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“By a woman.”

“Also established.”

“And I’ve been trapped in this house ever since.”

I wait.

He waits.

“That’s it?” I ask.

“What else would you like me to tell you?”

It’s like pulling teeth with this guy. Sheesh. “Oh, I don’t know. Did she give you instructions? A riddle? Some cryptic warning about true love or learning the error of your ways?”

Something flickers across his face. It’s gone before I can identify it. “No.”

I narrow my eyes. “That was suspiciously quick.”

“Was it?”

“Very.”

“Perhaps you’re imagining things.”

“Perhaps you’re avoiding the question.”

He folds his arms.

I mimic him.

He cocks one eyebrow.

I raise both of mine. Two can play this game, buddy.

Finally, he exhales.

“The woman who cursed me was not particularly interested in explaining the terms of my punishment.”

“Okay, but she must have said something.”

“She said I had a heart of stone.”

I blink. “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“And then she turned you into stone?”

“Essentially.”

“Well, that’s a little on the nose.”

His eyes narrow.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I mean, she wasn’t exactly subtle. Heart of stone, actual stone. Boom. Curse.”