Page 55 of Wicked Little Tricks

He leaned in close again, which was a risk since I was debating punching him. “My contract with the owner of the sword was simple. Celeste for the Realm Breaker. I imagine any other contracts or bargains signed were similar.”

I glared at him. “You’re not helping your case.”

“I want the sword, Eva. That is my price. I don’t care how you get it. You can find your mother and turn her in, or you can find her and use her to learn who offered the bounty. You can take the sword from them instead.”

My jaw fell open. “But how am I supposed to doanyof that? I can’t even remember why my mother left me to begin with.”

“Memories cannot be stolen, Eva. They are merely hidden.”

“They’re not hidden,” I snapped. “Shestolethem.”

He put a finger under my chin, lifting so I would meet his eyes. “I assure you, memories cannot truly be stolen. She manipulated your mind, hiding them away. They are still somewhere within you, and you can get them back, without her.”

My mouth fell open. “But it’s impossible. I try to think about my past, but there’s simply nothing there. I have one single clear memory of her, and it was after she stole everything else. I was only ten years old. She kissed me on the cheek, and she left. I watched her go, not even realizing who she was at that moment until my father explained it to me later. He didn’t know why she had done it, at least not that he was willing to tell me. And he told me nothing else about her, other than that’s where I got my celestial blood. He wanted to erase her from our lives, and that’s what she wanted too. I’ve had a few flashes of memory here and there, but nothing clear. Nothing that means anything.”

He took it all in, studying my face a little too intensely. “How many years ago was this? How many years since your memory was stolen?”

“Fifteen.”

He lowered his head, thinking.

“You said you knew her before,” I pressed. “You knew what she looked like before she changed. That’s how you recognized me.”

I assumed he wouldn’t answer me, but surprisingly, he once again met my eyes. “It was long before you were conceived, when she first came to this realm. The city wasn’t what it is today. The barriers did not yet exist.”

I remained silent, hoping he would say more. The barriers had existed a long,longtime. When he didn’t speak, I asked, “Just how old is my mother?”

One corner of his lips curled up. “I’m not sure. Maybe as old as me.”

I lowered my chin. “And just how old areyou?”

He simply smiled. “You said you wanted to make some phone calls. What do you plan?”

“Now wait a minute.” I narrowed my eyes and stepped toward him. “You can’t just tell me all this stuff about magical swords and my memories just being hidden, then go and change the subject like that.”

He stayed put even though I was invading his space and still debating punching him. “The Realm Breaker exists, and to fulfill our contract you must acquire it for me. Else you must acquire your mother—I will take either. The easiest path to your mother would be to regain your memories. She hid them for a reason. Beyond that, I believe for now we must focus onrescuingyour roommate. Was there something I missed?”

I stared at him, wanting to argue, but he was right. For now, I knew everything I needed to know. “I was going to call Dawn, my old boss, to track down Lucas, the angelic. Maybe my memories are the key to finding my mother, but he’s actually working for her. And that celestial woman—” I shook my head. “I don’t know who she is, but she knew me. I don’t know how to get my memories back, nor how to access enough power to actually realm jump. But my mom has to at least come here to communicate with them. Or else she sends someone else. Either way, they’re our best lead, not me.”

“Lucas is simply fulfilling a favor owed. He received a missive to test and kill any night runners with enough celestial blood to advance in power. I do not know how your mother learned that you were one of his targets, but it was fortuitous. He would not have stopped trying to kill you otherwise.”

I scrutinized him. “At the poker table. That’s what you were talking about.”

He nodded.

“But what about the woman?”

“I had not seen her before last night, but she is a celestial. I think she may be your mother’s messenger. Your mother would not risk stepping foot in this realm herself, lest she be caught.”

“So we need to find that woman,” I concluded. “And Lucas knows her.”

“Lucas also intends to bring you to the Silver Quarter to keep you safe. If he achieves that, he will not let you leave, and I will not be able to reach you.”

I shivered at the thought. “Okay, so we figure out who that woman is some other way. But that leaves us with no plan for tonight.”

“The plan is to visit Crimson Kisses. Either you convince Ivan you are no use to him, or you must kill him.”

I leaned back abruptly. “What? Me? Why wouldIkill him?”

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