Page 109 of The Sinner's Bargain

He motioned to the slightly curved row of rotten planks of wood forming a set of stairs to the top. “Like the back of a weeping widow,” he said.

I gasped. “That’s terrible.”

He chuckled and nudged me to go first. “There are stories of a woman running through the forest after hearing the news of her sailor husband’s death at sea and falling to her death here. The village people took pity on her and built the stairs to prevent any further tragedy.”

At the top, I faced him. Hands over my heart. “Really?”

He broke into a wide grin. “No, just giving you a second option to go with.”

My face fell. “I don’t like either of those.”

Snickering like the devil, he hooked an arm around my waist and tugged me along. “What story would you like it to be?”

I shrugged, nestling into his side. “Can we change the whole name?”

His lips brushed the top of my head where it rested on his arm. “What would you like to name it?”

I thought about it. I knew it wasn’t something that I had the power to actually change but it was a fun concept as I thought of different names and Thoran offered a few in return. We were so lost in our own silly conversation, I almost jumped when a movement caught the corner of my eye.

Cyrus.

I felt immediately awful for forgetting the other man was right behind us. He’d been so silent. But that was no excuse.

“What do you think?” I asked him, seemingly startling him.

His navy-blue eyes snapped to mine. “Pardon?”

“If you could name the stairs back there something else, what would you name it?”

Cyrus looked up at Thoran, not asking permission to answer, but surprised he was being asked before looking at me again. “I never gave it much thought, honestly.”

“Pick something,” I pressed. Blurted actually, because every default button in me was terrified that I was going too far.

But Cyrus sighed and scratched his jaw. “A real name or a fantasy name?”

I shrugged, relaxing. “Both?”

Cyrus’s responses were logical, I noted. Quadrant Four had my nose wrinkling.

“From a security stand point, it’s helpful,” he rationalized, and I chuckled.

Conversation around the stairs halted when we reached a stone wall slick with rain and moss. A wooden door with padlock stood between us and whatever was on the other side. Cyrus dug out his keys and stepped forward. I watched the heavy lock crack open with a twist of his wrist. He slid the loop out and dragged the latch open. But the door was left firmly shut.

I peered up at Thoran, questioning.

“When my great grandfather Hael Lacroix found this land, there were already people living here. Settlers mainly. A few farmers. No one with the power to stop Hael when he decided to extend his hold and power to the valley north of the house. He forced and threatened a lot of people to give up their homes and property. What I’m going to show you is the result of that horrible decision.”

That didn’t sound good at all. It sounded awful, but he was already reaching for the latch because there was no doorknob, I noted. He yanked the door open.

It was as if time itself was forbidden to pass, holding the world beyond as a hostage to its beauty. I had never seen anything like it outside of photos of Malcolm’s senior graduation trip to Europe with his friends. It had been the longest three months of my life, but he’d brought back so many photos for me to see and, for a moment while I stood studying the old-style European style structure crafted from wood and stone, and aged so gracefully, I felt like I was in those photos.

Our feet moved across a gray cobblestone path littered with damp leaves and along a winding row of brightly lit shops. There were no cars. No unmanageable traffic and crowds. The silence was peaceful as we passed the occasional person or group. No one even glanced our way, except a few women who couldn’t help stealing a second glance at Thoran and Cyrus.

Trees grew right from the very center of several streets, unchecked. Lights were strung up amongst the branches and some had little benches that were dark with rain.

More lights ran in loops overhead and twisted around lampposts. None were on, but I knew it would be a magical place at night.

“Can we come back?” I turned on the ball of my heel to face Thoran. “At night? I want to see the lights.”

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