. The money wasn’t the parting shot—this was. I might not have been viewed as an enemy to the House of Knight, but I wasn’t sure of my standing with the House of Hollows.
Navigating the eerily silent house, I met only one person, Darby, who signed for me to “stay safe.” Tears pricked at my eyes at the finality in her expression as she waved goodbye. By the time I’d made it to my car, I’d received notification of a second payment from Corrine. It matched that of the House of Knight. I didn’t know what to make of it. Was it compensation for the return of the grimoire? A reward for my honesty? An indication of a truce? Or to ensure the Houses of Knight and Hollows had equal footing in my eyes?
25
Reeling from the abrupt changes in my life, I’d left Corrine’s with plans to sulk over how my life had been dismantled in such a short time. For two days, I tried to gather the pieces of my shredded normalcy. Magnus hadn’t returned; strangely, his unpredictable presence was what I needed.
I also missed Cirrian, who possessed the uncanny ability to be a demon of chaos and someone with the ability to quiet it. He’d quelled the turmoil with a gift of the grimoire translations, which I discovered on the coffee table. I dressed and sent Corrine a message to let her know I planned to drop by with the grimoire. She read the message but didn’t respond.
Anna, who was sent to retrieve the grimoire, appeared to be enjoying the lifted restrictions that barely contained her before. Cold, cruel eyes homed in on me before she snatched the grimoire from me.
Her lips drew back to expose her fangs. “You no longer have Corrine’s protection.”
“Neither do you. So there’s nothing to stop me from taking out your fangs again if you try to use them against me.”
Her scowl wavered briefly before settling again.
“You’re not doing shit, so apparently the protection hasn’t been completely removed,” I added.
Taunting her wasn’t smart since we both knew that I managed to injure her only because she hadn’t been expecting my retaliation. I needed to determine where I stood with the House of Hollows, and it seemed Anna’s restraint wasn’t of her own accord. I still had a sliver of protection, although I had no clue how flimsy it was.
“She believes you’re useful. I hope you prove her right. Once she no longer perceives you that way…” Her smirk promised a rematch I was unlikely to survive.
“Oh fuck off,” I snapped, the tendril of patience and civility gone. Taking threats from every direction and challenges to my character had left me raw and frustrated. And I didn’t have it in me to deal with Anna.
Any criticism she was planning dissolved into sheer shock on her face. There was a pep in my step as I headed to my car. I’d settled into the uncertainty and turmoil of my life.
