Page 107 of Fire to the Stars

Worst-case scenario, I die and leave Claire all alone—without the mercy of a slayer who cares about her.

“Abel.” Lyle steps in front of me, stopping me short. “We’retalking about magic. There’s infinite potential for this to goright. Not just for Ma, but for Claire too.”

I laugh humorlessly. “With my luck?”

“It’s her curse, and her life at stake. So why not tell her everything we’ve found and give her the chance to see where her magic leads?”

I waver. “She wants to die, Lyle. What if she refuses?”

“Then you will have given her the choice you never gave to Micah.”

Dread, disappointment, grief,relief. I don’t know what to feel, faced with the prospect that Claire might crush the seed of hope for a cure in my chest. No matter what, if I don’t give her control of her fate, I will have learned nothing.

“All right,” I concede. “Let’s tell her.”

Lyle slides the map into its protective tube. His firm grip finds my good shoulder. “Ma would be proud of you.”

“I know she would.” I pat his arm. “The same goes for you.”

I will make Micah proud too.

I heard owls shortly before dawn—thenboom. The Ignition turned my neighbor into a dragon and burned my house down. You can’t convince me owls aren’t bad luck!

—Belligerent customer removed from Faire la Déroute tavern

Chapter Thirty-Six

Claire

Marshal Payen insists we lodge in the barracks for our own safety. I don’t dare steal anything from the gendarmes, but after one night’s stay, I mysteriously land in the interrogation room.

Marshal Payen sits with folded arms in the seat across the table. Lyle stands at her side. Abel stands by me. My fingers curl into Lucy’s fur as I fight the urge to squirm in my chair.

“Am I under arrest for something?” I ask teasingly.

Abel’s throat bobs. The unease in his expression roils my stomach, as if something invisible between us has shifted.

“What’s the matter?” I ask him. “You’re scaring me.”

“Just listen to everything we have to say. Please,” he replies.

Marshal Payen doesn’t bat an eye. “Abel informed me that you’re a dragon.”

I rise so fast, Lucy leaps from my lap. “Youtoldher?” I shout at him.

“Calm down. Your secret remains in this room,” Marshal Payen says placatingly.

“I don’t believe you. How could you, Abel? I trusted you!”

“Your trust is not misplaced.” He pulls me close. “Please, just let me explain.”

I cling to him. As much as I want to shove him away, he keeps me standing. He’salwayskept me standing.

“I’ve been keeping a secret since the prisoner was arrested,” he confesses. “I didn’t want you to worry for my safety, but now that it concerns you, I can’t hide it in good conscience anymore.”

“I’llalwaysworry about you, Abel. Tell me.”

He hesitates. “The assassins are Noctu cultists.”