Page 82 of Summoned
“I had the situation under control. At least I did, beforeyoushowed up.”
“The only thing under control was the precision with which you destroyed that cake, Baroness.”
Her spine straightens just a little. Then, as if she gives up on the argument, she exhales. “What can I say… Something about crowns. I just can’t resist.”
The smile that plays on her lips is faint, as though she doesn’t know whether she’s making an excuse or congratulating herself. Then she seems to remember who she’s talking to and frowns. “I hope you, of all people, aren’t judging me.”
I’d be lying if I said I’d never tried to knock a crown off someone’s head myself. And really, what’s more tempting to a joker than a sneaky, underhanded trick? A quiet laugh escapes my throat. “Feeling guilty, are we?”
“No. Those hyenas had it coming,” she says, this time with conviction.
“It would have disappointed me if you’d felt any regret.”
“You’re going to sit here and tell meyou’re never haunted by it?” She locks eyes with me.
What is she hoping to hear? That the Black Joker has a conscience?
For a split second, that damn invisible clock ticks in my ears again. The reminder that I’ll have to turn this bright, burning woman into a shadow weighs like a leaden boulder in my chest.
I swallow it down, just as I’ve swallowed everything else I can’t change, and reply with a casual shrug. “A bad reputation’s enough to cope with. I don’t need a badconscience on top of it.”
She laughs, loud and unfiltered. Satisfaction builds in me at the sound of those melodic, clear vibrations. I don’t remember making a harvest laugh in a long time. Never cared to, either.
“Still, will you share why you went for their crowns with such passion?”
She presses her lips together and shifts her focus back to the river, where the silhouette of a child surfaces from the waves, only to dissolve into a cascade of colored droplets. Just when I think she won’t answer, she says, “I found out the twins have been saying things. About me. And my father.” There’s a tightness in her voice now, at the mention of the man I once saw hurt her.
A sudden, sharp discomfort runs through me. “Your father… is he the man who was introducing you to his friends at the ball?”
“Yes. The Construction Baron.”
“Do you love him?” I ask, not quite sure why.
Her mouth opens, ready to fire off a response. Nothing emerges. There’s a brief pause, and then, “I understand him. Everything he does is for my own good.”
The image of their conversation in his office flashes through my mind. His fingers tangled in her hair, yanking her neck back. The annoying protective instinct rises again. “What is that good, exactly?”
She doesn’t answer right away. Her eyes drift, as if she’s lost in thought. After a moment, she lets out a brief laugh. “Do you actually care?”
I’ve always enjoyed delving into the inner struggles of my harvests. I do it with sharp accuracy—casting lines, uncovering secrets, exploiting hidden wounds. Impartially. Nourishing my magic. And, to some extent, for the fun of it.
This time, irritation bubbles up in my chest. “Do you enjoy being a trophy?”
Nicole clenches her fists in her lap. “Excuse me?”
“What else is a woman who’s paraded in front of a potential buyer like a prized possession? Hoping she’ll be sold for a higher price.”
Her spine stiffens as if each word wounds her. “I’m many things. But a trophy, no. Never. Though yes, I shine. I’m valuable. Not everyone can afford me.”
“And who can, Little Baroness?” I say the nickname with a hint of irony.
She’s ready with an answer, I can tell by the fire in her eyes. But something shifts at the last moment. Her gaze drifts down my body before returning to meet mine. “Someone with taste. With means. Someone who doesn’t need to steal my soul to have me.”
She tilts her chin up in that familiar defiant way, as if testing whether her words hit their mark.
They did. Just not in the way she thinks.
I try to smile. It doesn’t land. “Taste is a matter of perspective. Means are a matter of circumstance. And trust me, any man who wouldn’t burn through Hell to stealbothyour soul and your heart doesn’t deserve you.”
