Page 146 of House of Crimson Hearts
Xavier shakes his head. “They’re all wrong.”
“I know. But I just can’t work out what is right.”
He presses his lips together, staring into his tumbler as he swills it.
“Fuck. You already know?”
He nods. “I do.”
“But you’re going to tell me?”
He glances up at me, holding my gaze.
“Tave…”
“Why are you telling me? You could take it and win the round.”
He lowers his eyes. “First, I care more about Dahlia not winning, than I do about winning myself. What am I going to do with a whole city to look after? It sounds deeply tiresome. Therefore, I am willing to sacrifice this round in order to see her lose.”
“You could still take the object and win this round, that would still stop her winning. Why are you giving me the win?”
“Because I owe you a debt. You and Red saved me, it’s the least I can do. And unfortunately, while I know what the most beautiful thing is, I can’t get to it. I believe you’re the only one that can do that.”
My eyes narrow at him. He runs a hand through his long raven locks, the wave bouncing up and settling in exactly the same position and then he takes another gulp, finishing the whiskey.
“Just tell me already,” I say and pick up an ashtray from my desk and lob it at his head. He smiles and catches it. He twirls the crystal around his hand, examining the way the stone is cut as if it’s going to give him a different answer than the one he’s holding.
“I’ll tell you, but you can’t blame me…”
“Xavier,” I snap.
“Fine. But you’re really not going to like it.”
Chapter40
RED
Octavia is livid.
She storms out of her office and grabs my hand, spilling my drink, and drags me from the club.
“What are you doing? It’s fucking daylight,” I say.
“We’re going to the underground station. I need to get out of here. We’ll get a carriage straight to Mother’s castle. By the time we’re there, we’ll have a half a day or so before the end of the trial.”
“What about the object. We can’t leave without securing whatever we’re going to give the amulet.”
“We already have it,” she says and tugs me down towards the Whisper Club station.
“What the hell do you mean we already have it? We have nothing! Octavia, for blood’s sake?”
She pulls to a stop as she pulls open a carriage door and gestures for me to get in. “To Castle St Clair,” she says and then hustles me inside.
The driver whips his reins and the carriage jerks forward. She pulls the window blinds down to make sure no sunlight filters through and then sits back. I’ve never seen her so cross. Her hair is a mess. Her cheeks are flushed.
“What the fuck did Xavier tell you?”
“Nothing I wanted to hear. He’s bowing out of this round.”
