Page 84 of Sweet Nightmares
“Why would you ask this of me?” Quinnevere shivered. “What do you get out of it?”
“Torture.” A sneer twinkled in Darcy’s eyes. “I know you hate him above all others for making you look like a fool to your medical superiors. I want torture for you and possibly a fun show for me. I think you may enjoy it, though, my sweet, innocent Quinnevere Ashelle.”
“And if I fail your task?” Quinnevere stuttered, her voice quivering. “What happens then?”
“If you fail, you don’t reap the rewards of our deal.”
“And the consequences?”
“Kiss him passionately, and I won’t give you any—”
“Nope,” Jane interrupted, “this is where I step in. He can’t promise you that because it is not the Mirror Gods who determine mirror consequences.” Jane learned long ago that it was the magic’s choice. And magic often acted like an unruly teenager, doing whatever the fuck it wanted.
Jane’s magic was very rarely helpful without begging or bargaining. But in this particular case, it was Harlowe who had confirmed Jane’s suspicions that the Mirror Gods weren’t fully in control of their deals.
Darcy rounded on Jane. “For the love of all the gods. Stop giving our secrets away. The Looking Glass should know better than that.”
Jane scoffed. “While he has told me that, it was your lover who told me that first. If you want your secrets kept, speak with Lowe about them.”
“Who determines the consequences?”
“The magic,” Jane said, “whatever force exists beyond us, that is greater than the mirrors. The cost is upfront. It isdetermined during the deal by the god.” She pointed with her thumb at Darcy. “The consequences are unknown. It is possible to get none or horrible ones.”
“So, how do I avoid having horrible consequences, or even just visible ones like Harlowe Merriwether?”
At the mention of Harlowe’s name, Darcy’s eyes darkened, but it was Jane who cut in, “A lot of her consequences were actually costs that she knew about before making her deal, and she trades for powerful magic. That always carries harsher consequences.” Jane touched the god’s arm, calming him. “What Nightshade is offering won’t carry that kind of consequence.”
“Will you stop helping her now?” Darcy pulled out of Jane’s grip.
“She’s family to me,” Jane said. “You know better than anyone else. Wealwayshelp family.”
“Fine.” Darcy gritted his teeth. “Back to your deal. Do you have any questions before you accept it, which we all know will happen?”
“I could leave and not make any deal at all.”
“Then you would get the bad luck,” he said. “I know stubbornness is a trait of redheaded ballerinas, but if we could just get this done, I have places to be.”
“Stuck inside a mirror?”
“You’ve seen my realm.” He motioned to everything around them. “Maybe I want to frolic through the fields.”
Quinnevere glared at him and crossed her arms. “What if I can’t kiss the prince with passion?”
“Then I assume it will be very disappointing kiss.”
Jane snorted, and both the god and Quinnevere flashed her a glare. Emrys would never allow that to happen, which was the problem with this deal. He would get his claws into Quinnevere, and she’d never be able to get them out. The last thing Janeneeded was Emrys breaking his sister’s heart, but in the scheme of deals, this one was fairly innocuous.
Quinnevere thought on the terms for a very long time before she inhaled sharply and seemed to decide. She nodded and said, “I accept your deal.”
“Wonderful.” He clapped his hands. “Oh, and remember, dearest Quinnevere, if you don’t at leasttryto kiss Emrys, you will receive seven years of bad luck. And trust me, your life is about to fall apart, and you probably won’t survive it even with good luck.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Age 29.
Jane sat quietly in the corner of the cable car, her fingernails digging into the wood, her eyes gazing off to the distance of the city. They were riding from the Spirit Sector to the Pleasure District to get to the Viridian so Quinnevere could finish her bargain, and Jane had another Gilded Alliance meeting.
The first one without Nightmare. It would be interesting, to say the least.
