“Rohan?” Savannah called. The path was lit, but the world farther out was dark.
There was no reply.
After a long moment, Savannah turned the full force of her attention back to Gigi. “You’re going to say no,” Savannah declared. “If an invitationis issued, if anyone asks you to disappear and test yourpotential—you’re going to say no.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Gigi’s voice came out smaller than she’d meant for it to.
You’d never survive.
Run away, little girl.
“I forgive you for keeping what happened to Dad from me.” Savannah’s voice cracked on those words. “I forgive you, Gigi. For Dad. But I willneverforgive you if you disappear the way Avery did. You have my word on that.”
Both of Gigi’s siblings lived by their word.I wouldn’t say yes anyway. I wouldn’t even want to.Gigi tried to convince herself of that.Why would I?
Without warning, Savannah’s left hand flew to her neck.
“Are you okay?” Gigi asked her sister.
The kitten leapt down as Savannah collapsed. Gigi lunged forward, kneeling next to Savannah, frantically trying to figure out what had happened.A dart. Not even the size of a needle.Gigi pulled it from Savannah’s neck, felt for her sister’s pulse.
Survive, Gigi thought suddenly, Nora’s warning coming back to her.You’d never—
“Tell me, Juliet Grayson.” A voice spoke from the darkness. “Does your twin sister speak for you?”
Calla.Gigi found Savannah’s pulse.Faint—but there.“What did you do to her?” Gigi demanded, refusing to allow her voice to quiver as she stood and put herself between her sister and the voice.
“Your sister will be fine. The question you should be more concerned with is whether or notyouwill be anything at all.”
Gigi thought about Rohan calling her Savannah’s biggest weakness, about Nora calling her a little girl, and her hand crept back toward Slate’s knife.
If you’re going to hesitate, she could hear him telling her,don’t.
Gigi locked her fingers around the handle. “You’ve come here to make me an offer.”An invitation, an ask.Gigi hesitated only a split second before forcing herself to continue. “My answer is no.”
“No, you will not take up the mantle? You will not allow yourself to become what you could be? You’ll stay instead in your sister’s shadow, forever amounting to nothing,doingnothing?”
For a moment, just one, Gigiwanted—but Savannah would never forgive her.
So Gigi unsheathed the knife. She saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye and whirled, but there was no one there.
“Ask me,” the voice said, seeming to come at Gigi from all directions, “what you really want to know.”
“Why me?” Gigi hadn’t meant that to sound so raw. She tried to course correct. “Why Avery?”
As metal is forged, Helena Thorp had said,so potential must be tested.
“I don’t want to talk about Avery Grambs.” The Woman in Red stepped onto the garden path. “But you—perhaps I think you could be great.”Red cloak. Red hood. Red gloves.Her eyes weren’t visible at all. “Haven’t you ever wanted more?”
Gigi refused to even think about that question.
“He’s different with you,” the Woman in Red said. “Youmatterto him.”
“Knox?” Gigi held Slate’s knife out in front of her. “That’s what this is about?” Calla had broken Knox’s heart. Where did she get off objecting to even the tiniest bit of mending?
“We have ways of taking care of messes, Juliet Grayson, but immunities can be bargained for—when one says yes.”
Gigi thought about Nora telling Brady that certain knowledge could be a death sentence for a man. And then she thought about Zella and her warning that pressure might be brought to bear, but that even if it was, Gigistillhad a choice. That, even if it seemed like there wasn’t any other option, there was.
