Page 205 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

Still she said nothing. Her silence was deafening, and he finally dropped his head with a sigh.

“What is Lorcan’s plan?” Graves asked. “He’s coming to the conference. So you spoke to him. What did he say?”

“Well,” she said gently, “it isn’t to mess up the heist.”

His eyes crawled over her as if he wanted to read her thoughts without touch. “Are you okay?”

It was then that she realized she was shaking. That she was terrified. Of what had happened and Graves’s reaction. Telling him right now was probably not the right time to do it, and yet there was no other time.

She was not okay. She had kissed Lorcan under the influence of some stupid soulmate magic. She had gotten herself out of it, and she had walked away. But she had still kissed him. A part of her hadwantedto kiss him. A part of her hadn’t wanted to leave at all.

“Lorcan kissed me.”

A soft laugh of disbelief escaped him. “Of course he did.”

“Graves, it was…” She shook her head. “I can’t explain it. Maybe you should just read me.”

“Forgive me. I don’t ever want to see that.”

He reached into his desk and pulled out a disassembled handgun, working over the parts with expert precision.

“What are you doing?” she asked slowly.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Putting together a gun.” She took a step toward him, hand raised. “I’m not sure tonight is the night to go after him. He’s at the height of power right now.”

“He’s expecting me,” he said as he inserted the magazine with a soft click.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” she said.

“And why is that?”

“Because I walked away,” Kierse said. “There was a—I don’t know—magic connection when it happened. Like the binding was trying to happen without the ceremony. I used your technique to regain control and broke it apart.”

“Youresisteda binding?” he asked in apparent shock.

“I guess so. He didn’t think that was even possible without the ceremony.”

“It shouldn’t be.”

“I guess it’s because I have Saoirse’s magic.”

Graves’s eyes widened. “Youwhat?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s what Lorcan said. That’s how he knew immediately after the spell. Our magic was already connected once, and it was like…reincarnated into me.”

“Oh,” he said as if that made perfect sense. “That explains a lot.”

“Anyway, I told him I was making the choice that Emilie couldn’t.”

Graves paled at those words. “What did he say to that?”

“That she couldn’t make a choice because…”

“Because she’s dead.”

“And you killed her,” Kierse whispered.

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