there but Simon and me. I was awake, Oberon save and keep me.
âThere it is. Very good.â Simon held up two mugs. âWould you like a cup of tea?â
âNo, thatâs okay.â I dug my nails into my palms, fighting the urge to grab a knife from the dish drainer and start screaming for him to get out of my house. âIâm not a tea drinker. I keep it around for company.â
âOh, yes. Youâre more of a coffee girl, if I remember correctly.â
I opened my mouth to say that no, I wasnât even drinking much coffee these days, and paused, eyeing him. âYouâre not even trying, are you?â
âExcuse me?â Simon turned to face me. He had a squeeze bottle of honey in one hand. It was shaped like a bear. Somehow, that struck me as unutterably hysterical.
âI said, youâre not even trying. You havenât done
anything
to make me believe that youâre Sylvester. You can drop the illusion,
Simon
. I know who you are.â
He blinked, disappointment flashing in his eyes. âI never claimed to be my brother, you know,â he said. âI actually thought you were inviting
me
inside.â
âIâd kiss the Luidaeg before Iâd do that.â
âAnd sheâd let you, assuming the stories are true.â
âWhat stories?â I asked, unable to stop myself.
âThe ones that say youâve finally decided to start finding allies, learn your place in this world, and grow into your potential.â Simon dropped a teabag into his cup before taking the kettle off the stove and pouring water over it. There hadnât been time for the water to boilâthe stove wasnât even onâbut it came out hot and steaming all the same. âItâs been a great relief. Iâd been worried that you were going to break your motherâs heart.â
âWhat the hell are you talking about? Donât talk about my mother. You donât have any right to talk about her.â
âOctober, believe me. If anyone is allowed to talk about Amandine, itâs me.â He added a generous amount of honey to his tea, releasing the illusion that had made him look human at the same time. The smell of smoke and rotten oranges filled the room. The change did nothing to make him look less like his brother. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, âWell? Will you do me the same courtesy?â
âI donât want to do anything for you,â I said, through gritted teeth. I released my illusion all the same. It was a small thing, and antagonizing him wasnât going to do me any good.
For a momentâless than a second, but long enough for me to seeâhis expression changed, arrogance and calculating coldness turning into something that looked almost like longing. The moment passed as quickly as it had come, and he nodded. âYes, this is much more what you should have been from the start. Iâm sorry, my dear, but Amy did you no favors when she spun the balance of your blood from gold into straw on the wheel of her powers. It seems youâve done better for yourself, now that youâve taken the spindle in your own two hands.â
âYou know, as metaphors go, you probably couldnât have chosen a much creepier one.â
âSometimes âaccuracyâ and âcreepinessâ go hand in hand.â Simon sipped his tea, made a face, and added more honey. âYouâre surprisingly calm. From the reports Iâd heard, I expected you to attack me as soon as you realized who I was.â
âIâve learned some self-control,â I said. âI canât beat you. I know that.â
âSo youâre giving up in the face of a greater adversary?â
When he put it like that, it stung. That didnât make it the wrong decision. âYou havenât attacked me yet. I figured Iâd wait for you to make the first move.â
Simon sighed. Then, slowly, he put his tea and the