agree,” Lord Gallo said.
Faye skittered her gaze hopelessly to his, but his expression was bland once again, his attention directed at Shaleena.
“That is why I meant to ask you to do some tutoring today.”
“Tutoring?” Her tone had gone suddenly coy. Her lips curved. “Might I hope you would be my student, Jasper?”
Faye glanced at Madeline, but if his wife felt threatened, she showed no sign.
“No,” Gallo said.
Shaleena smiled and slid her crafty gaze sideways. “I would be happy to help your bride hone her skills if you feel she needs—”
“The lesson is for Cur,” he said, interrupting smoothly.
Shaleena turned with a jerk. “You jest.”
“I believe, if I am not mistaken, that he is arriving even as we speak.”
Shaleena’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Why the devil do you insist on inviting these odd outsiders into our midst?”
“‘Outsiders’?”
“You would be a fool to trust them with our secrets.”
“I assume you are including Joseph in your distrust?” Madeline asked.
“He can’t be trusted,” Shaleena hissed, taking Madeline aback with her vehemence.
“Why do you believe this?”
For a moment something almost primitive passed through Shaleena’s eyes, but she lifted her head and leveled her gaze, expression cool and condescending once again. “He’s a man, is he not?”
“I believe so, but I’ve not noticed in the past that you dislike men by gender alone,” she said, and glanced at her long-suffering husband with an arched brow.
“Why do you allow them to come here?” Shaleena hissed, and took a step toward Madeline, but at that moment, Lord Gallo rose. He was not a tallman, not a broad man, but in that moment there was something about him that spoke of power just barely leashed.
“They come because I ask them to. Because they are of assistance to us.”
“Assistance!” She spat the word. “What can they do that I cannot?”
“Cur seems to have an uncanny ability to find people,” Madeline said. “Indeed, he found us. ”
“Why?” Shaleena asked, teeth gritted.
“I have been meaning to ask you that,” said Gallo.
“Me! Why would you think to question me? I’m nothing to him. Less than nothing.” Her voice sounded frantic. “I’ve not seen him…” She stopped, gaze snapping about the room, fists tightening and relaxing. “I had not met him before his arrival here. I’m certain I had not.”
A twinge of pain stabbed Faye’s head, and Shaleena twisted toward her.
“I do not lie,” she hissed “And I’ve not got the witch’s madness.”
“No one suggested you were mad,” Gallo said, tone level, but at the mere mention of the words, Faye’s skin prickled. More than a few of the most gifted were locked away. More still had taken their own lives. “All we ask is that you—”
But at the moment, there was the slightest suggestion of noise from the front of the house.
“I believe that may be he now,” Gallo said.
Something shone in Shaleena’s eyes, somethingalmost akin to fear. Then she left, breezing from the room and up the stairs to her own private chambers.
The room went quiet, pulsing with uncertainty. Lord Gallo spoke first.
“Cur,” he said though the doorway was still empty. “We’ve been expecting you.”
A young man stepped into view. He was tall and narrow, with sharp, dark eyes that spoke of wit and caution and foreign bearing.
“How do you do that?” he asked.
“I heard you coming.”
“I might have been another.”
“But you’re not,” Gallo said.
This ability to feel the powers of the gifted was his one talent. Or so he said. But Faye suspected there was a great deal he did not say. A great deal she did not understand about how he had found her. How he had found the others. Had understood their oddities, had honed their crafts.
“Are you?” Gallo asked.
“Not yet,” Cur said, just hinting at that oddness Shaleena had spoken of. And Gallo smiled with his eyes, a rare show of good
Faye skittered her gaze hopelessly to his, but his expression was bland once again, his attention directed at Shaleena.
“That is why I meant to ask you to do some tutoring today.”
“Tutoring?” Her tone had gone suddenly coy. Her lips curved. “Might I hope you would be my student, Jasper?”
Faye glanced at Madeline, but if his wife felt threatened, she showed no sign.
“No,” Gallo said.
Shaleena smiled and slid her crafty gaze sideways. “I would be happy to help your bride hone her skills if you feel she needs—”
“The lesson is for Cur,” he said, interrupting smoothly.
Shaleena turned with a jerk. “You jest.”
“I believe, if I am not mistaken, that he is arriving even as we speak.”
Shaleena’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Why the devil do you insist on inviting these odd outsiders into our midst?”
“‘Outsiders’?”
“You would be a fool to trust them with our secrets.”
“I assume you are including Joseph in your distrust?” Madeline asked.
“He can’t be trusted,” Shaleena hissed, taking Madeline aback with her vehemence.
“Why do you believe this?”
For a moment something almost primitive passed through Shaleena’s eyes, but she lifted her head and leveled her gaze, expression cool and condescending once again. “He’s a man, is he not?”
“I believe so, but I’ve not noticed in the past that you dislike men by gender alone,” she said, and glanced at her long-suffering husband with an arched brow.
“Why do you allow them to come here?” Shaleena hissed, and took a step toward Madeline, but at that moment, Lord Gallo rose. He was not a tallman, not a broad man, but in that moment there was something about him that spoke of power just barely leashed.
“They come because I ask them to. Because they are of assistance to us.”
“Assistance!” She spat the word. “What can they do that I cannot?”
“Cur seems to have an uncanny ability to find people,” Madeline said. “Indeed, he found us. ”
“Why?” Shaleena asked, teeth gritted.
“I have been meaning to ask you that,” said Gallo.
“Me! Why would you think to question me? I’m nothing to him. Less than nothing.” Her voice sounded frantic. “I’ve not seen him…” She stopped, gaze snapping about the room, fists tightening and relaxing. “I had not met him before his arrival here. I’m certain I had not.”
A twinge of pain stabbed Faye’s head, and Shaleena twisted toward her.
“I do not lie,” she hissed “And I’ve not got the witch’s madness.”
“No one suggested you were mad,” Gallo said, tone level, but at the mere mention of the words, Faye’s skin prickled. More than a few of the most gifted were locked away. More still had taken their own lives. “All we ask is that you—”
But at the moment, there was the slightest suggestion of noise from the front of the house.
“I believe that may be he now,” Gallo said.
Something shone in Shaleena’s eyes, somethingalmost akin to fear. Then she left, breezing from the room and up the stairs to her own private chambers.
The room went quiet, pulsing with uncertainty. Lord Gallo spoke first.
“Cur,” he said though the doorway was still empty. “We’ve been expecting you.”
A young man stepped into view. He was tall and narrow, with sharp, dark eyes that spoke of wit and caution and foreign bearing.
“How do you do that?” he asked.
“I heard you coming.”
“I might have been another.”
“But you’re not,” Gallo said.
This ability to feel the powers of the gifted was his one talent. Or so he said. But Faye suspected there was a great deal he did not say. A great deal she did not understand about how he had found her. How he had found the others. Had understood their oddities, had honed their crafts.
“Are you?” Gallo asked.
“Not yet,” Cur said, just hinting at that oddness Shaleena had spoken of. And Gallo smiled with his eyes, a rare show of good
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