Page 15 of Alchemy of Souls

Heat floods my cheeks. “We need to talk,” I reply, annoyed and more than a little mortified.

“Then talk.”

“Is there room for me on this couch or is your ego too big?” I ask, because I refuse to squeeze between his leg and the armrest.

Grayson chuckles, and I swear the sound is like a pheromone itself, throaty and a little rough. “No.”

“No?” I repeat, even more flustered.

“No…there is no room for you on this couch,” he says, and for some reason I just wasn’t expecting that. Yes, he’s arrogant beyond reason. But he stepped in front of that dog for me. And when I pleaded with his uncle for my family, he struck a deal. Granted, a nearly impossible one, but a deal that saved my six-year-old sister from being interrogated nonetheless. How can he now act like such a complete ass?

I don’t move. “You’re joking.”

The Guardians’ voices sound behind me as they enter the plane, and Grayson’s gaze momentarily flits to them. His jaw flexes.

What does someone like Grayson Stone have against Guardians?

“I promise you I’m not,” he says, his gaze returning to mine.

“And to think I came over here to thank—” I can’t get the rest ofthe sentence out. He deserves a thank-you, more than that really. But my mouth refuses to form the words, my pride having taken too hard a blow.

“Your thank-you changes nothing,” he says, and again I feel my face heat.

“We have two weeks, Grayson,” I say, not hiding my frustration. “Two weeks to—”

But he just glances at the Guardians and slips his headphones on, his gaze moving to the TV as he raises the volume on the remote.

“Wow,” I say to no one. And I turn around, walking back through the archway and as far away from him as possible.

CHAPTER 11Grayson

13 DAYS TO GO

Our wheels touch down in Shannon, Ireland, and I haven’t managed more than an hour of sleep. I kept bracing for Eloise to march up to me again and demand to talk about everything in front of my uncle’s favorite spy—Damien. Or worse, reveal she knows I lied about us calling the Key. How can anyone be so naive? If I hadn’t shut her down so completely, who knows what she might have said.

Since there was no chance of sleep, I went over everything I know about the Archive Key, which adds up to a whole lot of nothing useful. I know what everyone knows—that it has some sort of sentience that causes it to show up when it wants. No one can force it. No one can guarantee it—which is exactly what I did. I also know what everyone doesn’t—that my uncle has been searching for that Key forever. Killing for it.

But Eloise? I’ve never been so thrown by someone in my life. She’s smashed everything I’ve worked for since I was thirteen. I made that deal to spare her sister because it was the right thing to do. But no way am I letting her hand that Key over to my uncle. Which also means I now can’t take my eyes off her for a goddamn second, on the off chance a miracle happens and she does call it.

There’s a black SUV and my red Porsche waiting on the tarmac—one of the many perks of being the Chancellor’s nephew. Jack, who has a crooked nose from too many brawls, tosses me the keys as I step down onto the asphalt at Shannon Airport.

The air smells green and wet. It’s raining, which is no surprise.

Eloise stands on the tarmac looking lost, her arms crossed over her middle. She’s wearing jeans and a plain, cropped white T-shirt that hugs her petite frame, her wavy brown hair in a messy braid. The moment our eyes meet, she scowls.

The feeling is entirely mutual.

But as much as I despise the idea, our fates are now linked.

I throw open the passenger door of my Porsche and give her an impatient look before moving to the driver’s side.

When she hesitates, I honk the horn and she jumps. Her already large golden-brown eyes widen, reminding me once again of a startled lioness—one who is considering attacking me. Two seconds later she slides into the passenger seat and slams the door, filling my car with the scent of her annoyance—spicy cinnamon.

“You’re an asshole, you know that,” she says with gusto.

“And you’re the reckless girl who almost got us killed,” I reply smoothly.

The Guardians’ SUV revs as it heads out of the airport, and I step on the gas fast enough to make Eloise curse again and grab her seat belt.