Page 10

His expression darkened.

“So, I think,” she said carefully, “I need to be more aggressive.”

The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop.

Asterion’s shoulders squared, every line of his body going rigid. “No.”

“No?” Ria blinked.

“Not a chance.” His voice had become dangerously quiet. “You’re talking about flooding my niece with witchcraft.”

“I’m talking about removing whatever those hunters left inside her.”

“I said no.” His horns seemed larger somehow, his entire frame looming over her as instinctive protectiveness rolled off him in waves.

Ria felt her temper snap.

“Do you want her to die?” she hissed.

For the first time since they’d arrived at the estate, Asterion looked genuinely stunned.

“I didn’t say she was dying,” Ria continued, keeping her voice low so it wouldn’t carry. “But if her body can’t heal properly, then every illness, every injury, every infection becomes more dangerous. I don’t know how long that suppression will last. I don’t know what it will do to her a month from now or a year from now.” She stepped closer, refusing to be intimidated by his size. “I need to try.”

“And if your magic hurts her?”

“It won’t.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can promise I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

His nostrils flared.

“My power has saved lives before.”

“And magic has destroyed just as many.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They stood there in the hallway, glaring at one another with all the stubbornness two utterly different worlds could muster. Between them lay the same frightened little girl. Neither of them was willing to risk losing her; the only difference was what each of them believed could save her.

Ria threw her hands into the air. “You don’t have to like magic.”

Asterion remained silent.

“You don’t even have to like me.”

Still nothing.

“But you do have to trust that I know what I’m doing.”

His jaw flexed, a silent sign that her explanation wasn’t landing.

“I’ve trained under Hecate for over a decade. I’ve treated monsters, mortals, demigods, and creatures most people don’t even know exist. I don’t throw spells around because they’re flashy. Every potion I brew, every ward I carve, every bit of magic I use has a purpose.”

“You ask me tae gamble with her life.”

“No.” Ria took a step toward him. “I’m asking you to stop letting your fear make this decision.”

His eyes narrowed. “I am not afraid.”