“It wasn’t luck, and you know it,” Kirian deadpans. “You told Damon something important about my future. Something you knew I couldn’t resist learning more about. Now I’m here. You have answers I need.”
I lightly pinch his arm and whisper yell, “Don’t be rude.”
“Listen to the lady.” Shuffling over to the kitchen area, Astrid picks up an empty ceramic bowl and brings it to the table. “Shoo.” She waves Damon away.
With a huff, he joins us by the door.
Humming a random tune, Astrid begins stirring the bowl of nothing with a wooden spoon. “You can’t just come in here demanding things. You have to be willing to give something in return.”
“I can pay you.” Kirian puts his hand in his pocket.
“Your gold will do me no good here.” Her eyes shift to me. “And if you want answers, you’ll have to ask the right questions.”
“I’m prepared for that—”
“Not you,” she interrupts Kirian before pointing a crooked finger in my direction. “Her.”
“Me?” I ask. “Why me?”
“Because you’re the one with the right questions.” Her tone is downright condescending. Like, duh.
But there’s a knowledge about her. She understands why I’m here.
My heart drops.
This is it.
I’ll find out how to get Kirian’s sight back. I’ll find out who his mate is.
And I’ll never be the same. For as long as I live, I’ll mourn the loss of the man I almost had.
“You two have to go.” Astrid flicks a hand at the men next to me.
Kirian’s expression turns hard. “Absolutely not. I refuse to leave Quinn’s side.”
Astrid shrugs. “Then there’s no deal.”
Lacing my fingers with Kirian’s, I tug on his arm. “You have to let me do this.”
“I don’t have to do anything. Not when your safety’s at risk.”
“I’m safe here with Astrid.” I turn to her. “Right?”
“Eh.” She gives a non-committal nod.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Not helpful.
“Kirian, please. We came all this way.” I hate to be dishonest with him but appealing to his fear is the only way to get through to him. “I deserve to find out who’s after me.”
It’s not a complete lie. I might explore the whole who’s-trying-to-murder-me thing. After I get my answers for Kirian.
If he senses my deceit, he doesn’t show it. His face softens, and he presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be right outside the door. If you’re not out in fifteen minutes, I’m coming back.”
“Okay. See you soon.” I smile, trying my best to sound confident.
“I love you.” He turns to leave.
“I love you, too.” More than you’ll ever know. “Wait!”
Before he can get too far, I launch myself at him. If this is the last time I’ll ever kiss him, I’m going to make it a good one.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, I smash my lips to his. I breathe in his scent through my nose, and revel in the way his silky hair feels between my fingers. When his tongue brushes mine, I try to memorize his taste. My fingers scrape over his sharp jaw and the rough stubble on his face.
I want to tell him how much he means to me. That I don’t regret a second of our time together. That he’s literally my hero; his friendship saved me in so many ways.
But I can’t.
If I do, he’ll definitely know something’s up.
“You’re not doing a very good job of making me want to leave,” Kirian rumbles out, rubbing the tip of his nose against mine.
“Sorry.” I detach from him and slide down.
Smirking, he tucks some of my hair behind my ear. “What did I say about apologizing for kissing me?”
In answer, I turn my head and kiss his palm, holding his hand to my face for a couple more seconds.
“Go,” I tell him softly.
“Fifteen minutes,” he says again, and it sounds like a warning.
The doorway where we came in must be enchanted, because I see nothing but rock. As I watch the guys leave, my mouth pops open. They just walked through a solid wall.
“Payment will be needed upfront,” Astrid announces, still moving the spoon around in the bowl. I pace over to her, expecting to find something in it, but nope. It’s definitely empty.
“What do you want?” I ask warily.
“I’ll take your hair.”
I grasp my long strands, remembering the bubble gum incident. I was so traumatized by it, I haven’t had more than a few trims since then. But I’ll let her shave my head if that’s what it’ll take.
“I won’t take off much,” Astrid promises, mistaking my silence for hesitation. “Just six inches.”
Holding up the length, I estimate it would put the ends right above my nipple. I blow out a breath. “Okay.”
A bright smile lights up Astrid’s face, revealing a wide gap between her front teeth. “Wonderful. Let me go get my scissors. Then we’ll talk about what you want to know.”
I swallow hard.
Now’s my chance to bargain with a witch.
Quinn
After the last snip, I look down at my new hair. I thought Astrid might do a quick hack job, but she didn’t. Instructing me to stand very still, she took her time. She even created some framing layers around my face.
“Well, what do you think?” She holds up a mirror.
The handle is white, and it looks like it’s carved from bone. I try not to visibly cringe as I wrap my fingers around it. Turning my head, I peer at my reflection and flip my new style around. It’s bouncy and I decide I love it.
“You should’ve been a hairdresser,” I say, admiring Astrid’s work.
“A girl can be many things, if she wants.” Her footsteps scuffle across the floor as she gets a teacup from the kitchen. Lifting a kettle away from the fireplace, she comes back to the table. “You, for example. You could be a queen, if you choose. Please, sit.”
I sink to the chair Damon had
