Page 7

“Wait.”

Lyxander halts, one hand resting on the door handle. There’s a loosening of his shoulders at my voice, so slight I might have missed it if I weren’t watching so closely.

“Where is it you need to go? And how long do you think it will take?”

He angles his body toward me. “Far north, and a month, assuming we don’t run into any trouble along the way.”

A month. Two if I count the journey back. But if Nyssa has managed to escape the Aviary like I hope, I could get a message to her somehow. We could arrange to meet somewhere in Arkhadia—we’d been prepared to flee there anyway, and it’s not as though either of us can remain in the Sorrows now.

The thoughts spiral through my mind. My vision starts to blur, darkening at the edges, until I release my pent-up breath on a sigh.

“You’re right,” I say. “I can’t control my theïkós. But I will, and if that means accepting your bargain, so be it.”

“Have you made a bargain before?”

“Once.”

There’s a glimmer of surprise on his face as he turns his body to face me fully. “You know how they work, then?”

I offer a scathing smile. “Remind me.”

“They all act differently depending on the terms. The most important part is that breaking a bargain could cost you your life.” Our gazes lock, and the air in the cabin tightens, charged with expectation. “But if one party fulfills their side, they can release the other before their end is complete.”

Lyxander steps closer, his fingers grazing my dagger at his belt. His hand lingers on it, and I sense the hesitation. Finally, he unsheathes it and holds the blade between us, the handle tilted toward me.

I wrap my fingers around the hilt, the ivory stone warming beneath my touch. But he doesn’t release it.

“Be sure this is what you want, Aella.”

I’ve never been more unsure in my life. Yet the way Lyxander holds my gaze, as if daring me to falter first, has heat prickling up my spine. I tighten my grip and tug the dagger free.

Without another word, Lyxander extends his left hand, palm up.

I lower the blade until its honed edge meets his skin. When Sphinx instigated our bargain, I’d never seen that kind of goiteía before, but the mark is seared into my memory as surely as it had been carved into my skin.

I carve the same one now.

Lyxander’s blood blooms crimson as the dagger pierces flesh, the metallic scent rising between us.

“I’ll do what I can to help you get home.” My words are steady as they weave through the still air. His shoulders stiffen as the vow takes shape and I continue to carve the mark. “In return, you’ll teach me everything you can about my theïkós.”

His lips press into a thin line, but a sharp glint in his eyes betrays his approval.

“A bargain is struck.”

As the final words escape my lips, a searing heat ignites across my palm. My eyes widen in horrified awe as a raw, stinging welt rises from my own skin. It twists and curls like living fire laced into flesh, like something ancient laying claim. But then the pain fades, leaving behind only a raised red mark.

A soft click pulls my attention back to the now empty room, and my gaze snags on the thigh holster hanging from the door handle. Silence settles around me, and I glance back down at the mark, then at the dagger in my hand, its warmth bolstering the resolve building in my chest.

The choice is made. I can only hope it’s not one I’ll come to regret.

Chapter 4

Nyssa

“I’ve done some questionable things in my life, but I’m not wearing that.”

I wrinkle my nose at the dull fabric of the dress, its drab hue reminiscent of an overcast sky.