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“Walter doesn’t allow me to go underfed,” he said, then paused. “I suppose that goes for you as well, doesn’t it?”
“Mhm.” I grinned around my mouthful. The longer I knew him, the more I believed Walter was the true force behind the Lunar Lord’s power. “I never even say anything. He just…knows.”
Fenris gave a sage nod. “I have had many, many assistants over the years, but Walter is truly one of the best.”
“Are you sure he’s not a warlock?” I sked, mostly joking. Mostly. “Sometimes, he’s so on point, I swear he uses psychic spells.”
Fenris chuckled and shook his head. “I am sure. I think he’s simply that good with people.”
“He’s a treasure,” I said, tipping my head to one side. “That man deserves a vacation after the eclipse. Val, too. You should send them somewhere to elope…if you can pry Walter away from this island.”
I got a full laugh out of Fenris then, and it felt so warm and deep that I felt it in my soul. I could have sung from the sheer joy of it. “I will do my best to survive without him,” he said, his amber eyes twinkling. “That reminds me, though…”
As I finished off the plate, he got up to grab something. When he returned, I saw he had a bottle of red wine and two glassesas he set them down. “I asked Walter to bring this up for us. I’d originally purchased this for our night in New York City, but that doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy it now.”
“Oh,” I said, watching as he cracked open the bottle. “Thank you, but I don’t want to drink too much. I need a clear mind. I haven’t seen Esme yet today. I don’t think alcohol and psychic magic go together.”
Fenris laughed as he poured two glasses, offering one to me. “I imagine they don’t,” he said, leaning back in his chair. He swirled the wine in the glass for a moment and took a sip before he looked at me. I’d grown used to the intensity in his eyes, but the way he was watching me just then left me uneasy.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Mhm,” he said, taking another sip before setting the glass down on the table. “I have a question for you.”
I took a sip of the wine myself. Of course it was the nicest wine I’d ever tasted, and part of me wished I could just say “forget it” and spend the rest of the evening with Fenris. But I didn’t have enough time to put any of this off, not if Esme could explain the death mark tonight. “What’s your question?” I asked.
“Are you taking care of Esme out of concern, or are you taking care of her because you want to avoid the Solar Sovereign’s curse?”
I must have made a face, because he added, “Answer in whatever way you’re able to.”
I sighed and took a moment to think. The answer was, well, complicated. I was still upset with Esme, and my picture of her had changed, but I still viewed her as my aunt. I had questions for her about Enora and the Aurora witches. But most crucially, she had a death mark. She was the closest I had to an actual expert on the topic.
“It’s both,” I said, glancing down at the deep red wine. “I don’t like watching people suffer, even if they’ve wronged me.” Ibit my lip and looked back up at him. “I’m struggling to come up with a solution…but I’m not going to let the Solar Sovereign use me. I refuse.” I exhaled, feeling stronger in that moment. I knew theremustbe some way to survive or remove the death mark, and if Esme had lived this long already, I was confident she’d have at least some answers.
Feeling suddenly renewed, I quickly polished off my wine and gave Fenris a small smile. “Thank you for the meal. And the wine,” I said, standing up. I paused and leaned over to kiss his forehead. “I’m going to go talk to her.”
Esme was awake when I entered her room, but her gaze was a bit vacant. She’d shown improvement, but she hadn’t had the same miraculous recovery as Lyka. Some days, she reminded me of the aunt who’d brought me trinkets from Mexico City, and other days, she was a shell of a woman I barely recognized.
I sat down next to her and squeezed her hand. “How’re you feeling?” I asked gently, not wanting to startle her.
She blinked a few times before she looked at me. “Oh. Hello, Celeste,” she said.
Okay, well…that’s a good start. At least she isn’t confusing me with Enora today.
I smiled and gave her hand another little squeeze. “Hi, Esme. Are you okay?”
She slowly nodded. “Yes,” she said, looking me up and down. “Tired, that’s all.”
Her speech still seemed slow, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. “I wanted to ask you a question,” I said, pulling my chair closer. I knew I had to choose my words carefully. “I was wondering, do you know of any way to get rid of the mark we both have?”
Esme blinked a few times. “The mark?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “We both have it.”
“This one?” she said as she pointed to the sunburst birthmark on her upper arm. She pressed her lips together. “Yours doesn’t look like that.”
“It doesn’t,” I said gently, tucking my hair behind the ear where the Handmaiden crescent moon peeked out. “I was talking about a different one, actually.” I leaned back and tugged down the neckline of my V-neck tee, revealing the outer border of my death mark. It still looked fresh and angry, but the mark was the same as the one I’d seen seared into my aunt’s skin. “This one. Do you know if there’s any cure for this?”
She looked at my skin so long, I was starting to wonder if she’d fallen asleep with her eyes open. Then she shook her head and looked away. I waited longer, but Esme didn’t say anything at all.
