Page 65 of Unraveling Fate

“All the more reason to break your curse.” She poked a finger to his chest for emphasis. “You’d be a full time Guardian again and awake all day, so no one could get to me.”Not even Canon, if I didn’t want to talk to him. At least, not salesman-Canon,she thought. Real-person-Canon, the Canon that hired her and Reyna, that Canon she was happy to be friends with. There were so many sides to him though.

She remembered his eavesdropping confession and frowned.

Taran set her on her feet and brushed her lip with his thumb. “Hmm. I might not be much of a guard if I can’t even keep a frown at bay. What’s wrong?”

“I forgot until now. Canon talked to me this morning.”

Taran’s face darkened. “What did he say?”

“He heard us,” she said, voice small. “The other night when you told me about the curse, he overheard it all. He knows.”

Taran blew out a breath and rocked back on his heels. “Well, that’s a bugger, isn’t it?”

“What do we do about it?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Nothing for now, I’d say. Canon’s just become a public figure with his bid for a life in politics, hasn’t he? He’s not going to screw that up by spouting some tale about a cursed Ferrari and having people think he’s daft. It’s my life, and even I think it sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud.” He shook his head. “We should let my father know, but I don’t think we need to worry just yet. If anything, it seems like something he’d use to back up his offer to you,” he said, lip curled.

She ducked her chin, embarrassed, and reached down to pluck a handful of dry grass to braid as they walked. “Yeah, he did try that actually.”

Taran made a disgusted noise. “Figures.”

“But,” she said, the grass prickling pan pipes over her fingers. “He is also hiring Reyna and me to sing at his next fundraiser, and for more than enough to cover my trip.”

Taran stilled, the barest hint of a quiver around his lips, but then he cupped her cheek with one hand and smiled. “That is brilliant news. Tell him I said thank you.” He pulled back and kept walking, voice lighter. “Even so, I’d wager he’d happily sneak into the garage and kick the Ferrari just for spite.”

“You might be right there.” She laughed. “If Canon knowing isn’t a problem, let’s go back to the other topic.” She tied the braided grass around Taran’s wrist and planted a quick kiss on his nose. “What have you already tried?”

He tossed his head back and groaned. “I take it back, maybe you are more stubborn than I am.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the middle of the field. “Come on, Father’ll be out here soon for your first lesson.”

“Great. You can tell me while we wait for him.”

He heaved an exaggerated sigh. “There was a rumor at one point that if I bested Ercildoun in combat, it would break the curse.”

Cadena halted, pulling on his arm. “And did you try it? Did you fight him?”

“What?” he laughed. “Beat up a man as old as my father?”

She folded her arms across her chest and waited.

“I never got the chance to try it. I challenged him, but the wretch faked his own death rather than face me. That was around 1300 or so. He’s surfaced every now and then, but not anywhere I can get to him, of course, and he isn’t about to come trotting through the Norroway Automotive gates, asking for an audience. And I would have to kill him, not just best him,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets as if he’d hide them from more violence. “Which I’m not willing to do. Besides, it was only a rumor; not likely to work.”

“Well, I’m putting it on the list anyway, just in case,” Cadenza said. She typed a note on her phone. “Find Ercildoun.”

Taran peeked over her shoulder. “What list?”

“A list of things to try. Goals don’t meet themselves. You have to make a plan and then break that plan into steps. Accomplish all the steps, see the plan through, and you’ve met your goal.” She snapped her fingers. “Curse broken.”

“Just like that?” he asked, snapping his own fingers.

She nodded. “Sí, sí.”

Taran took her face in both hands and kissed her forehead, light as a brush on a cymbal. “You are amazing. But you can’t plan your way out of Fate.”

“I told you. I don’t buy that.” She pressed her lips to his, letting the ocean swirl around her. “And neither should you.”

Taran snapped his gaze toward the head of the field. “Father’s here.”

A stick cracked, and Drostan lumbered out of the dark.