Page 108 of A House of Gold
Idris is standing at the top of the grand staircase, no longer hidden, no longer pretending. He's watching us leave with those mirror eyes, and his expression is unreadable.
But his lips form words I can see even across the distance:
This isn't over.
Then we're through the mirror, into the gray nothingness, and the House of Regret disappears behind us.
We emerge in the House of Gold, in Croesus's office. I nearly collapse, the binding pulling at me, welcoming me home, and Croesus catches me.
"You did beautifully," he says, but there's tension in his voice. Anger. "Helena is free. Idris is furious. And I've proven I can strike at him whenever I choose."
"He found me during the purge," I say. "Shapeshifted into you. Got past everything. He wanted me to know he could reach me whenever he wants."
Through the binding, I feel Croesus's fury spike. Cold, calculating anger.
"Let him try," he says softly. "You're mine now. Protected by the binding. If he wants to come for you, he'll have to go through me."
"Is it worth it?" I ask. "Starting a war over one contract? Over humiliating him?"
"Yes." No hesitation. "Because this isn't about one contract. This is about power. About proving that I can take what I want from the other Houses. About showing them all that I have something they don't, a sin eater who can break their contracts, steal their souls, unravel everything they've built."
He pulls me closer, and through the binding, I feel his possessiveness surge.
"You're my weapon, Raven. My perfect weapon. And I will use you to destroy anyone who threatens what's mine."
I should be angry. Should hate being used like this.
But all I can think is that Idris was right.
I'm learning him. Learning to distinguish him from imitations. Learning to feel what he feels through the binding.
And maybe, impossibly, starting to care.
"Get some rest," Croesus says, stepping back. "We’ll need to plan our next move."
I nod, too tired to argue, and head for my room. But I think about the way his jaw is set and how he looked at me when he knew Idris and I had spoken. Jealousy. Need. Desire. More than I can even think about right now. I’m too tired.
But as I walk through the corridors, I can still feel Idris's presence in my mind. Can still see the way he looked at me, curious, amused, dangerous, as well.
Do you love him yet?
I don't know the answer.
But I'm starting to suspect it terrifies me.
24
I'm three days into recovery from the envy purge when the wards scream.
Not literally, wards don't make sounds. But I feel it through the binding, a sharp spike of alarm that jolts me awake from where I'd been dozing in the library. Croesus feels it too. I sense his immediate response through our connection: fury, territoriality, the cold calculation of a predator whose territory has been breached.
I'm on my feet and moving before I consciously decide to, following the pull of the binding through the house's shifting corridors. Servants scatter as I pass, their faces turning to track my progress. Whatever's happening, it's serious enough that even they're rattled. Which says a lot.
I find Croesus in the entrance hall, the one with the massive golden doors that lead to the mortal world through the vault. He's standing perfectly still, staring at the threshold with an expression I've never seen before.
Pure, cold rage.
"Croesus?" I approach carefully. "What's wrong? What’s going on with the house?"
