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don’t have much money, but I was wondering if you might

consider just lending it to me for a few hours so that I could

tell him that you gave it to me out of the goodness of your

heart. That you were moved by his dying request, and you

wanted to make things right. Make his heart whole again. Or

something. I would just show it to him and then I would give it

right back. I promise. I—”

“You’d lie to your dying father?” The question tore through

Coralyn like shrapnel.

Her hand rose to her throat and hovered there as any dreams

she might have had about fulfilling wishes crumbled to dust.

Giana advanced, crossing the room. She kept her arms

folded in front of her, looking down that straight nose of hers

right at Coralyn. There was no color on her face, no expression

at all, and there Coralyn was, squirming under that direct

glacial gaze, her cheeks scarlet. Something flashed in her eyes.

Something even colder and inhuman. Did she like this?

Hurting other people? Lording her power over them?

Humiliating them?

A cold sweat broke out over Coralyn’s brow. She could feel

the prickle of it along her hairline. Her palms were becoming

soaked to match.

“I don’t want to lie to him. I just want to put his mind at

ease. Give him peace. I’m going to be fine, but he was so

upset. I don’t want him to go that way.”

“But you would be lying.”

“Yes, I would be.” There. It was out there. She’d said it.

Yes, she’d be lying. Tricking her father. But wouldn’t it be

worth it? It wasn’t a bad trick. It was just giving him what he

so longed to hear. Wasn’t that the right thing to do?