Page 90 of The Unweaver

“She wanted to settle down. I didn’t.” Eyes distant, he lit a cigarette and was quiet for so long Cora didn’t think he’d elaborate. “A lad we’d grown up with gave her what I couldn’t. I never begrudged them their happiness. The last time I saw Colleen, she looked at me—really looked at me—and told me I was a monster for the things I’ve done.” He took a long drag. “She wasn’t wrong.”

Cora didn’t know what to make of this confession. Bane had gifted her his vulnerability, and between that and the thoughtful meal, she felt the sand foundation of their relationship shift once more.

Still, that didn’t change how he’d broken her tentative trust by outing her, or the pattern he was trying to slot her into. Didn’t change all the beautiful women she’d never live up to. Cora ripped the wings off the butterflies in her stomach, one by one.

“I— I’m not going to be another notch on your bedpost. You can drop the act.”

There was a ripple in the vastness of his black eyes. “Shall I line up everyone I’ve ever fucked for you to compare yourself to?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. They’d never all fit in the house.” She spun around, downing the wine he’d left on the piano. “You should stick to whiskey, Bane. Wine makes you maudlin.”

She caught his reflection in the polished ebony lid. His hand reached out, hesitated, and fell back. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?” he said softly.

“Your latest scheme?”

“I see a woman with enough power to bring the world to its knees, yet you let them hold you down with the tips of their fingers.”

“Thank you, Master Bane, for that stunning insight.” She glowered at him over her shoulder. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”

“I know I’ll regret this, but what?”

The torrent of words boiled out. “I see a cold-hearted son of a bitch who keeps everyone a step below and an arm’s length away from him. I see an arrogant bastard who only wants honesty when it’s not about himself. You’re convinced you’re always right because you’ve made everyone too afraid to tell you when you’re wrong.”

Rising to stand, she jabbed his chest. “When I look at you, I see a man who's been hiding behind a mask for so long he thinks it’s his true face. But I think it’s bullshit. There’s nothing cold or elegant about the real you. When I look at you, Malachy Bane, I see a lonely man.”

His gaze roamed over her from her leather boots to her flushed cheeks. “And fuck you too,” he said with a slow smile. “Now I’ll tell you something about yourself, Cora, though you won’t believe me. You are the most important woman in my life.”

Her heart faltered. Too late, she realized her hand was still on his chest, gripping his shirt. The warmth of his skin seeped through the thin layers of fabric separating them.

She dropped her hand and forced a detached countenance. “I’m going to tell you something you’ll never hear from me again, Bane. You’re right.”

He savored her words, eyes drifting shut and smile spreading. “Say it again. Slower.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe you.” His eyes snapped open and met hers. “How many other women have you fed that line to?”

Brow furrowing, his gaze grew contemplative. “I can be patient,” he said more to himself.

The sound of voices approached, and their heads whipped to the door. She risked a glance at Bane, but the wall had closed between them. His attention was on Anita and Ravi Shah as they entered with—

Her stomach plummeted. Wrapped in a sheet and hovering off the ground with Ravi’s Aeromancy was Teddy’s rot-tinged body. Cora watched the macabre levitation with sudden, absolute dread. Every bite of dinner was a sour regret in her gut.

Midnight was near. It was time.

Chapter 24. Wrongness

The new year began with a gruesome ritual.

With Aeromancy, Ravi lifted Teddy’s body into the center of Bane’s magical workroom. Potions and ingredients lined the walls and a bloodred pentagram marked the scuffed floor.

Peeling back the sheet revealed the gorged body of the only person Cora had ever loved. The only person who had ever loved her. In the flickering black flame candles, Teddy looked even more lifeless.

“Teddy bear,” she whispered on a broken sob. Tears sheened her eyes. Both of their lives hung from a fragile thread of hope. If this didn’t work—No.She couldn’t permit the thought. Even though her stomach knotted with doubts, she needed to do this.Please, she begged the void.Please don’t make me lose him again.

Cora, Bane, Lazlo, Ravi, and Anita crowned each pentagram point with a crystal, amplifying their magic into a thrumming current.

“To determine the curse to break, we must first lift the magical block,” the Master Sciomancer intoned. “This block is extremely strong. We will need to absorb the dark magic to see underneath. I will not lie to you. It will feel like torture. But no matter how unbearable the pain becomes, all our lives dependon keeping your eyes closed and your hands joined. Do you understand?”

Lazlo scanned them in turn until they nodded, full of misgivings. “Let us begin.”

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