Page 29 of A City of Smoke and Demons
‘It was opium.’ Ezra shot her a quick, slightly defiant look, and she remembered the pipe she found, and her silent accusation.
‘How did you stop?’
He huffed a quiet, disbelieving laugh. ‘Maddog.’
Analise’s eyebrows lifted. ‘Maddog Pierce helped you break an opium habit?’
‘Maddog Pierce put me in a boxing ring, and I found a strange sort of solace in beating the shit out of people—and in being hit back. The same sort of high I got from the drug, the same level of forgetting.’
Analise’s gaze dropped to his fingers, still clutching the glass. The knuckle of his index finger had been broken before, the bones not set properly, and his little finger was bent. ‘And that truly helped?’
One corner of his mouth lifted. ‘Thinking of beating me up, Analise?’
The way he said her name, the gentle ‘A’ and the lingering softness on the rest, caused her insides to tighten. Apart from the Gendarme and the boxing, she knew hardly anything about him, and found she wanted to know. ‘Tell me something true, something about you that no one else knows.’
‘I like poetry,’ he said eventually.
Analise couldn’t help it—she burst out laughing, then laughed harder at the look on his face. She finished her drink, holding out her glass for a top-up. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, chuckling, as he splashed a too-small amount of whiskey into her glass. ‘That was not what I expected.’
‘You shouldn’t be so judgemental,’ Ezra said with mock hurt. ‘People have layers, you know. I, for one, happen to be a complicated person. To be honest, I’m offended you’re implying otherwise. I told you I was educated, didn't I?’
She smiled. ‘Alright, Ezra. I apologise. I’m sorry I assumed you were a shallow, vapid person who likes tormenting others with his bad jokes and innuendo. I’m sorry I assumed a gangster's prize fighter was without layers, or education. I was wrong.’
Ezra shook his head. ‘That’s the worst apology I have ever heard. Did your mother not teach you any manners?’
‘My mother left me on the doorstep of a convent, so no.’ She watched as the truth sank in, then spoke before he could. ‘I don’t need you to pity me. People always pity me for it, which is why I keep it to myself.’ She hesitated, licking her lips. ‘Will you teach me?’
‘Teach you to do what?’
She shrugged. ‘Cook.’
Surprise flitted across his face. ‘If you wish.’
‘Thank you,’ Analise said quietly. The soft words and lack of jokes was a different side of him and she got the feeling she could like this version.
Ezra went to say something, then stopped, his brow furrowing. Moments later, the front door opened and footsteps plodded into the safe house. Jem strode into the room, his face as stern as it usually was. Someone was standing in his shadow, someone small and slightly built. Then, a voice Analise knew.
‘Get out of the way. I want to see her.’
‘Lira?’ Analise whispered as her friend shoved Jem to the side. A smile spread across Lira’s face at the sight of Analise.
‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost,’ she quipped. Her dark hair was braided and dangling over her shoulder like a snake, and she was wearing trousers and a man’s waistcoat. Lira pulled a smoke from her pocket and lit up. ‘You haven’t, have you? Can you? I know some Daughters who can. I always said this place was haunted.’ The last words were to Jem, who shook his head.
Analise’s blood ran cold. ‘How did you …’ Her eyes darted to Jem. There was nothing on his face, no shock, no anger, she swallowed. ‘You knew?’
He nodded; she thought she might faint. ‘Why am I alive?’
Lira fetched a saucer to use as an ashtray, then joined Analise and Ezra at the table. Jem remained standing. Analise had no idea why Lira was here, or how she’d known Analise was adeath witch. Her head was spinning. Lira reached over and gave Analise’s hand a squeeze.
Somehow, that simple gesture cleared away any doubts she had about whether the petite brunette was her friend. Unexpected tears pricked at her eyes.
Ezra and Jem exchanged a look, leaving Analise with an overwhelming sensation that everyone knew something she didn’t.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked.
Lira exhaled a plume of smoke. ‘Jem’s my brother.’
Analise made a choking sound. ‘Brother?’
