Betrayals
Page 64

I could feel Ida’s keen gaze on me. When we walked into the front parlor, I tried not to gape at the frieze of magpies. My great-great-grandmother had put them there. Like me, she’d been able to read omens.
I remembered what the little girl from my visions said about the house: It was built for you, long before you were born. “We’d like to offer you the house, Olivia,” Ida said.
Gabriel snorted, and she looked over, then said, “I’m sure that comes as no surprise.”
“Not at all,” he said. “I’m simply impressed by the speed with which you got to it.”
“I believe in being forthright,” she said.
“Ah, trying a new tack.”
“Sarcasm does not become you, Gabriel.”
Veronica cleared her throat. “We’ve earned his sarcasm, Ida.” She turned to me. “We believe living here would both strengthen your powers and ease their negative effects.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “You say that, knowing—”
“Knowing you’re concerned about those negative effects. Yes. That may seem like an obvious ploy, but I strongly believe Liv would do better in this house. To test that, I suggest she live here for a while and see if it helps.”
“That was not what we discussed,” Ida said.
Veronica smiled sweetly at her. “I’m improvising. As is my right.”
Ida glanced at Walter, who pretended not to notice.
“I’m not really looking to buy a house,” I said. “I’m only in my apartment about half the time anyway. What would I do with a place this size?”
Even as I thought it, my mind threw up answers. I’d turn one of the bedrooms into an office and leave another as a guest room, for when Gabriel needed a place to crash. I’d put exercise equipment in the basement—I didn’t get to the gym nearly often enough lately. I’d redo the kitchen and maybe ask Rose to teach me to bake. I’d add a solarium, where I could curl up with a book and a mocha and—
Stop. Just stop.
“Think of it as an investment,” Walter said. “You could flip it. That’s the term, isn’t it? Fix it up and then, if you no longer wish to stay, sell it for a profit.”
“Sell it to whom?” I laughed. “I know how real estate works in this town. Newcomers have to pass a screening committee. I’m guessing that’s because the preference is for those with fae blood, presumably Tylwyth Teg. You need to let in some outsiders, but to keep the town under control, you tightly regulate admission. That’s why this house has stood empty for so long.”
“No, it’s stood empty because we were saving it for you.”
“You’d sell it to us,” Ida cut in. “That’s how it works. We buy it, as recompense for the inconvenience of our town policies. We purchased this one for three hundred thousand, which was the fair market value. Given that it has stood empty for years, repairs will be necessary, and so we’re taking that into consideration and offering it for two-fifty.”
I could hear my dad whispering that it was a steal but of course I should try to bargain down to two-twenty-five. I had to smile at that. It was good to hear his voice. I worried sometimes that with Todd in my life, my dad would fade away to silence.
“That’s very fair,” I said. “But right now, I have about two grand in the bank.”
“We’re well aware that your trust comes due in a month,” Ida said.
Veronica nodded. “If you chose to live here as a test, you wouldn’t even need to decide until you have the money in the bank.”
Ida’s look warned Veronica to stop this nonsense about a trial run.
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
“Why don’t you do as Veronica suggests,” Walter said. “Move in for a while. I can have some of the young men fetch your furniture from Grace’s, and you could be in by nightfall.”
“Considering that Grace owns all the furniture in my apartment, I don’t think she’d appreciate that.”
“Then we’ll find you some.”
“I think I’ll take it a little slower. But thanks. Now, the reason I asked to speak to you …”
I told them about the lamiae. When I finished, I braced for a crafty look from Ida, as she tried to figure out how best to use this “request” to their advantage. Instead, she simply said, “No.”
“What?”
“No, they may not stay here. Cainsville isn’t their home.”
“They’re being hunted—”
“Fae have always been hunted. Those of us with foresight built towns like this, to protect ourselves and our descendants. Others cannot merely dance about, enjoying their freedom, until they need sanctuary, and then take advantage of our hard work.”
“They aren’t asking to move in permanently.”
“But they’d hope to. That’s where this is leading.”
“Then set limits.”
“Allowing them inside Cainsville cracks open a door that must remain shut. This town is for us, Olivia. For us, for you, for Gabriel. I realize that sounds cruel, but we built our fortress. They built nothing. They must live with the consequences.”
“Or die with the consequences.”
“Yes.” She met my gaze. “If you can stop their killer, then they will stop dying and they will owe you. That is the proper way to handle this. It reflects well on you to help them. It does not reflect well on you to become indebted to us doing so.”