Cold Burn of Magic
Page 86
“Really? Why is that?”
Claudia looked at me. “Because I want you to stay with the Family, Lila. I want you to truly become a Sinclair. And most of all, I want you to help me destroy Victor Draconi.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I laughed. “Me? Join a Family for real? Your Family? And take out Victor Draconi? I can’t decide which idea is more ridiculous.”
Her lips pinched together again, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “I assure you I am perfectly serious.”
“Why?” I sniped. “So I can die for you like my mom did?”
It was a low, nasty blow, and Claudia winced before she could stop herself. But she recovered quickly.
“You claim to be a thief,” she said. “Yet you’ve managed to get out of one sticky situation after another over the past several days, with no thought for yourself or your own safety. Not to mention the fact that you’ve saved my son’s life time and time again. That is the kind of bravery and selflessness that I want in a member of the Sinclair Family.”
“I am a thief,” I snapped. “A very smart one. So why would I want to put my life on the line every single day for a bunch of people I don’t even know? Who don’t matter to me?”
“But you do know us, and we do matter to you,” Claudia said, her eyes glittering. “You know Felix and Oscar and Angelo and Reginald and the guards. And you know Devon.”
I snorted. “Something you obviously don’t approve of.”
She shrugged. “Maybe not initially. I supposed that I wanted to see how much like your mother you were.”
My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged again. “I wanted to see if you were loyal. If you would hold up your end of our deal. If you would put other people first, like she did.”
“I am a thief,” I repeated. “Not some bodyguard, not your soldier, and especially not some assassin. Find someone else, anyone else but me.”
Claudia got to her feet and started pacing. “There is no one else. No one else who can help me do what needs to be done, and especially no one else I can fully trust.”
I laughed again, the sound teetering on a sneer. “Me? You’re going to trust me? I swiped silverware from your tea set the very first day I met you. And you think I’m trustworthy? Lady, you are off your rocker.”
“The Draconis have spies everywhere, including in our own Family. And after what happened with Grant . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Ah. So I’m the lesser of two evils then.”
“More like many evils.”
My eyes narrowed. “And what makes you think I wouldn’t sell you out to some other Family?”
“Because if Serena told you anything at all, then she told you how dangerous the Draconis are, especially Victor.”
I thought of the absolute cold, utter emptiness I had seen in Victor’s heart during the Families’ dinner. The cruelty that radiated off Blake like heat off the sun. And Deah . . . well, I didn’t know much about Deah, but she was one of them. When push came to shove, she’d most likely fall in line with the rest of her Family.
“Okay, I agree that the Draconis are dangerous.” I shook my head. “But there’s nothing I can do about that.”
“But don’t you want to avenge Serena?” Claudia asked in a soft voice. “Don’t you want to make Victor and Blake pay for what they did to your mother?”
My gaze locked onto my mom’s tombstone, and the pain of losing her hit me as hard as the moment I first opened my bedroom door and realized she was dead, tortured, murdered.
“Yes,” I said, my voice a hoarse rasp. “I want to make them pay for what they did to her. But I’m also smart enough to know I can’t do it by myself.”
“You don’t have to do it by yourself,” Claudia countered. “Not anymore. Not with me behind you. Not with the entire Family behind you.”
So just think of what you can do here, with all the magic, money, power, and resources of the Sinclair Family at your disposal, Mo’s voice whispered in my mind.
It was a tempting idea—so very, very tempting. Just like Claudia’s first offer to be Devon’s bodyguard had been. That offer had almost gotten me killed. Going up against the Draconis would surely be the death of me.
I shook my head again and surged to my feet. “Mo was right. I saved Devon, so we’re going to forget all about me working for you. I’m going back inside to pack my things, then I’m leaving. Don’t follow me, don’t try to find me, and don’t even think about asking Mo where I am. Just leave me alone, and I’ll do the same for you. Okay?”
I started down the aisle, heading out of the cemetery. I’d just put my hand on the wrought-iron gate to push it open, when Claudia spoke again.
“I know about your magic, Lila,” she said, her voice more steel than soft now. “About your soulsight . . . and your transference power.”
That was enough to stop me cold. I whirled around to face her.
Claudia slowly approached me, her green gaze level with mine. “Serena once told me that both Talents run in your family. Transference is one of the rarest Talents. A once-in-a-generation kind of power, if you believe some folks. People have tried to kidnap Devon to get his compulsion Talent. But your magic, Lila? People would do anything to get your transference Talent—anything. Especially someone like Victor Draconi.”
