Page 8 of White Little Lies (Four Ways to Fate #3)

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I stiffened momentarily, then my body melted as Sebastian’s tongue delved into my mouth. He still had one hand gripping mine around the jar, while his other hand kneaded my lower back. I made a small sound in the back of my throat and he gripped me tighter, pressing my hips against him hard enough to lift my heels off the floor.

Magic course through me like electrical currents in my chest, answering his call. It was different with him than with Mistral or Gabriel, my magic like a dark yawning cavern inside me, opening up to swallow us both whole.

My lashes fluttered against my cheeks as he drank me down, reacting to sudden pulsing lights at the edge of my awareness. Sebastian’s hand slipped underneath the edge of my shirt, stroking up my bare back.

The touch made heat pool between my thighs, but at the same time reactivated my only remaining brain cell, reminding me where we were and just who I was kissing. I pulled back, breaking the kiss, but his grip on my bare back kept me against him.

I tried to us my hand that wasn’t wrapped around the jar to shield my eyes from the red and purple aurora emanating from my body, then realized it was coming from my fingers too. I had never seen a true aurora in person, only in pictures, but I knew that’s what I was seeing now. And it was coming from me .

Sebastian lifted our hands still joined around the jar to show me that the liquid had turned from milky white to a deep, glowing magenta.

Isadora let out a low whistle. “Magic and a show. My, aren’t I a lucky girl?”

I looked up at Sebastian, still holding me against him. There was heat in his eyes, but something else. Something I was uncomfortable seeing in anyone’s eyes but a lover.

Isadora cautiously approached, taking the jar from our hands before screwing a metal lid onto it. She took it back to her shelves, plucking a different bottle from a row of others identical to it.

Sebastian finally released me, and when I looked up at him, whatever I had seen before in his expression was gone. The light around me dimmed, then slowly faded.

Isadora returned to us, handing me a bottle filled with glittering lavender liquid. “This should fix your nymph. And please, come see me any time.”

“That’s it?” I asked, feeling a little shaken.

She shrugged. “I get plenty of cash from the humans I sell to. What you have is far more valuable than cash.”

Sebastian placed a hand at the small of my back, just the light touch making me want to throw myself into his arms again. “It’s late. We should go.”

Isadora’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, but she didn’t ask any further questions. Instead she adopted a fake drawl and said, “Y’all come back now, ya hear?” With a little wave, she turned back to her workstation, admiring the jar of my magic.

Sebastian guided me back outside.

The noise of the streets had quieted considerably at the late hour. “Should I be concerned about her having some of my magic?”

“What she does with it is not our problem.” He started walking without a single glance back at Isadora’s shop.

He didn’t seem to want to talk, and maybe it was for the best. Because what the hell was that kiss? It wasn’t the first one, of course, but things had definitely escalated, and I didn’t understand it. Just as I didn’t understand how Mistral could call stars from my fingertips, while Gabriel called forth a warm glow. And now Sebastian could bring about a friggin aurora. It was like my magic was choosing them for different reasons, but I didn’t have any say in it.

The goblins I didn’t mind. But Sebastian ?

I watched his broad shoulders as he led the way down the street, itching to know more. Itching to know if he knew more. He knew he could call my magic, but did he realize exactly what would happen back there?

My bag shifted against me as Ringo tossed aside the flap to look up at me. He had his arms wrapped around the antidote I had slid in there after Isadora gave it to me. “The bottle feels warm,” he whispered. “Warmer than it should. Are you sure it’s safe to give to her?”

I frowned. I had been so intent on gaining the antidote, I hadn’t stopped to question if it might do more harm than good. “We don’t really have any other options, unless we call her sister. Which would be bad. She would come here, and if anyone knew they interacted, Aaliyah would be cast out, just like Seraphina.”

“But what about whoever poisoned her?” he whispered, his words barely audible as a car whizzed by on the dark, damp street.

“Hopefully we can find out more about it when she wakes.” I picked up my pace to catch up with Sebastian, anxious to get back.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected with taking a devil on my delivery, but this certainly had not been the night I had bargained for.

Gladiola rushed over as we reached the top of the stairs. “It’s about time! Her breathing has become labored. Did you get the antidote?” Her wide eyes darted back and forth between us.

I glared at Sebastian. “I thought you said we had time!”

He shrugged, his eyes on the sofa at the other end of the room. “She is not dead, so we had time.”

Shaking my head, I hurried over to Aaliyah, kneeling beside the sofa. Ringo handed me the antidote from within my bag and I unscrewed the lid.

Gladiola peered dubiously at the glittering liquid. “That looks more like a party trick than an antidote. Are you sure you got the right thing?”

“Just help me tilt her head back,” I huffed.

She did as I asked, gently moving Aaliyah’s hair out of the way so she could tilt her head, making her mouth fall open.

