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Next to me, I feel the air begin to vibrate with Des’s power. Darkness begins to creep in the corners of the room. I don’t need to look at him to know that he’s tense.

“Listen to what the Bargainer tells you,” I say to the man, putting power into my voice.

Reluctantly, his eyes leave me.

And now I feel like I need to wash my skin. Ugh, the guy is old enough to be my dad.

“What you want?” Des asks, crossing his arms.

“I want my daughter to get into the Royal Academy of Arts.”

A.k.a., the supernatural equivalent of Juilliard. It’s a performing arts school that caters to students withspecialabilities.

The Bargainer whistles. “Last I heard, almost all the slots for next year’s incoming class were full. I’d have to pull a lot strings …”

“You know I’m good for it,” the man says.

I hear the gentle lap of water as it brushes against the buoys and the walkways down here.

“And what will you give me?” the Bargainer asks.

The man clears his throat. “I have information on a series of ley line entrances that the House of Keys is considering destroying.”

The House of Keys is the supernatural world’s government. It didn’t matter if you were American or Argentinian or Australian, so long as you were a supernatural, you had to follow their laws first and foremost.

“Mmm,” the Bargainer says, “I need you to do better than that if you want the deal. I need you to prevent that legislation from getting passed in the first place.”

“There’s no way,” the man says. “It’s public sentiment. People are worried about their homes, their neighborhoods. There’s been a rise in the changeling population—”

“Best of luck with your daughter’s future.” The Bargainer places a hand on my back and begins to steer us out of there.

I guess shutting a bargain down is as simple as that.

Behind us, the man blubbers out some more excuses and explanations.

We’re almost to the stairway when we hear it.

“Wait—wait! Fine, I’ll do it.”

I cast a side glance at Des. A nefarious smile spreads across his face.

“Then we have a deal,” the Bargainer says, not bothering to look over his shoulder. “Make sure that legislation doesn’t pass. It would be a shame if your daughter didn’t get in toanyof the schools she applied for.”

And with that, the two of us leave.

Back out on the streets of Venice, I reappraise Des. “That was pretty cold,” I say as we begin to walk, my boots clicking against the cobblestones.

“That was business, cherub. If you want to come along with me, you better get used to it—and worse.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a bad dude.”

He nods to my bracelet. “One day you’ll have to pay all those back. Are you scared now?”

A little.

But when I look in Desmond’s eyes, I get the distinct impression that he doesn’t want me to be scared. That despite trying to frighten me, he doesn’t want to push me away.

I guess that makes two of us.