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I sighed with relief.
His eyebrows rose. “You were worried I wouldn’t agree?”
“Let’s just say I know someone else who wouldn’t.”
“Okay,” he said softly. “What else?”
I leaned my elbow on the window. “That’s all I have.”
He kept his eyes on the road, but I saw the cords in his neck tighten. “I have a few.”
Surprised, I dropped my arm and sat up straighter. “Okay.”
“This will only work if we’re completely honest with each other.” He turned to me for a second, his eyes burning bright. “In all things.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you can’t hide anything from me to protect me, even if it’s just my feelings.”
“You think I’m going to hurt you?”
“Not intentionally, Ellie, but we’re both coming into this with past experiences, and it’s easy to see that you’re still hurting over that wanker.”
Collin.
His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “He’s the other Curse Keeper. We’re bound to cross paths. If he wants to let the release of the spirits run its course as you say, he’s not going to appreciate my involvement.”
I turned my face to the window. “Well, the two of us are history.”
“It may be over between you two, but he’s still going to be around. He’s still marking your door and threatened to kidnap you to protect you, for Christ’s sake. It’s safe to assume that his involvement is far from history.”
My anger ignited. “Do you want him to stop?”
“God, no! Not with your mark almost faded. You need the protections on your door to be as strong as possible.”
I rubbed my forehead, suddenly exhausted. I didn’t want to talk about Collin, let alone think about him. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
“I’m telling you that if a situation arises where you’re faced with telling me the truth or sparing my feelings, I need you to tell me the truth.”
What did David foresee that I didn’t? We weren’t emotionally involved. I couldn’t imagine a situation where my actions would hurt him unless he really did have an interest in me other than our agreement. But I was lying to Myra and Claire to protect them, so perhaps he had a point. “Okay. I promise.”
His shoulders relaxed.
“What else?”
“You need to agree to listen to me if I make a suggestion or request about something other than the curse.”
“Why?” I asked. “What are you planning on telling me?”
“Nothing. Yet. I just want to know that you’ll consider my advice if I feel the need to give it.”
I couldn’t see any harm in that. I wasn’t promising to obey him, just to listen. “Okay. Anything else?”
“No.” He pulled up next to the inn and parked at the curb. The car idled as he took my hand in his. “But I want to thank you.”
My stomach fluttered. “You’rethankingme? Why?”
A sad smile covered his face, and he looked out the windshield toward the side door, its protective markings visible from where we sat. “I’ve been at a crossroads this past year. I haven’t been happy with how things were going in my life…It felt like my life was on hold, and I was waiting forsomethingto occur.” He looked at me, his smile fading. “Now you think I’m barmy.”
