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If the answer brings him any comfort, he doesn’t show it.
But then the weight of Reid’s ring on my finger registers, and the feelings that fill my chest at thoughts of him are entirely different. And I know in the deepest parts of myself, no amount of history with Cam or fondness for him could ever override that.
“I want you to be happy, Cam,” I murmur. “You deserve that.”
The small smile he offers says he heard the unspoken part just as clearly. “Do me a favor, princess?” He takes my hand and taps the new ring on my finger. My eyes snap to his—I hadn’t realized he’d noticed—but his expression stays the same. “Don’t let him off the hook for this fiancée thing too easily, okay? Make him work for it.”
I let out a small, watery laugh and step back, putting more distance between us before the tears can start again. “There’s another spell in the book. One that breaks blood deals.”
“But?”
I shake my head and cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t think I’d be strong enough to do both.”
“Maybe we only need the one. If Reid can gather enough support from the estates to move ahead, and if I can get close enough to him without the deal, we could make this work.”
“I might be able to control him long enough to transfer over power in front of his followers,” I murmur. “It would just be through necromancy instead of the spell.”
He frowns. “What’s the difference?”
“The spell would require more power upfront, but the change would be permanent. Once I had control of him, I wouldn’t be at risk of losing it. With necromancy, I’ll need to hold my concentration the entire time. It’s riskier, but we might just need a few minutes, right?”
“He’ll feel it when the deal breaks,” he says. “He’ll know we’re planning something. He’ll be ready for it.”
“So you should leave before I start the spell.”
He nods, glancing at the window behind me. “I’ll need to leave tonight to get there in time. He should be at his compound closest to Locklear. Are you sure you can get Auclair to agree to that spell? They’re willing to execute that guy for breaking basically the same law—”
“I wasn’t planning on telling him that part.”
Cam’s jaw works like he’s holding himself back from saying something.
I startle as the door opens behind me, then do a double take as my sister strides inside. Adrienne closes the door behind her, crosses her arms, and leans against it.
“What are you doing here?” I demand.
She lifts her eyebrows, looking from me to Cam. “If you’re sending him, I’m going too.”
Cam opens his mouth, but I snap, “What are you talking about? And how did you know where to find me?”
“I put a tracing spell on you weeks ago.”
“Youwhat?” A tracing spell? For it to be in continuous use, not just a one-time locator spell…Idon’t even know how to do that. I look at my sister,reallylook at her. Maybe I’ve been underestimating her even more than I realized.
She shrugs. “With your track record of going missing and getting kidnapped, can you really blame me? If you’re sending him to Westcott, then I’m going too.”
“Like hell you are.”
“I’m not asking for your permission, Valerie,” she says, somehow perfectly calm despite the absolute insanity currently coming out of her mouth. “For one thing, you need him to make it there alive and not get killed on sight. If I’m next to him, his chances are a lot better.”
“I—”
“Two,” she continues as if I hadn’t spoken. “It can’t be you who goes. You’re needed here. For more reason than one. I’m not. Three, if Calla and Mom are really there with him, then I need to go.”
I shake my head once, twice, knowing nothing I say will stop her if she’s truly made up her mind about this. I have no authority over her. I can’t force her not to. And she, annoyingly, makes a few good points.
I don’t trust any of them at this point—Mom, Calla, or Westcott—but I don’t think they’d let anything happen to Adrienne if she showed up.
Then again, I didn’t think they’d leave Mom in a dungeon to rot. A simple spell to look through Adrienne’s memories is all it would take to ruin this whole plan. I say as much aloud.
