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“And I’m pretty certain death doesn’t bargain.” I tried to sound like I knew what I was talking about, even though I’d tried to bargain with death a hundred times.
“Jude did.”
Jude’s eyes widened. “I didn’t.”
“The whole SED team was supposed to die,” Ivan said. “But they didn’t.” Ivan’s gaze fell to me, and my heart flipped over in horror.
I understood, in general terms, that a death curse had been placed on Cassidy and anyone present when Erlik finally cast his rotting shell aside. That Jude wrapping his soul around all of us had saved the team, saved me, saved Ivan by proxy, while stretching himself thin.
But hearing that Ivan had seen it happen? That he’d watched the team die?
That was a punch to the gut.
None of us spoke for a few seconds.
Gwen added another pastry to Jude’s plate. “I think that would mean not everything you see is guaranteed to happen. Right?” She prodded Ivan gently.
His focus turned to her. “I guess?”
“Carrying a thread of fate doesn’t always mean you can control it.” Gwen glanced at Jude as he devoured another sweet, using the energy to hold his brother. “Or that you should.”
Was she saying what I thought she was saying? That Ivan could not only see the future, but sometimes change it? Or had that warning been more for Jude and me?
“Your brother insists on learning that the hard way,” she added, flicking her hand toward Jude.
“Rude,” he grumbled. “I’m not trying to manipulate fate,” Jude denied.
But he had. He’d wrapped himself around all of us to save us. And we’d bargained with a being who policed the weave of reality itself.
Gwen rose and leaned across Jude to press a kiss to Ivan’s forehead, like he was a beloved child. “Fate has a multitude of paths. Let instinct guide your steps.”
“But how will I know?” Ivan asked.
“You can’t rush these things, love. The right teacher appears when the student is ready.” She patted his shoulder and left.
10
JUDE
Angel ordered a couple boxes filled with pastries and ushered us home. Thankfully, Wade had waited outside to pick us up and drive us to the apartment. It might have only been a few blocks, two miles at most, but Angel looked worn out. Was it from being back at work? I felt bad about demanding he go after Ivan, but he hadn’t complained.
The second we got home, he vanished into the shower while Ivan unpacked the food, revealing sandwiches mixed in with all the sweets. Good timing, because Nox appeared out of nowhere to swipe something that looked like a croissant filled with cream and berries. My familiar had priorities. I couldn’t fault him.
Peanut Butter rubbed at my ankles for food, which startled me. He meowed, staring at me, not through me. Holy fuck, my cat could see me. “I need whatever was in that pastry on tap,” I muttered.
“Agreed,” Ivan said.
I blinked, realizing he could still hear me. Whatever the magical pastry had done to boost my energy must have extended beyond the walls of the bakery. Wade hadn’t been able to see or hear me, but Ivan could.
I stared at my brother. “You can still hear me?”
“Yes,” he said.
Huh. How long would it last? I sucked in a deep breath.
“You should get Angel to eat. He barely touched anything at the bakery,” Ivan pointed out as he dug out a sandwich and plated it. He picked it up and motioned with it toward Angel’s bedroom. I didn’t yet think of it as my bedroom since my stuff sat in boxes, unpacked because I was mostly dead. “I’ll put this and a bottle of water on the nightstand.”
“You’re not going anywhere, right?” I had to know. Ivan running away did bad things to my ghostly heart.