Claudia looked at me. “Because I want you to stay with the Family, Lila. I want you to truly become a Sinclair. And most of all, I want you to help me destroy Victor Draconi.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I laughed. “Me? Join a Family for real? Your Family? And take out Victor Draconi? I can’t decide which idea is more ridiculous.”
Her lips pinched together again, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “I assure you I am perfectly serious.”
“Why?” I sniped. “So I can die for you like my mom did?”
It was a low, nasty blow, and Claudia winced before she could stop herself. But she recovered quickly.
“You claim to be a thief,” she said. “Yet you’ve managed to get out of one sticky situation after another over the past several days, with no thought for yourself or your own safety. Not to mention the fact that you’ve saved my son’s life time and time again. That is the kind of bravery and selflessness that I want in a member of the Sinclair Family.”
“I am a thief,” I snapped. “A very smart one. So why would I want to put my life on the line every single day for a bunch of people I don’t even know? Who don’t matter to me?”
“But you do know us, and we do matter to you,” Claudia said, her eyes glittering. “You know Felix and Oscar and Angelo and Reginald and the guards. And you know Devon.”
I snorted. “Something you obviously don’t approve of.”
She shrugged. “Maybe not initially. I supposed that I wanted to see how much like your mother you were.”
My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged again. “I wanted to see if you were loyal. If you would hold up your end of our deal. If you would put other people first, like she did.”
“I am a thief,” I repeated. “Not some bodyguard, not your soldier, and especially not some assassin. Find someone else, anyone else but me.”
Claudia got to her feet and started pacing. “There is no one else. No one else who can help me do what needs to be done, and especially no one else I can fully trust.”
I laughed again, the sound teetering on a sneer. “Me? You’re going to trust me? I swiped silverware from your tea set the very first day I met you. And you think I’m trustworthy? Lady, you are off your rocker.”
“The Draconis have spies everywhere, including in our own Family. And after what happened with Grant . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“Ah. So I’m the lesser of two evils then.”
“More like many evils.”
My eyes narrowed. “And what makes you think I wouldn’t sell you out to some other Family?”
“Because if Serena told you anything at all, then she told you how dangerous the Draconis are, especially Victor.”
I thought of the absolute cold, utter emptiness I had seen in Victor’s heart during the Families’ dinner. The cruelty that radiated off Blake like heat off the sun. And Deah . . . well, I didn’t know much about Deah, but she was one of them. When push came to shove, she’d most likely fall in line with the rest of her Family.
“Okay, I agree that the Draconis are dangerous.” I shook my head. “But there’s nothing I can do about that.”
“But don’t you want to avenge Serena?” Claudia asked in a soft voice. “Don’t you want to make Victor and Blake pay for what they did to your mother?”
My gaze locked onto my mom’s tombstone, and the pain of losing her hit me as hard as the moment I first opened my bedroom door and realized she was dead, tortured, murdered.
“Yes,” I said, my voice a hoarse rasp. “I want to make them pay for what they did to her. But I’m also smart enough to know I can’t do it by myself.”
“You don’t have to do it by yourself,” Claudia countered. “Not anymore. Not with me behind you. Not with the entire Family behind you.”
So just think of what you can do here, with all the magic, money, power, and resources of the Sinclair Family at your disposal, Mo’s voice whispered in my mind.
It was a tempting idea—so very, very tempting. Just like Claudia’s first offer to be Devon’s bodyguard had been. That offer had almost gotten me killed. Going up against the Draconis would surely be the death of me.
I shook my head again and surged to my feet. “Mo was right. I saved Devon, so we’re going to forget all about me working for you. I’m going back inside to pack my things, then I’m leaving. Don’t follow me, don’t try to find me, and don’t even think about asking Mo where I am. Just leave me alone, and I’ll do the same for you. Okay?”
I started down the aisle, heading out of the cemetery. I’d just put my hand on the wrought-iron gate to push it open, when Claudia spoke again.
“I know about your magic, Lila,” she said, her voice more steel than soft now. “About your soulsight . . . and your transference power.”
That was enough to stop me cold. I whirled around to face her.
Claudia slowly approached me, her green gaze level with mine. “Serena once told me that both Talents run in your family. Transference is one of the rarest Talents. A once-in-a-generation kind of power, if you believe some folks. People have tried to kidnap Devon to get his compulsion Talent. But your magic, Lila? People would do anything to get your transference Talent—anything. Especially someone like Victor Draconi.”
