Chapter 34

Bound and gagged in the playhouse water-cellar, Trystan tries to follow Evie Sage’s suggestion that he retrieve the dagger strapped to her thigh. The intimacy unsettles him, but he manages to pull the weapon free, only for the dagger to burn his hand painfully.

Trystan cuts his own restraints and then Evie’s, concluding that the dagger’s magic repels his. Evie says the blade feels warm and welcoming to her, and it leaps into her hand when she reaches for it, reinforcing the strange bond between Evie and the demon dagger.

As Trystan works at the rusted bars, he asks when Evie’s scar stopped hurting. Evie answers that the pain ended when she slit Otto Warsen’s throat, though the mark now tingles and hums as if answering the part of her absorbed by the dagger. Trystan regrets that Evie had to kill Otto, but Evie insists it was a pleasure, masking deeper feelings behind a false smile.

Evie tries to cut through the cell bars, but the impact only heats the metal and burns Trystan again. When Evie moves to help him, Evie trips on the discarded ropes, sending both of them crashing down with Trystan on top of her. Trystan is conscious of Evie’s possible intoxication from the flower and resolves not to take advantage of her.

The cellar door suddenly opens before they can regain control of the moment. A young woman enters, excited to see The Villain, then recognizes Evie. Evie is stunned to identify the newcomer as Helena, who greets Evie with a menacing smile and calls her “little cousin.”