Page 28 of Poison Sun

“This apartment isn’t going anywhere,” I decide. “And there’s not much of anything personal of hers here. I looked around when I moved in. But…” I reach for the photo again, pop it out of the frame, and put it in my bag. It feels like I’m physically tucking away a piece of my past to carry with me into the future. “This will be enough for now.”

I look up and catch Damien’s gaze on me, his expression soft and understanding.

Maybe it’s time to tell him about my weakening sun magic?

“A good choice,” he says, and his hand moves forward, as if he’s going to reach out and touch me.

But he stops himself, letting it fall back to his side.

My chest tightens from the loss of the touch I didn’t receive.

“You’re angry with me, aren’t you?” I blurt out, unable to avoid it for any longer. “For volunteering as bait for Lucas.”

His expression hardens, and he presses his lips together, as if he’s reining himself in.

His non-answer is enough.

He’s definitely angry with me.

“Not angry,” he finally says. “I think frustrated would be a better word.”

I can’t blame him for that one.

It’s also probably not the best time to tell him about what the potion’s doing to my magic. I can tell him another day. After our mission with Lucas is complete.

Otherwise, he might change his mind about supporting me in this. I don’t want to lose his support, especially because that might mean losing the support of the Guardians—a risk we can’t take. Our growing alliance with them might be the advantage we need in the war against the shadow souls.

Damien studies me for a long moment, his icy gaze hard and penetrating. “Our current plan with Lucas isn’t enough,” he finally says.

I blink, surprised by the shift in conversation. “What do you mean? I thought we had everything planned out.”

“Lucas isn’t going to trust you so easily.” He shakes his head, thinking. “We need to go a step further.”

A knot forms in my stomach, both from nerves and the anticipation of what Damien might suggest next. “What do you have in mind?”

He takes a deep breath, then continues, “As you know, I was allied with the fae queen, Lysandra, for a long time. She’s the one who grew and gave me the duskberry. But she gave me more than that.”

“Okay…” I trail off, waiting to learn more.

“If you’re willing to take a leap of faith, I have something else from the fae queen that I believe will help get Lucas to trust you,” he says.

Yes, I think, but I pause before saying it.

I don’t want him to think I’m being impulsive by answering too quickly.

“By this point, I’ve taken lots of leaps of faiths in you,” I say. “What’s one more? After you tell me what you’re asking of me, of course.”

He nods in approval, and warmth creeps through my chest at his acknowledgment of the fact that I’m learning how to better navigate this crazy supernatural world.

“You’re not going to like it,” he warns.

“And you’re not going to know if I like it unless you tell me what it is.”

“Fair point,” he says, and then he proceeds to describe something that, as he predicted, I most definitely do not like.

Amber

I approach Washington Square Park on my own.

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