Page 11 of Gilded Wicked Mirrors
“I can’t kiss Emrys,” Quinn gasped out.
“And yet, it is the only deal I will make with you.” His grin sharpened like the edge of a broadsword. “Take the deal or receive seven years of bad luck.”
“Why would you ask this of me?” Quinn shivered. “What do you get out of it?”
“Torture.” A sneer twinkled in Nightshade’s eyes. “I know you hate him above all others for making you look like a fool to your medical superiors.”
How the fuck did he know that?Mirrors were horribly creepy. Quinn shivered.
“I want to torture you a little bit.” Nightshade smiled. “And I want a fun show for me—being trapped in this glorious cage can get rather boring.”
Could mirrors see beyond their portals? That was terrifying. Perhaps they were truly gods watching over the city, ever-present, always knowing.
That was a wretched thought. Gods or devils?
“I think you may enjoy your torture, my sweet, innocent Quinnevere Ashelle.”
Never.She’d never enjoy that. Kissing Emrys would be more than torture. It was embarrassment and devastation wrapped up in one little bow because the prince had never met a heart he didn’t break, and Quinn refused to be just another girl on his long list of conquests. Not that she’d ever let him close enough to break her heart.
Yes, what Nightshade was asking of her was pure torture. But that was the point. Some mirrors just liked to watch the world burn. Clearly, Nightshade was one of them.
“And if I fail your task?” Quinn stuttered, her voice quivering. “What happens then?”
“If you fail, you don’t reap the rewards of our deal.”
“And the consequences?”
“Kiss him passionately, and I won’t give you any—”
“Nope,” Jane interrupted, “this is where I step in. He can’t promise you that because it is not the Bargainers who determine mirror consequences.”
Clearly, his command of her silence earlier was merely a suggestion.
Nightshade rounded on Jane. “For the love of all the gods. Stop giving our secrets away. The Looking Glass should know better than that.”
Jane scoffed. “While he has told me that, it was your lover who told me it first. If you want your secrets kept, speak withLowe about them.”
As much as Quinn was fascinated by their interaction and its implications, there were more important things to focus on. “Who determines the consequences?”
“The magic,” Jane said. “Whatever force exists beyond us, that is greater than the mirrors. The cost is upfront. It is determined during the deal by the god.” She pointed with her thumb at Nightshade. “The consequences are unknown, and it is possible to get none or horrible ones.”
Oh, that was fascinating and petrifying all at once. “So how do I avoid having horrible consequences or visible ones like Harlowe Merriwether?”
Harlowe Merriwether was the most famous Mirror-Blessed person in all of New Swansea—infamous for being addicted to mirror bargains and having physical and life-altering consequences. It was rumored that she even disappeared for seven minutes every hour without warning.
At the mention of Harlowe’s name, Nightshade’s eyes darkened, but it was Jane who cut in. “A lot of her consequences were costs that she knew about before making her deal, and she trades for powerful magic. That always carries harsher consequences.” Jane touched the god’s arm as if calming him. “What Nightshade is offering won’t carry that kind of consequence.”
All of that was a lot to take in. The entire night was too much to take in.
“Will you stop helping her now?” Nightshade pulled out of Jane’s grip.
“She’s family to me,” Jane said. “You know better than anyone else. Wealwayshelp family.”
Warmth spread in Quinn’s chest.Family?Was that how Jane truly saw it? Both were orphans, and to Quinn’s knowledge, Jane didn’t have any family left alive, while Quinn had her uncle. Although, people often confused them as sisters because they both had red hair and light-colored eyes. Jane’s were a brilliant blue, and Quinn’s a hazel green. But they weren’t actually sisters.Yet when Quinn was younger, she had wished it. She’d wanted more than anything for the confusion to be true.
But people didn’t often get what they wanted in life.
“Fine.” Nightshade gritted his teeth. “Back to your deal. Do you have any questions before you accept it? So we can stop pretending? We all know you will accept the deal.”
