27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bronwyn

Wilder is outside waiting for me. He is leaning on the statue of Petrov Hansimov and studying his boots. He looks up as I come up the final step.

I glance down at the book held loosely in his grasp.

"So, what now?" I ask, drawing to a halt about a foot away from him.

"I took this spell book to stop Morozov from having it," he says in a low tone. "But if I give it to you, how can I be sure that your father won't use this spellbook for evil?"

"You can't," I reply as I turn toward Wilder. "My father is not a good person. Make no mistake about that. Nor should you mistake anything I do for altruism but know that the world will not fall by our hands."

"How can I be sure?" he asks, holding the book closer to himself.

"World domination is bad for business," I reply with a shrug.

"Who are you, Bronwyn, really?"

"I'm an heir," I admit at last. "To a legacy of assassins and thieves." I pull my lip between my teeth. "I'm not the good guy and I'm sorry if you ever thought I was."

Wilder's releases a heavy breath; he works his jaw as he studies me. "Are you going to fight me for it?"

My eyes dart down to the spellbook then up to Wilder. I cross my arms tightly. "I haven't made up my mind about that yet."

He gestures to the stairs, agitated. Clearly, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Did you not see what I did to Morozov and my own friend? Will you really make me have to fight you off in the same way?"

I take a half step toward him but stop in case he sees my move as a threat. "I'd certainly not want to fight you for it, if that's the answer you're looking for."

He moves his hand up, running it through his hair. Finally, he nods. "I suppose it is fortuitous that I am not a good guy either. Fine," he draws out the word. "Eel, I'll give it to you on two conditions."

I move back, my foot meeting the cold water. I have to steady myself to keep from falling into the pool surrounding us. I had not expected him to actually give it to me. Not after learning more about who my father is, but it seems I overestimated Wilder's desire to be a hero. "And those are?" I ask warily.

"I want to be a part of your father's business."

I can't help it; a smile of confusion takes over my expression. "What do you mean?"

He reaches out, waving his arm. "This academy is no place for me, especially without you here. I cannot go home, obviously. I cannot just exist in society."

"That's true, you have no applicable skills." I can't help but giggle after I say this even despite the glare he gives me.

He sniffs, offended now. "I meant because I am a vampire. But something tells me that your father's sort of… business, is perhaps the perfect place for a vampire can find a new life."

More than he realizes… not just vampires either, my father's newest assassin is a newly transformed werewolf. My father loves to collect people with special sorts of skill sets that are not available to the general populace.

"What's the second condition?" I ask.

"I want the truth out of you, Bronwyn the Eel." He pushes away from the statue and strides toward me. He doesn't stop until we are almost touching. I feel a piece of the platform flake away with the force of my leaning back and hear it splash as it lands in the pool. He presses the book into my hand, but as I grasp it, his fingers wrap around mine. His eyes hold mine spellbound and it leaves me wondering if perhaps this is also a spell found in Hansimov's book. "Do you think that it is possible that you could ever start to fall for a monster like me?"

"Oh," I breathe out. My chest feels strangely constricted as I raise my free hand up to gently trace my fingers across his cheek. Chills race up and down my spine from his cold touch. I trace over those haughty brows to the proud lines around his mouth, finally I stop my thumb resting on his lip.

"Will you still give me the book if the answer is, no?" My hand slides down the side of his face before resting on his shoulder.

Hurt flashes across his face, and I feel him stiffen under my grasp. "If that is the truth then yes. I will keep my end of our arrangement."

"And what will you do if the answer to that is yes?"

He tilts his head back in surprise. "Well, I'd kiss you, but you told me not to do that in private anymore—"

I cut him off by grasping the front of his tunic and yanking him toward me. Wilder's eyes widen in surprise, but I don't give him the chance to try to smooth talk his way out of anything. I press my lips against his.

And finally, I'm the one who kisses him. I hope this leaves him feeling just as off center and dazed as his kisses always did to me.

I pull away just enough to say, "The answer is indisputably, yes."

My mouth is so close to his that I can feel the shift as a smile breaks out across his face. He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me into him and presses two more kisses to my lips.

"Then I think that it is time I met your father," he whispers between those kisses.

It rings out like a promise of a better life.