Page 49 of Find My Way Down to You

A tiny part of me wishes the bile would come up, so I could spew it all over his nice boots.

“Finished?” he asks, uninterested.

Gasping, I stand straight and drag the back of my hand across my mouth. “How do you get used to doing that?”

“I do not have a choice.”

I look up curiously, hoping for more. Predictably, Cary doesn’t give it. His expression is a shadow, hiding everything.

After one more swallow, I say, “Okay. I’m good.”

Cary pivots to walk away. Not without letting out a quiet snort. I scowl at his back before following.

We cross the sugar-white sand. The black sea’s hymns are sung in series of gentle notes. My eyes scour our surroundings for signs of those gray haunting bodies I saw last time. The ones longing to cross the bridge. But there’s no one else around.

Only us.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“To see Milos.”

My feet and words fumble at the same time. “Wait, uh…”

Cary gives me a long side glance. “Is there a problem?”

Yes, I want to say.

I stare off at the obsidian building in the distance. Something aches in my sternum like the wrong note played. A warning. I don’t believe London’s in there. I can’t explain it. I just know.

When my fingers begin to stir to the sea’s song, Cary’s eyes watch. I force myself to stop. My mind drifts to London.

Once, he whispered,You look strange when you do that in public.He said it with a smile. With his fingers rubbing along the bracelet he gave me until my hands stilled.

Now I tug gently on the yellow-and-blue threads. London’s somewhere in this vast world I’m still unfamiliar with. Cary’s the key to unlocking all its mysteries.

Pushing out a smile, I say, “Can we walk around first? I’d like to see more of Aides.”

Distrust sits in the corners of his narrowed eyes.

Fuck. I need to think fast. “Come on,” I say, sweetening my smile until it reaches my eyes. “Didn’t Henri say it’s rare for a mortal to find their way into the underworld?”

Cary answers me with a stiffer glare.

I refuse to let it dissuade me.

“Show me around. Just this once.” I move a little closer to him. “After today, I might not ever come back here.”

“You will not,” he says sternly.

My stomach lurches. Is there enough time to find London on this one trip? I press on, unwavering. “Fine. But if this is my last time, what’s it gonna hurt if you give me a small tour?”

Cary holds my gaze for a long moment, considering. I do my best to look more curious than desperate.

Finally, he says, “You are very persistent.”

I shrug. “It’s part of my—”

“Stubbornness,” he finishes.