Aurelie, still blotting at her tears, was at an utter loss. “I’ll never have it finished in time. What you’re asking is impossible.”
“Now, now. You know what they say. Necessity is the mother of invention. I think you’ll find having a deadline keeps you far more focused on the task at hand.”
Aurelie felt paralyzed by her fear in a way she’d never experienced before. “I’m supposed to go to the Morels’ for Yule,” she said weakly. “What am I meant to tell them?”
“Tell them whatever you like. You’ll stay on campus and work until the job is done. That’s what you’ve been hired for. That’s what I require if you wish to see your uncle again.”
At the renewed threat to her uncle, Aurelie felt a bit of her nerve return. If she couldn’t be brave for herself, she would be brave for him. “Tell me why,” Aurelie demanded. “Tell me why you chosemefor this, when it could have been anyone.”
Everard’s lips curled in that now-familiar grin. “Anyone? Come now, my dear. You must give yourself more credit than that. Who else could I manipulate so easily? Who else but a young, headstrong girl would be so willing to go against her own morals for her vanity? People think the best victims are the ones with the most to lose, butthey’re wrong, Miss Blake. The best victims are the ones with very little to lose, because they know how dear that little is.”
Aurelie’s fear and sorrow crystallized into sheer hatred, and she would have lunged for Everard’s throat if Kobal hadn’t emitted a low snarl then, baring all its sharp teeth. “I’ll make your portal,” she ground out. “And you will let my uncle go.”
“I do believe that’s what I said.” Everard rose, clearly finished with her. “Bundle up, Miss Blake. You’ll need all your extremities if you plan to finish your work in time. And don’t forget to save the final rune.”
Cold with shock and utterly lost, Aurelie stumbled out into the snow. Somehow, she made her way to the café she’d been to with Daisy and Des, seeking comfort in the company of other humans.
She ordered a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and chocolate buttons, though it tasted like ash on her tongue. As hopeless as everything felt, she had no choice but to try to finish the portal, which meant she was about to spend an entire week alone. Even the campus guards had lighter shifts this week. There would be no one to protect her from Everard if he returned, no one to help her when she encountered difficulties, as she no doubt would.
Around her, parents laughed as children guessed what they’d get as their Yule present. Young people with boxes and parcels huddled around tables, none of them eager to get back to the cold walk home. She wouldn’t even have Mephisto this week. Before she knew it, she was sobbing into her hot chocolate.
“Are you all right, Miss Blake?”
Aurelie looked up to see one of the demon hunters from the first night she’d met Des, a boy who seemed far too young to be part ofthe Iron Guard. She took the napkin he held out to her and dabbed her eyes, humiliated to be seen crying in public. “I’m all right, thanks. Just a bad grade on a term paper,” she lied. “It was Gareth, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right.” He smiled, pleased she’d remembered him. “I have today off for the holiday. We each get an extra day off this week.” His smile faltered. “Except for Des. He insisted on filling in for Daisy.”
“Of course he did,” she muttered, still wiping her tears.
“Would you like me to walk you home? Daisy told us about the attack near the university last week.”
Aurelie hadn’t confirmed it, but she was fairly certain she was in no imminent danger from the demons who had been following her. They likely worked for Everard as well. He hadn’t explained to her how he had enthralled Kobal, or why he had a connection to the demons he so badly wished to eradicate, because he hadn’t needed to. Everard was well aware that once she knew her uncle’s life was at stake, she’d do anything Everard commanded. But she also knew today was the last contact she’d have with another kind person for some time.
“That would be nice,” she said. She paid for her drink and bundled back into her coat, following Gareth outside. The snow had started to fall again, obscuring nearly everything. There were no coaches out with such poor visibility, so people walked down the middle of the street, appearing out of the swirling white like ghosts.
“Where will you spend Yule?” Aurelie asked as they neared the gates of Wisteria University. Gareth was bigger than Aurelie—nearly everyone was—but his arm felt insubstantial compared to Des’s. Des, who was tall like Everard and Miles, but who used his strength to protect people. No wonder he despised her. She’d beenmaking the world less safe for everyone, including him, all these years, and she hadn’t even had the wherewithal to realize it.
“A friend of my parents has invited me to spend it with his family, but I’ll be working on Yule itself. No rest for the weary, I’m afraid.”
Aurelie didn’t tell him that she, too, would be working on Yule. She should have been at the Morels’, laughing with Kiara about how annoying the other students could be, helping to decorate the family tree.
No. She should have been with Uncle Leopold. She should have known he’d never stay away for so long. Not from the university, and not from her.
“If you see Daisy, wish her a happy Yule for me,” she said as they arrived at the gates.
“I will. Have a happy holiday, Miss Blake.”
“You as well, Gareth.”
He’d almost disappeared into the swirling snow when Aurelie called after him. “And wish Des a happy Yule as well!”
He turned, his smile fading into the white. “I will!”
“I’m not leaving you,” Kiara said as she sat on Aurelie’s sofa. “I’ll tell my father I want to spend Yule here, with you.”
“Absolutely not.” Aurelie was attempting to coax Mephisto into its cage with a cockroach. So far, nothing was working. “This is your favorite holiday.”
“Which I won’t be able to enjoy knowing you’re here all alone being forced to build the damn portal.”