Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

that intrigued me about you, Ms. Blanco.”
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    “And what would that be?”
    I stared at him. He must have more than a small talent owen stopped and disengaged my hand from his arm. for metal, if he could do all that. once again, the thought Before I realized what he was doing, he turned my hand struck me that owen Grayson was someone worth over and held my palm up. “This.”
    watching, someone to be very careful around. Perhaps We stood underneath one of the antique streetlights. The even someone to get rid of. But my curiosity wouldn’t hazy golden glow covered my palm—and made the spider quite vanish enough for me to take that final step. Not rune scar embedded in my flesh shimmer a faint silver. yet. Not until I knew exactly what he wanted.
    “A small circle surrounded by eight thin rays,” owen
    “And what does the metal in my hands sound like?”
    Grayson murmured. “A spider rune. The symbol for paHe gave me a small smile. “It sounds sad. Hurt. tience. I wondered what the symbol was.”
    Lonely.”
    For a moment, I was stunned. Simply stunned. Not I kept my face blank, even as the emotions and memoonly because Grayson knew about my scars, or at least ries raged inside me. The feel of the spider rune medalthis one, but also because I never showed the marks to lion burning into my skin, the smell of my own melting anyone. only Finn and the Deveraux sisters knew what flesh filling my nose, my hoarse screams echoing in my they really looked like besides me, and I wasn’t crazy ears, the Fire elemental’s cackling laughter drowning out about staring at them myself, for obvious reasons. everything else. Somehow, I pushed the memories back oh, sometimes someone in the restaurant would get a and focused on owen Grayson’s face, on his violet eyes, quick, accidental look at them while I was working. But which were still glowing ever so slightly. the scars had faded over time, and it was hard to tell they At that moment, I seriously considered hurting owen were really runes without studying them up close—or Grayson. Even killing him. Because somehow, Grayson that I had one on each palm. Even then, I just passed had stripped away part of my defenses, part of my anothem off as burns that I’d gotten from working in the nymity. He knew too much about me, knew too many Pork Pit over the years.
    things I was so careful to conceal. He could be a threat. To Still, despite my surprise, I played it cool, as though me, to Finn, to the Deveraux sisters. I didn’t like threats. Grayson seeing the scar didn’t matter to me at all. I So I decided to get down to business.
    shrugged. “So I have a scar. Lots of people do. Hardly
    “My scar sounds sad, hurt, lonely? That sounds like a worth mentioning.”
    lame come-on to me,” I mocked. “Surely, you can do betHe shook his head. “Not just any scar. It’s silverstone. ter than that, Mr. Grayson.”
    The metal is in your skin. When I shook your hand that owen laughed—a loud, hearty laugh. I’d amused night, I felt it. And now,” Grayson cocked his head to one him. He was laughing in the face of his own possible side. “I can hear it.”
    death. Despite the stupidity of his action, I had to adEstep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 306-307
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    mire his bravado. It, and this little spark of interest, just seen the rune around my neck and realized what it of curiosity I had about him, was all that was keeping meant—that I was supposed to fuck anyone here tonight Grayson alive.
    for free. Either way, I supposed stranger things had hap“So what do you really want?” I asked once Grayson’s pened.
    laughter had died down.
    “But I wasn’t quite quick enough to catch you before
    “From you? I haven’t quite decided. But the possibiliyou left the ballroom,” Grayson continued. “And then I ties are interesting.” His eyes wandered down my body heard you speaking with Mab in the bathroom. Which again in a frank, assessing way that told me he liked interested me that much more, Gin. May I call you Gin?”
    what he saw. His gaze settled on the heart-and-arrow
    “Sure. No need to stand on ceremony at this point. As rune that hung from my black velvet choker. “Although for what you overheard in the bathroom, I can’t imagine I never would have taken you for one of Roslyn Philwhy two girls talking about getting it on would