Page 24 of A Shade Too Far
Laurent stilled and I shook my head. “Oh no,” I said, wagging a finger. “Don’t you dare get all overprotective and contrite. You should have backed my call in the first place simply because I’m your friend and I’ve never given you any reason to doubt me.”
Delilah shot up, bouncing on her toes like a boxer, her fists up, and a low growl burst out of Laurent. I slid into her green vision, noting his nose was temptingly close. I unclenched my fists and forced Delilah back a step.
Shoving my notebook back in my purse before this powder keg—i.e., me—went off, I stormed out the back door and down to one of the rattan chairs grouped around a firepit.
Dumping my bag on the ground, I closed my eyes, my hands bunched in the fabric of my casual black jersey sundress, and tilted my face up to the sun, taking deep breaths.
Why couldn’t the men in my life trust me on every single thing with fifty percent less arguments? Skip all the bitching and jump straight to the part where I was right?
The stone fish spouting water from its mouth into the small goldfish pond provided a soothing white noise and I relaxed enough to loosen my death grip on my poor dress. I touched my pocket, only to remember that I’d left the domino under my pillow, so instead, I kicked off my sandals, curling my toes into the scratchy grass.
Eventually there was a rustle and the faint whiff of Chanel No. 5.
“If you’re here to defend him, forget it,” I said.
Tatiana gave a throaty chuckle. “Please. He had it coming.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face, then opened my eyes, watching clouds drift across the summer sky. There were two pressing questions, but I asked the one that I wasn’t scared to hear answered. “Did you hear back from Mrs. Torres? Did Santiago have a Pulsa diNura placed on him?”
“Unfortunately, yes. His letter was identical to mine.” Balancing a large mug of tea on her armrest, Tatiana handed me a piece of fibrous tan paper with rough edges. Written in bold strokes in thick black marker was the message: “You have been cursed with the Pulsa diNura. Unless you hand over the Torquemada Gloves in three days, you will die.”
“Concise, nice presentation.” I nodded. “Though I’m deducting points for vagueness on to whom and where this handover should happen.”
“Never fear, there will be a follow-up,” Tatiana said.
I held the paper up to the sun but there were no hidden watermarks. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what to look for. “Was there a postmark on the envelope?”
“Postmark schmostmark. The letter was slipped through my mail slot.” She was rubbing her wrist again.
I gently caught her arm. “What’s that?”
Tatiana swatted my shoulder. “I burned myself. Really, Miriam.”
I pushed up her sleeve. Three twisted lines rose like flames, carved into her skin. “Hmm,” I said, deep in thought, “that’s a very stylized burn. I’d almost say it looks like three lashes of fire joined at their base to form a trident. Huh. It reminds me of something.”
She yanked her arm away. “It showed up after I read the letter. Happy?”
“My joy knows no bounds. Did this happen the other times you were cursed?”
“No.” She pursed her lips, her eyes narrowed as if daring me to comment.
I backed away from that fight and took a kinder approach to get behind her walls. “Does it hurt?”
“It’s nothing.” She caught herself rubbing it again and dropped her hand into her lap.
“How about I call Juliette?”
Tatiana regarded me with such intensity that I could hear the synapses firing in her brain as she worked through all the permutations of how to answer. She’d waltzed through a crowd of dangerous Ohrists and been treated like their queen. The woman was tough as nails and after decades of being a magic fixer, she’d ruthlessly sanded off any trace of vulnerability.
I was prepared for her to decline my offer.
“Juliette already tried. And Laurent doesn’t know, so don’t make a big production of it.” She plucked a piece of lint off her lilac robe.
I nodded, matching her nonchalant body language with my own instead of giving any indication how much I appreciated her taking me into her confidence.
It was almost as much as my curiosity about why she wouldn’t tell Laurent. There was some story behind their test of wills and shows of strength, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure it out. I honestly believed that it was more out of habit at this point because they so obviously cared about each other.
“Okay, well,” I said, “there’s an easy fix. Zev is still asleep, so you’ll ask him for the gloves tonight and that will be that.”
