afterward. “Elizabeth would’ve killed me after she found me there.”
“That’s not reassuring.” Mateo took Nadia’s hand. “I told you about Gage just to find out what was going on. That’s all. I don’t want you to do anything dangerous on my account.”
Nadia shook her head, her dangly earrings swinging. “All of this is dangerous. We have to do what we have to do. That’s all.”
“Wait, okay?” Mateo pleaded. “Let me watch Gage a while longer. Maybe it was a coincidence that it was one of my ancestors. Maybe she just needed bones.”
Nadia gave him a look. “Mateo. Come on.”
Mateo gripped Nadia’s hand tighter, and his eyes were wide. To Verlaine, he looked less concerned, more . . . desperate. “Maybe you shouldn’t have Elizabeth’s book.”
“It would be dangerous,” Faye agreed. “If her Book of Shadows is as aware as you say it is, it wouldn’t want to leave Elizabeth. God only knows what that thing could do on its own.”
“That’s not what Mateo meant.” By now Nadia was sitting upright, almost rigid. Her words were clipped. “You don’t think I can be trusted with it, do you?”
That idea hadn’t even occurred to Verlaine, but when she saw Mateo’s cheeks flush, she realized Nadia was onto something. Quietly he said, “It’s dark magic I don’t trust. Not you.”
Nadia’s expression remained stormy. Verlaine found herself imagining the kind of Sorceress Nadia might be if she really meant it . . . which was a terrifying thing to think about.
“You have to trust me,” Nadia finally said as she shrugged on her backpack to go. “And I have to trust myself.”
Verlaine nodded, even though she knew they didn’texactly have any other choice.
But if she wanted more information in the near future, she might have to ask someone else.
Asa knew he shouldn’t have responded to Verlaine’s text. If she was smart (and he thought she was), this might well be her setting the stage to finally kill him. If she was being foolish—if she simply wanted to see him—then his best move would have been not to answer, and definitely not to agree to meet her near the remains of Davis Bridge after school.
But apparently I’m foolish, too , he thought as he parked his car near the bridge.
Verlaine’s old maroon car was a few feet away, not too far for a mad dash through the rain. Asa felt lazy, though, and his umbrella was in the backseat, so—
He clapped his hands together, and instantly, time froze. The raindrops hung in the air, thousands of steel-gray, glittering spheres. Some of them were stopped midsplash, tiny sprays of water rising from puddles, logs, the hood of Verlaine’s car. Carefully Asa opened his car door and wove through the raindrops, making his way to Verlaine.
She sat in the driver’s seat, and for a moment Asa simply stood there amid the hanging raindrops and looked at her. Verlaine wore a red dress with white flowers, cheerful and bright, like the only spot of color in a world gone drab. Her silvery hair was pulled up into an adorably messy knot, with just a few tendrils escaping to frame her long face. His magic had caught her in the middle of applying pale pink lip gloss,so her mouth was slightly parted, her dark eyes focused on her reflection in the visor mirror. Asa would not touch her when she was like this—it would be a violation—but he couldn’t help staring.
Are you trying to make yourself lovelier for me? Or is the makeup just a shield you wear, like the elaborate clothes—one more way to keep the world from seeing how vulnerable you are? With a sigh, Asa opened the passenger side door, slid in, then clapped his hands again.
Verlaine jumped as—so far as she could see—Asa instantly appeared by her side in the car. “Holy cats!” She made a face; when she’d startled, she’d smeared pink lip gloss across her cheek. Asa resisted the urge to wipe it away with his thumb. As she scrubbed at her face with some Kleenex, she said, “Do
“That’s not reassuring.” Mateo took Nadia’s hand. “I told you about Gage just to find out what was going on. That’s all. I don’t want you to do anything dangerous on my account.”
Nadia shook her head, her dangly earrings swinging. “All of this is dangerous. We have to do what we have to do. That’s all.”
“Wait, okay?” Mateo pleaded. “Let me watch Gage a while longer. Maybe it was a coincidence that it was one of my ancestors. Maybe she just needed bones.”
Nadia gave him a look. “Mateo. Come on.”
Mateo gripped Nadia’s hand tighter, and his eyes were wide. To Verlaine, he looked less concerned, more . . . desperate. “Maybe you shouldn’t have Elizabeth’s book.”
“It would be dangerous,” Faye agreed. “If her Book of Shadows is as aware as you say it is, it wouldn’t want to leave Elizabeth. God only knows what that thing could do on its own.”
“That’s not what Mateo meant.” By now Nadia was sitting upright, almost rigid. Her words were clipped. “You don’t think I can be trusted with it, do you?”
That idea hadn’t even occurred to Verlaine, but when she saw Mateo’s cheeks flush, she realized Nadia was onto something. Quietly he said, “It’s dark magic I don’t trust. Not you.”
Nadia’s expression remained stormy. Verlaine found herself imagining the kind of Sorceress Nadia might be if she really meant it . . . which was a terrifying thing to think about.
“You have to trust me,” Nadia finally said as she shrugged on her backpack to go. “And I have to trust myself.”
Verlaine nodded, even though she knew they didn’texactly have any other choice.
But if she wanted more information in the near future, she might have to ask someone else.
Asa knew he shouldn’t have responded to Verlaine’s text. If she was smart (and he thought she was), this might well be her setting the stage to finally kill him. If she was being foolish—if she simply wanted to see him—then his best move would have been not to answer, and definitely not to agree to meet her near the remains of Davis Bridge after school.
But apparently I’m foolish, too , he thought as he parked his car near the bridge.
Verlaine’s old maroon car was a few feet away, not too far for a mad dash through the rain. Asa felt lazy, though, and his umbrella was in the backseat, so—
He clapped his hands together, and instantly, time froze. The raindrops hung in the air, thousands of steel-gray, glittering spheres. Some of them were stopped midsplash, tiny sprays of water rising from puddles, logs, the hood of Verlaine’s car. Carefully Asa opened his car door and wove through the raindrops, making his way to Verlaine.
She sat in the driver’s seat, and for a moment Asa simply stood there amid the hanging raindrops and looked at her. Verlaine wore a red dress with white flowers, cheerful and bright, like the only spot of color in a world gone drab. Her silvery hair was pulled up into an adorably messy knot, with just a few tendrils escaping to frame her long face. His magic had caught her in the middle of applying pale pink lip gloss,so her mouth was slightly parted, her dark eyes focused on her reflection in the visor mirror. Asa would not touch her when she was like this—it would be a violation—but he couldn’t help staring.
Are you trying to make yourself lovelier for me? Or is the makeup just a shield you wear, like the elaborate clothes—one more way to keep the world from seeing how vulnerable you are? With a sigh, Asa opened the passenger side door, slid in, then clapped his hands again.
Verlaine jumped as—so far as she could see—Asa instantly appeared by her side in the car. “Holy cats!” She made a face; when she’d startled, she’d smeared pink lip gloss across her cheek. Asa resisted the urge to wipe it away with his thumb. As she scrubbed at her face with some Kleenex, she said, “Do
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