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Fabien watches me closely and then shrugs.
The path beneath our feet turns from grass to old gravel. Fabien gives me the rest of the tour. Some of it I know, like the tennis courts and the Olympic pool. Some of it I don't, like Liar's Grass and the Chewing Agrimony, a carnivorous plant that preys on the despondent.
We stop just short of a gated area. At first, I'm curious about the sculptures inside the gate, but as I look closer, I see the monuments for what they are.
Grave markers. It’s a cemetery.
The most prominent grave is marked by a statue of a woman. I recognize her right away. She's the sea woman in the statue near the drawing room, the one Lysander was with.
Now that I know who Lysander is, I know this woman must be Fabien's mother. Fabien looks at the gravestone, too. I don't have to ask. His eyes fill with such a deep sadness, I know she must’ve meant a lot to him.
“You really miss her,” I say. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Oh, geez. I just said I’m sorry.Olivia is going to kill me. Or spank me. Or both. But maybe it doesn’t count?
Fabien nods, thankfully not paying attention to my crisis.
“I always admired her strength. She was the one person who could keep my father in line. And she was the only person who wasn’t afraid to touch me when I was growing up, aside from Jarrad.”
I’ve read about his brother in the dossier, of course. But Mia wouldn’t know any of that stuff.
“Why wouldn’t anyone else touch you?”
“I see dreams inside people. My power can create any nightmares I want in someone’s mind. If they dream, I can destroy their dreams. When I was a baby, it was dangerous to touch me. It took…too long for my caretakers to realize what was happening and take the proper precautions.”
I don’t want to know what “proper precautions” even means. When it comes to a baby, it just sounds wrong. Babies need to be touched. Held. It’s a vital part of their development.
Without thinking, I reach out and take his hand.
Fabien looks taken aback for a moment and then he smiles. When he does, the tentacles over his eyes rise up like eyebrows. It makes him look more welcoming than before, when they were in a straight line.
“You’re not afraid?” He asks.
“I am a little. You were drenched in blood earlier. That’s scary. But you also seem nice enough, if that’s not too weird to say. If we’re getting married, I’ll have to trust you, won’t I?”
Fabien sighs.
“I suppose this must be a shock for you, too. I’m probably not what you wanted. As I understand it, most humans find my appearance terrifying.”
“You look amazing, actually.”
Somewhere, Mia is rolling over in her grave. But maybe this is the right way to do it…gain his trust and then —oh. Betray him? Send him to jail?
Yeah, that’s why I’m here.
Fabien laughs, his eyes twinkling in the night. If an eight foot tall, tentacled, monster guy could be embarrassed, I think I managed it.
“Let’s make a deal,” he says. “I won’t hurt you, and you won’t hurt me. We can start there.”
I can tell by the way he says it that Fabien doesn’t let many people in. He doesn’t get close. I don’t have to ask why. The only two people who ever touched him as a child are buried next to each other.
“Deal.”
As I say it, shame flares within me. I’m promising this guy something I can’t possibly deliver. When his ‘wife’ turns out to be undercover and he’s under arrest and heading to jail, he’sdefinitelygoing to feel hurt.
Probably furious. And why wouldn’t he be?
It's hard to reconcile this man with the one I met earlier. I expected this part of the job to be easier. I thought I’d hate them all, or be frightened of them or both. Certainly I wouldn't have any sympathy for criminals.
