Page 70 of Heart of Thieves

Whatever her magic runs on, it certainly isn’t “sins” the way she claims. My earlier thought that it could be fear might fit better, perhaps, but I’m still not convinced.

“And her,” Laurel says, pointing across the crowd, frowning. “Odd . . . She looks familiar.”

When I catch sight of who she means, a chill runs down my spine.

Lola stands at the heart of the crowd.

Laurel meets my gaze, expressionless. “That’s Astra Tremaine, isn’t it?”

“Maybe?” I hedge. “She looks different.”

Laurel glances back at her, frowning. “Why’s she wearing a disguise?”

Before I can stop her, Laurel has plunged into my magic once more. I panic, trying to push her out.

“Odd,” she says softly, staring through my eyes, honing in on the threads of light vibrating through the air. My magic, twining from my chest to Lola’s. “Is she . . . ,” Laurel says quietly, turning to face me, “. . . using your magic?”

I act as though I’m just discovering this as well, eyebrows rising as dread slams through me. “How the depths . . . ?”

“She’s Nocturne.” A smile dances at the corners of Laurel’s lips. “Isn’t she?”

“We can’t—”

She releases my magic, ignoring me, and begins to pace. “Oh, this is perfect. Another seaspawn . . .” Her head snaps up and a grin splits her face. “And she’s in love with you, right?”

“Well, that’s not technically—”

Laurel’s eyes gleam with a manic, vibrating light that has every alarm bell in my head ringing. “Where did she get her powers? Why is she running the game?”

My mind whirs, a desperate, foolhardy idea taking root. The only thing that might keep Laurel from hurting Lola . . . for now, at least.

“Seems worth investigating.”

“Should we steal her secrets, too?” Laurel ponders.

“People reveal far more when they think they can trust you,” I say quickly, praying I’m not about to make everything infinitely worse.

Her eyes meet mine, glowing like pale moons in the dark. Not threatened or jealous, thankfully, but intrigued. “What are you thinking?”

“If Astra believes someone cares for her—someone she’s inclined to care for herself—perhaps she’ll reveal her motives,” I say, trying to keep my expression impassive so she won’t pick up on the pang slicing through me as those words leave my mouth.

“You want to seduce her into giving up her secrets on her own.” Her mouth curls.

I force a conspiratorial smile as my stomach twists.

This is going to be dangerous. If I lead Laurel to believe I’ll woo Lola into giving me the information we want, she’ll likely take to watching every interaction from within my eyes, ready to assume control of my body at any time. I’ll have to be extremely careful to keep Lola from mentioning anything that could put her in harm’s way. But . . . if I play my cards right, this could give me more freedom as to how much and what I might be able to say to Lola. And on the off chance Laurel gives me free rein at any time to do as I wish without her watching, I might get an opportunity like I did earlier to warn Lola more clearly about the danger Laurel poses.

“I like it,” Laurel says, a soft smile curling her lips.

She likes it now, but if she’s shown me anything the past few days, it’s that she’s inclined to jealousy.

“Remember,” I warn as dread makes me dizzy. “No matter what may come out of my mouth, you know where my loyalties lie.”

Her smile fades, but she nods. “Of course.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

LOLA