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Corvus had never heard Frederick be so interested in something. Three questions in a row must be a record. He told him as much and Frederick told him to sod off and stop being so blasé about his own life.

“One of my ancestors, in his great wisdom, decided to pay a great deal of money to have this curse put into place to ensure his progeny would do their duty and marry. He was quite obsessive about his line continuing. Apparently, he wanted it to be a lot more specific, but either the group of people he hired to enact the curse took pity on the poor souls who would come after this maniac or they literally were not capable of enacting further clauses ensuring the background of the bride including the most dreadful clause of all that if she didn’t have a child by the age of 35, she would be killed.”

Frederick winced, and Corvus continued. “Oh, just wait. It gets worse. I actually found the counter-curse in a book, but I have to actually be at death’s door before it can be performed. That’s when the curse is accessible - otherwise it’s mostly dormant.”

“How long have you known about this, Corvus?”

“Right, I missed that question while contemplating my own mortality. I found out after Father died. The patriarch of the family is the only one who can tell the heir unless he dies. Thankfully, he had enough time to tell mother before he died, and she told me. Apparently, most Winterbournes marry rather young, so it’s not usually a relevant detail to share.”

Frederick put up a hand. “Wait. You mean to tell me you’ve known about this for years and you haven’t done anything about it?”

Shrugging, Corvus sat back down as though he couldn’t hold up his weight anymore. “You know that’s not true. I’ve been waiting for a chance with Pearl. I had to get my trauma sorted - I refused to drag it with me into another attempt at a relationship with her, and then I had to wait until she was single.”

Frederick wanted to shake Corvus again, but he just managed to resist. So, he berated him instead. “You mean to tell me you could have just married someone, divorced them after a month, and then been free to pursue Pearl without the fear of death.”

Corvus sagged deeper into the cushions and closed his eyes. His reply was soft. “Doesn’t that seem rather cruel? I wouldn’t want to do that to another woman. And anyway, what if I had missed my chance with Pearl in that year? She very well could have gotten married to one of the men she dated.”

Opening his mouth to argue again, Frederick took a moment to look at Corvus more closely. He hadn’t noticed it at first because Corvus was always pale, but he was almost a ghostly shade now. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep - or falling into something even deeper than sleep. Fear gripped Frederick, and he did shake his friend now but for entirely different reasons. “Corvus. Corvus!!”

Startling, Corvus looked at his friend and gave a weak smile, but it did nothing to soothe the terror Frederick felt. “How much time do you have Corvus?”

“Well, I have to get married before I turn 31.”

Hands shaking, Frederick dropped Corvus in his shock. “Mate. Your birthday is tomorrow.”

The sigh that left Corvus came from his soul. “It is. I’m afraid I’m almost out of time.”

Mind whirring desperately for a solution, Frederick had a lightbulb moment. “Just marry me! Wouldn’t that work? I won’t care if you divorce me after a day.”

Corvus’ smile was the first genuine one that Frederick had seen all day, and Corvus put his hand on his heart - rubbing it as though it pained him. “I really couldn’t ask for a better friend, could I? I know I’m stubborn, but even I wouldn’t turn down that offer if it was one I could accept. Because of the era in which the spell was created and also the purpose of the spell being to continue the Winterbourne line, if you married me, the magic wouldn’t recognize it.”

Frederick had considered that, and as soon as he got a no, his mind began racing to other possibilities, and he could only think of one. He didn’t have time to think through logistics, so he sprang into action. “Where’s your mother? I know she’s got her issues, but I also know she loves you.”

Turning away, Corvus’ voice was rough even as it grew weaker. “I told her I didn’t want her here.”

“Well, you don’t have the ability to argue at this point. I’m getting her here to watch you and make sure you stay alive until I can fix this.” He helped his friend get comfortable on one of the couches and covered him with a nearby throw. It made it even more readily apparent how much Corvus was slowing down when it took him a while to ask the obvious question. “Where are you going?”

“To the only person who can make this right.” But Corvus was asleep before he heard his answer.

A knock on her door startled Pearl out of her reverie. The last time someone had actually knocked without her knowing who was on the other side, Corvus was arriving for Hannah’s party. Generally, the only people who visited were people who knew her well, and they always sent a note or a text asking if they could come over. Or they were Pru and just appeared without warning in her living room. Cautiously approaching the front door, she saw an incredibly unexpected face when she glanced through the peephole. She almost just left him standing on her stoop, but there were too many questions clanging through her head to do so. Opening the door only a smidge, Pearl attempted to sound unwelcoming. “How do you even know where I live?”

Pearl had never known Frederick not to crack a joke at any and every opportunity, but he remained completely somber as he replied. “I asked Pru.”

“And she told you? How do you even have her number? Why didn’t you just ask Corvus?”

“Look. I had to deal with her husband looming over me the entire time and her absolutely grilling me before she handed over your location. You know how absolutely terrifying that woman is, so if I was willing to endure her interrogation and I actually passed, you know I have a good reason to be here.”

Pearl wasn’t ready to give up yet. “Again, why didn’t you just ask Corvus?”

Running a frustrated hand through his hair, Frederick took a fortifying breath before answering. “Because Corvus doesn’t know I’m here. He would kill me if he knew.”

Cracking the door open a bit wider and wandering away was all the invitation she was willing to give Frederick.

“Does this mean I can come in?”

Sigh. She should have known the impeccable manners that had been drilled into the boys of his echelon would kick in. “Are you a vampire? Do I have to formally invite you in?” Plopping on the couch, she gestured widely in a mockery of formality. “You may enter, m’lord.”

Frederick proved quickly that his manners never stuck as well as Corvus’. He made sure Pearl could see his eye roll as he walked in. “What he sees in you, I’ll never know.”