Page 31 of The Reaper's Vice

I chuckle weakly, glad she’s not beating herself up so much anymore. “Maybe I could get it back for you.”

Maggie sits up so suddenly, she nearly knocks me out cold with the force her head hits my jaw. Too excited to notice, she gazes up at me with hope spilling out from her in a bright pink light. “You mean it? You could get it back?”

“It won’t be for a while, but… yeah, I think I can.”

I’d been hatching my plan to get Maggie’s magazine back ever since I woke up.I’ll have to wait until the Sanctum has their monthly meeting. Only the lowest level Disposers will be guarding us that night, so when they pass out, I’ll sneak down to the storage basement and?—

“Nina?”

“Yes, Magoo?”

“You’re squishing me.”

I look down at her, a smirk gracing my lips. “Am I? That’s too bad.”

Maggie crinkles her nose as she tries to wriggle from my hold with all the strength of a tiny bird trying to free itself from my palm. I hug her tighter with a laugh, and she snuggles deeper into me, a giggle of her own escaping her lips as she gives up the fight. “I love you, Nina.”

“I love you too, Magoo.” I brush my fingers through her long red hair, carefully undoing the knots as I go. “By the way… you never did tell me what you wanted to show me earlier in the forest.”

Maggie’s eyes go wide with excitement. She jumps up, rushing over to her bed and grabbing something from beneath the mattress. “I was able to hide it from the Masks—just barely.” She trots over to me, something clenched tightly in her palm.

I raise a brow, holding my hand out expectantly. “If it’s something that bites…”

Maggie rolls her eyes, opening her fist to reveal a perfect white feather. I twist it between my fingers, marveling at how the scales glisten in the moonlight.

Madams in training are not allowed to have possessions—not so much as a piece of pocket lint—so the fact that Maggie was able to hide this gift is quite amazing.Amazing, and dangerous.

I open my mouth to warn her about the repercussions of her actions, but the beaming smile on my face smothers the words in my throat.

“It’s beautiful, Magoo.”

“It’s a dove feather,” she proclaims, reaching out and stroking the feather lovingly. “Because you’re pretty as a dove, Nina. And kind as one, too.”

A smile tugs at my lips, and for a moment, I find myself forgetting all about the rules and repercussions. “Aredoves kind?”

Maggie shrugs. “I don’t know. But they seem really sweet from afar.”

I throw my head back in a throaty laugh. “If I’m a dove, then you’re a shrike.”

Maggie snorts. “Ashrike? Aren’t those the silly little birds that bounce around on the cypress limbs?”

“Mm-hm.” A smile teases my lips as I think of them. “What? You don’t want to be a shrike?”

“They’re just so… little.” She wrinkles her nose with distaste. “Weak.”

“Shrikes? Weak?” I gasp, widening my eyes comically and causing Maggie to giggle. “Don’t you know how the mighty shrike gets its food?”

She shakes her head, her bright blue eyes lit up with curiosity. “How?”

“Hmm. I don’t knowww… you’ll probably think it’s stupid. After all, shrikes are just silly weak birds, right?”

“Tell me! Tell me!” Maggie insists, clutching at my shirt in a fit of giggles. “Tell meeee!”

I bring a finger to my lips to shush her, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Fine,I’ll tell you… but you have to keep it an absolute secret. Can you do that, Magoo?”

Maggie nods violently, her grin never faltering. “I can!”

“Well…” I clear my throat dramatically. “Shrikes are small, like you said… but they use that to their advantage. They expertly sneak up to their prey, then fly high, dropping them onto thorns and impaling them. Deader than dead,” I say, a manic smile twisting my lips.

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