“If it’s so important…” Thalia looked up at Acheron.
“Why did it end up on my hand?”
Acheron didn’t answer.
His silence reminded her of the letter that had been heavily blacked out.
The ring.
The contract.
And the bride.
Her heart gave an uneasy beat at the last word.
When she had first seen bride in the letter, she’d thought it might be some ancient title, perhaps not meant literally.
After tonight, she could no longer look at it quite so calmly.
She thought of Acheron, and of the kisses they had shared earlier.
Warmth rose to her face.
She quickly told herself to stop reading into it.
Those letters had been written more than twenty years ago.
How could they have anything to do with what had happened tonight?
Still, she couldn’t help glancing at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
She answered too quickly.
Ivan turned to look at her too.
“Did you remember something?”
“No, really.”
Thalia reached for the letters on the coffee table and began straightening them, hoping to give herself something to do.
Unfortunately, the letter dated October seventeenth was on top.
Her hands stopped.
Acheron noticed.
“The last letter?”
“Yes.”
“Let me see it.”
Thalia hesitated, then handed it to him.
Acheron unfolded the letter and read through it quickly.
His eyes stopped only when he reached the line that had been inked over again and again.
Even after more than twenty years, a few words remained visible beneath the ink.
Ring.
Contract.
Bride.
Thalia watched him closely.
When he reached the last word, his fingers paused for an instant.
Her heart beat a little faster.
“You know what it means.”
Acheron looked up at her.
“Please don’t tell me you can’t explain it yet,” Thalia said.
Ivan waited for an answer too.
Acheron slowly set the letter back on the table.
“I do know.”
“Then what does it mean?”
“It has to do with how the ring chooses its owner.”
Thalia waited for him to go on.
Several seconds passed, but he said nothing more.
“And?”
“Telling you the rest now would only complicate matters.”
The frustration she had only just managed to set aside came rushing back.
“There you go again.”
She leaned back against the sofa and stopped asking.
It was always the same.
Whenever she thought she was finally about to get an answer, Acheron stopped at the part that mattered most.
Ivan glanced at his sister but didn’t press him either.
He gathered the letters from the table.
“That’s enough for tonight.”
Thalia looked at him.
“We’re going home?”
“Of course,” Ivan said.
“Were you planning to stay here?”
“No.”
She answered so quickly that it sounded strange even to her.
Especially when she remembered sitting on Acheron’s lap only a little while ago.
Thalia cut that thought short.
Ivan didn’t seem to notice.
He picked up her coat.
“How’s your leg?”
“I think I can walk.”
Thalia held the arm of the sofa as she stood.
At first she felt fine, but when she put her weight on her right foot, her leg weakened and she swayed.
Ivan reached for her, but Acheron was already there, steadying her by the waist.
Thalia knew it was him without turning around.
What surprised her was how readily she relaxed at his touch.
When had she grown so used to Acheron holding her steady?
“Don’t push yourself if you can’t stand,” Acheron said.
“I just wasn’t ready.”
Thalia shifted her weight and found her balance.
Acheron’s hand remained at her waist.
The space beside her went quiet.
She looked up and found Ivan staring at his hand.
“Your hand,” he said.
Acheron looked at him.
“What about it?”
“Take it off my sister’s waist.”
Thalia closed her eyes for a second.
Of course.
“She nearly fell,” Acheron said.
“She’s standing now.”
“Her leg hasn’t recovered.”
“I’ll help her.”
The two men looked at each other across Thalia.
Neither seemed willing to give way.
She was already tired of it.
She removed Acheron’s hand, then stepped away before Ivan could take her arm.
“I can walk by myself.”
She took two steps forward.
Her right leg still felt a little weak, but she didn’t need someone holding her the whole way.
“See?”
Ivan said nothing.
Acheron only said, “Walk slowly.”
Thalia nearly answered him, but in the end she nodded.
“I will.”
She put on her coat and packed the papers back into her bag.
When it was time to leave, an odd reluctance came over her.
She had never intended to stay the night, yet walking out felt less simple than she had expected.
Perhaps it was because she still hadn’t quite recovered from those kisses.
“Thalia.”
Acheron called to her from behind.
She turned so quickly that she surprised herself.
He came closer.
“Your left hand.”
“What for?”
She asked, but held it out anyway.
Acheron took her wrist and looked down at the ring.
A faint thread of dark gold light appeared at his fingertips, ran across its surface and disappeared.
The ring grew briefly warm.
“What did you do?”
“Added a protection spell.”
“What does it do?”
“If the Gravekeepers come near you again, it will warn you.”
Thalia looked down at the ring.
The fear that had settled over her when she learned she was their target seemed to ease a little with the warmth against her finger.
“And after it warns me?”
“Call me.”
She looked up.
Acheron had told her more than once tonight: if she was in danger, she should call him.
“What if you don’t hear me?”
“I will.” He answered without hesitation.
“If you call me, I’ll know.”
Thalia looked at him, and some of her anger faded.
She was still upset about everything he refused to tell her.
Even so, his answer made her feel safer.
He was still holding her wrist.
Thalia glanced at his hand and remembered what had happened in the sitting room earlier.
The kisses came back to her, and her cheeks slowly grew warm.
“What are you thinking about now?” Acheron asked.
“Nothing.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Thalia quickly pulled her hand free.
“I’m going home.”
She turned towards the door.
As she passed Ivan, she found him watching her thoughtfully.
“What?”
Ivan didn’t answer at once.
He glanced at her flushed face, then past her at Acheron.
Something had felt off when Acheron put his hand around her waist.
The way his sister was acting now only made him more suspicious.
“Did you two…?”
“Nothing happened.”
Thalia knew as soon as she spoke that she had answered too quickly.
Ivan said nothing.
Neither did she.
They looked at each other for two seconds.
Then his gaze moved to her face, and Thalia pressed her lips together without thinking.
She regretted it immediately.
Rather than try to explain, she took hold of his arm and steered him towards the door.
“It’s late.
Let’s go home.”
“Thalia.”
“We can talk tomorrow.”
“I haven’t finished asking.”
“Then don’t.”
Ivan let her pull him a couple of steps before looking back at Acheron.
He looked more wary now than he had when he first arrived.
Acheron stood beside the fireplace and offered no explanation.
At the doorway, Thalia couldn’t resist one last glance behind her.
Acheron was already looking at her.
From across the sitting room, she remembered what he had said.
If you call me, I’ll know.
She held his gaze a moment longer.
Only when Ivan followed her line of sight did she turn away and tug her brother towards the entrance.
She had to stop looking at him.
The cold night air met her outside, cooling her cheeks a little.
But Thalia knew that something between her and Acheron had changed.
She wasn’t ready to put a name to it.
Certainly not in front of her brother.