33 - FINN

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

A t five minutes to seven I'm dressed and pacing the front room, waiting for Mitch to deliver Jasina Bell. I'm not nervous. I would not call it nervous. But… the fact is, I haven't had a first date with a woman since Clara and I were fourteen years old and she asked me to be her escort to the Pledge Gala in her second year.

And it occurs to me now that we even talked about that night just before she went into the tower. It was her favorite memory with me.

But is this night with Jasina a date?

Or is it just a dinner with a down-city girl who won a Choosing contest?

I can't decide.

It could be something more. If there was any sort of future in my future.

But at the very least, I'm gonna be seeing her for the next three months. I know this for sure, because I'm the one in charge of Choosing and I'm gonna make sure Jasina Bell makes it through every one of them.

If this place lasts that long, that is.

Because I don't know what it means for the god to be dying. The only thing I took away from the Council meeting that day my father died was… hopelessness.

Suddenly, the doors open and I turn just in time to see Jasina's face light up in surprise as Mitch escorts her inside.

She's been here, of course. But only upstairs, not down here. And she's impressed.

I walk over to her and Mitch backs off as I take her hand, kiss it, and smile. "Welcome. Welcome to my home, Miss Jasina Bell."

She blushes, which is a nice touch if it's fake and downright sexy if it's not. "Thank you." She curtsies, bowing her head. And this is when I notice how mature and refined she looks tonight.

It's the dress. It's gorgeous. And big. A gala dress, for sure. Not what I was expecting, but I can't complain about the bare shoulders or the way the neckline plunges to reveal cleavage. "You look lovely."

This makes her smile and draw in a big breath. "As do you. I mean." She blushes again. This time it's absolutely real. "Your suit is stunning."

I turn to Mitch, find him leering at her cleavage, and shoot him a look when he finally manages to meet my gaze. "You can leave now."

Mitch looks confused. "You want me to leave?"

"And you can take the cooks and servers with you."

"But… Finn—I mean, Extraction Master—it's five courses. Who will keep the food hot? Who will serve?"

"I've got it, Mitch. So please." I pan my hand at the door. "Dismiss them and go."

He lets out a long breath, wanting to argue with me. But he won't. Not in front of Jasina. Instead he does a little bow, then retreats in the direction of the kitchen, barking orders as he walks.

Jasina and I look at each other. She's nervous, but there's a little bit of sadness in her expression as well. Why though? Because I dismissed everyone and we're going to be completely alone?

No. She's nervous because… she likes me?

Or… she had a bad day? That can't be it. She looks amazing. She had a day at the spa and the Maiden District couturier's full attention.

She had a bad yesterday . That's why she didn't come. Something happened.

Mitch comes back leading a train of servers and cooks. When he opens the door and steps aside, they file through. He sighs one last time, then backs out of my palace and closes the doors behind him.

I turn to Jasina. "You're sad."

"What? No." She smiles, still nervous, but also still sad.

"Yes, you are. What is it? What happened yesterday?" Her face falls into a frown and I knew it. I knew I was right. "Come on." I take her hand and tug her in the direction of the dining room. "Let's eat before everything gets cold."

She doesn't resist. Simply allows me the privilege of taking her into the dining room where two places have been set and enough food has been put out to feed a party of eight. "I told them to just cook it up and we'd eat buffet style."

Jasina nearly snorts. "Oh, my god. Were your cooks furious?"

"Probably. But they get the night off. What do they care? Grab a plate, fill it up, and tell me who made you so sad you didn't want to come see me last night."

She grabs a plate but doesn't meet my eyes. "Why do you think that's what happened? Maybe I just don't like you?"

"Please. You like me. Tell me you don't."

She's putting little bits of food on her plate, so she doesn't say anything for a few moments. Not until she's picked out what she wants and can no longer avoid it. Her blue eyes are a little bit glassy when they meet mine. And this is when I notice that they are not the cyan-blue color of the canal like Clara's.

They are royal blue. The blue of ancient kings and queens. The blue of sapphires. The blue of butterflies.

She opens her mouth and I'm expecting another excuse or maybe an apology for looking sad. But instead, she tells me the truth. The whole story about Donal Oslin pushing her into a nook and her aunt slapping her across the face comes spilling out right there as we stare at each other from across a spread of food.

When she's finished, I look her straight in the eyes and make a promise. "She will never do that to you again. And as for Donal, I know his father. I will?—"

"No." Jasina puts up a hand. "No. I don't want you to say anything. To either of them. Just… let it go."

"Fuck that. No. He needs to pay for what he did. I don't have any power over Matrons, but she's not gonna have another reason to slap you ever, Jasina. Because tonight, you and I are gonna figure out that room. And then we're gonna tell her everything we know."