I dribbled some of the liquid into the nymph’s mouth, but it started to pool at the back of her throat. “Ringo—”

But he was already hopping onto Aaliyah’s chest. He worked his little blue paws at her throat, and she convulsed, swallowing the liquid.

Gladiola had moved to the head of the couch to more easily maintain Aaliyah’s position. “Wow, I’ve only seen people do that with animals.”

“Hey, whatever works,” I muttered.

I poured more liquid in, and Ringo got her to swallow again. It was a painstakingly long process, but eventually we got her to drink the entire small bottle, which I hoped was right. I had forgotten to ask Isadora about dosage.

I set the empty bottle aside, and we all waited, watching her. Well, all of us except Sebastian. He had disappeared somewhere else in the apartment.

“Well,” Gladiola said after a while. “At least she’s breathing more easily now. I guess we won’t really know if it worked until she wakes up. If she wakes up.”

“Yeah.” I crossed my legs to sit more comfortably, glancing around for Sebastian. “I guess we’re in for a long night.”

“Mistral will want to know what happened.”

Guilt clawed at the back of my throat. I was such a jerk for avoiding him just because I was embarrassed. “You should go tell him what happened. Tell him I won’t be able to make it tonight, but I’ll come tomorrow, after I’m finished at Emerald Heights.” I caught sight of Sebastian out the corner of my eye as I said it. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and I wasn’t sure how long he had been there.

Gladiola gave him a wary glance. “You’re going to stay here with him ?” she whispered.

The thought made me uncomfortable, but if something went wrong with Aaliyah, he would probably just let her die. And he was right earlier, someone had tried to kill the nymph. I couldn’t bring that kind of trouble on Braxton again.

“I’ll be fine,” I said finally.

She gave me a knowing look. “That’s not exactly what I’m worried about.”

Yeah, her and me both.

I stirred another spoonful of rice into my to go container of butter chicken. That was the beauty of living in the city, you could get takeout at any time of the night. I sat cross-legged in front of the sofa, keeping an eye on Aaliyah.

Ringo huddled beside me on the floor, snout deep in a styrofoam container of curried potatoes. There was a lamp on beside the sofa, but the rest of the apartment was dark, save the distant lights from the city far below.

“You’re going to be useless tomorrow in Emerald Heights if you stay up all night.”

I glanced back at Sebastian. “I’m not going to sleep.’”

It had been an ongoing argument over the past hour. I wanted to make sure Aaliyah would be okay, and I didn’t trust Sebastian to watch her.

“She is resting peacefully now. Clearly Isadora’s concoction worked.”

Had he had doubts? I was once again tempted to ask about how he met Isadora, but the irritation pinching his features let me know he wouldn’t be telling the truth regardless. And he would never swear a bargain of truth like Mistral. He had far too much to hide .

I took another bite of my food, fighting a yawn. Tomorrow would indeed be rough.

With zero warning, Sebastian was suddenly beside me, yanking me up by one arm while grabbing my messenger bag with his free hand.

“Hey!” I kept a death grip on my food as he dragged me into an adjoining bedroom.

Soft lighting blossomed of its own accord, and I couldn’t quite tell where it was coming from. The room was simple, but expensive . And were those silk sheets?

Ringo scurried in after us, stopping near my ankles.

Sebastian finally released my arm. “If there are any issues with the nymph, I will wake you.”

Clutching my food, I turned toward him. “Do you swear it?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll even add it to the contract.”

“In exchange for what?”

“In exchange for you not being absolutely useless tomorrow. We don’t have all the time in the world, Eva. We’re not the only ones trying to find your mother. Someone else will manage it.”

I squirmed where I stood. He was right. I was taking too long to learn. If someone else found my mom first—

“Do we have a deal?”

I pouted. “Fine. I’ll sleep.” Gripping my food in one hand, I lifted a finger toward his face. “But you better wake me if there are any issues.”

He looped my messenger bag over my extended arm, stepped back, then shut the door, leaving me and Ringo alone in his bedroom.

I took another bite of my food as I approached the bed. Ringo hopped up, fluffing his fur before diving onto one of the silk pillows. The pillow nearly swallowed him up, leaving just his tufted ears visible.

I smirked. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Devils don’t eat goblins.” His head appeared as he let out a big yawn, then he buried his face in the silk.

Shaking my head, I set my food down on a side table that probably cost more than my rent, then walked into the adjoining bathroom. The bathtub was definitely not one you would find in a standard apartment. I could practically swim in it. More soft light bloomed around me, showing me my face in the gilded mirror. Luckily I had started carrying toiletries in my messenger bag since I was too often ending up not at home.

I brushed my teeth and washed my face, thinking about tomorrow, and thinking about going to the Bogs.

And also thinking about that gods damned kiss back at Isadora’s shop.