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“The Maiden and I are having a slight misunderstanding, nothing to worry about.”
Rage powered through my entire body until I shook. “Get away from him, kid.”
“But he’s my friend. He keeps the bad guys away, just like you do.”
“No. No, he doesn’t.”
“If you think I had anything to do with her kidnapping, you are mistaken, Maiden. She is far, far too precious.” A forced laugh filled the room as the Maestro’s giant hand landed on the girl’s shoulder, and he turned his words to her. “Just a game, little one. Just a game.” But when his eyes cut to me, I could see the venom behind the glare. The warning. The promise of pain.
“I want to make a deal,” I blurted, caught between her safety and my rage.
Another laugh. “Of course, you do, pet. Everyone wants to make a deal. But what could you possibly offer me?”
A game, then. One of careful ledges and dangerous slopes.
“I wish to speak to Paesha alone before I tell you. Those are my terms.”
“Of course, my dear. Shall I cover my ears? I’m afraid my arms aren’t working. Quill, my darling, would you mind removing these blades?”
“No!” Paesha yelled, darting across the dimly lit office. “I’ll do it.”
She’d meant to save the child from the horror, and I was grateful for it, but equally sickened by the lengths Drexel would go.
The squelch of the blades’ removal twisted Quill’s face, though she wouldn’t look at me. I’d hurt her, even when I’d been trying to save her. But if being her villain kept her away from the claws of the Maestro, I’d take that role to my grave.
I shifted forward. “It has to be a true deal, or I walk.”
The sharp tang of magic filled the air as he spoke his next words. “I will allow you two minutes of privacy and no more. You may not leave my theater, nor speak to another soul. If you do, you’re mine forever, Deyanira Hark. Do you agree to those terms?”
“No,” I answered. “You must also agree that you cannot and will not ever ask Paesha about the conversation.”
“I agree that I will not ask or seek to discover what is to be said. Are those the final terms?”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m listening.”
“During our time, she must be allowed to speak to me without any of your agreements preventing her. It’s only fair that I walk into this deal as knowledgeable as you are. And if you fail to uphold your end of the bargain, you are bound to me, just as I am bound to you if I fail. An even trade.”
Clenching his teeth, he gripped the edge of the desk. “I agree to your terms. Do you agree with mine?”
Heart hammering in my chest, sucking in a sharp breath full of a lifetime of warnings and fear, I lifted my chin. “Yes.”
A searing pain leeched around my wrist, binding our magical deal. Paesha ran into the hall, snatching me on the way out.
“You are a godsdamn idiot,” she hissed.
My voice was hardly audible and full of panic. “There’s no time; we have two minutes. I’m going to do something far more ridiculous anyway. Confirm for me, Quill can affect emotions. That’s her power?”
“Yes.” Her brows rose, shocked at her ability to answer.
“And the Maestro cannot bind her to him yet, true?”
“True. Her age is limiting his power.”
“And if I make a deal with him, will Quill help me, or will she be too upset that I’ve attacked him?”
She lowered her chin, realization falling over her. “I’ll talk to her. She will help you.” With a pause, she rose to her full height. “And I will help you, Maiden.”
