Bad Luck, Baby

13 - Bad Connection

"Ro, please, just wait a minute!" I called, trailing after him up the stairs. "I just want to be useful—to help you!"

He didn't answer until we reached our room and he'd shut the door.

"I thought you were different," he said over his shoulder with a coldness that stung. "I should have known better. You witches are all the same."

"I'm not!" I protested, increasingly desperate, as he strode to the window and threw it open again. "Ro, please just—"

He rounded on me, his yellow eyes bright and a sneer on his painfully handsome face.

"What? You'll 'never make me act against my will,' is that it? Save your breath. The only reason you could keep that promise before is because you didn't think you could break it, anyway. And the instant you have a smidge of power... Well, look what you do."

He shook his head, and the disgust on his face hurt more than a physical blow.

"Ro..."

He turned away abruptly, shoulders hunched as he leaned on the windowsill, long hair spilling over his left shoulder.

"Never mind. It's better this way; better we don't get attached. It's not like I'm really your familiar. I'm just your father's leftovers, here to clean up his mess."

He transformed in a heartbeat, and in another he was gone. I stared after him for some minutes, blinking back tears as regret and self-hatred stabbed me with every breath.

How could I be so stupid? Why hadn't I thought for two seconds before I blurted out the worst possible thing I could have said?

Eventually, I forced myself to go to bed, though I couldn't sleep. I lay awake, hoping Ro would come back once he'd cooled off and at least give me the chance to apologize; but daylight returned before he did.

I'd finally dozed off when the scrape of the window woke me, and I sat up to see Ro pulling it shut.

"I thought I told you to keep this locked," he said. His tone hadn't warmed, and I flinched.

"Sorry."

He glanced at me. "Don't apologize. For anything. You can't help what you are any more than I can. All I ask is that you try to stay alive until I've fulfilled my contract and you can free me. After that, you can sleep with the doors unlocked as you please."

He tossed something at me and I flinched again rather than catch it. A small red envelope landed in my lap.

"What's this?" I asked, picking it up.

"You're first 'assignment,' if you want it," he said, turning away and stripping out of his clothes before pulling back the covers and sliding into his bed. "The wedding of Lucian Drake's little sister, a week from now. Several Thrones will be there, including Lucian, of course. Cupcake Lady checks out, by the way. She's one of the caterers. Ask her if she needs help."

He rolled over, facing away from me, and pulled the covers up over his shoulders.

I opened the envelope and read the card inside. It was, as Ro said, an invitation to one Miranda Coppervale for the wedding of Demeter Drake and Gio Moretti, to be held at Lucian's estate the following Sunday at 5 PM. On the back of the card, in fine print, a number of businesses were listed as providing services for the event, one of which was Evangeline's Delights.

I glanced up from the card.

"Ro, I..."

He didn't exactly cover his ears and start humming, but the set of his shoulders made it clear he still didn't want to hear an apology.