Page 45 of Jeweler to the Blessed
He might have a point.
“Don’t call me that,” I replied. I chanced a glance around. We were in the middle of the gnarled wood, and no one was around for miles.
“Why not?” His lip curled. “You certainly inspire it.”
Eris was mentioned little inChampions of Kavios, but Alaric loved the words about her. Uninvited, they ran through my mind:She didn’t cause chaos; she inspired it.
I shook my head, unwilling to engage with such a dangerous comment. “What arrangement did you and Alaric have for the youngleaf?”
His gaze turned to the thick trees as if to confirm he only shared his secrets with them. “I’m sure you’ve realized it’s not an herb readily available in Kavios. I helped him get the youngleaf. And I don’t think I have to tell you that Alaric is one of the foremost experts on the Sibling Goddesses. He used his knowledge to help me search for something in return.”
“What do you search for?”
Maybe this was what Alaric went after. Maybe it was Hart’s fault that Alaric was missing.
When his gaze returned to mine, it hardened, and the thoughts left my mind as quickly as they’d entered. “Something, I learned, he had no intention of helping me find.”
That wasn’t an answer. But that rage from yesterday was back in his features—a barely leashed wrath fighting for control.
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.” Then his half-smile was back. “You still need the youngleaf, I take it?”
“Yes.”
It was a terrible bargaining strategy, but Hart already knew about my mother. He had to know I had no other options.
“But if you don’t tell me what he helped you search for, I can’t continue his bargain,” I said.
He laughed. It was mirthless. “I have a different need of you.”
Absolutely not, I thought. Even as my stomach fluttered in anticipation. He would never take from me.
“I see that intrigues you more than you’d like.”
He couldn’t possibly know that. The half-smile widening on his face said he was awfully sure of himself. No matter his appearance or what Jasmine and Serena swore by, I couldn’t let a Blessed touch me.
It was my one rule to hold on to.
The one secret I had left.
Alaric may be gone, but me and my parents were still in danger if anyone found out.
“Calm down, Chaos. I’m not going to … touch you.” He spoke with his usual confidence, but I didn’t miss the hint of hesitation as he said it.
“I need you to trust me.”
“What?” I couldn’t help my surprise. “That’s not exactly a demand you can make.”
He was grinning now. “You’re the one who needs something from me. Youngleaf is the main ingredient in a tonic for your Mother, is it not?”
What a bastard. “This isn’t a great first step to gaining my trust.”
Heat danced in his eyes again. It was tough to say whether it was anger or amusement.
“You need to trust that I won’t take your life. You can’t flinch every time I approach.”
I clenched my fist at my side. “That’s impossible. My physical reaction is out of your control.”
“Is it out of yours?”
