“So I can talk to you without being overheard.”
I raise my brows, curiosity piqued.
“If you can put up sound wards…why don’t you always do that?”
“Because it can be seen when I put up sound wards, so I choose carefully. I was thinking about something,” he spouts as he turns back to me. “There are times when I leave but remain here in the castle. I know during those times, you’d greatly prefer to be here with Vera as opposed to being locked in my chambers.”
I grin, a dash of excitement blooming in my chest. “You’re going to let me?”
“There would need to be a way for you to alert me if…any trouble were to arise,” he says carefully.
“You have such a way?”
He shrugs a single shoulder. The movement is too casual, rousing my suspicions. “You would have to let me mark you.”
My throat dries. “Mark me? Like the ones you have on your back?” He nods. “You want to put…magic on me?” I seek out Vera, hoping she’ll aid me in refuting him however she extends a hopeful nod.
He frowns. He wasn’t expecting my hesitancy. “It would be to your benefit. And it’s the only way I would feel comfortable leaving you unprotected. I can’t literally bar people from coming in here,” he says, looking back toward the door. “Or I would.”
I didn’t doubt that. “I don’t know….”
“Don’t trust me?” he asks, cocking his head.
I shift in my seat. I don’t have a good reason to deny him, but the last time someone put magicinme when the Soothsayer had read my palm, the daemon responded to that. As well as during our wedding ceremony. Things are good here right now. I can’t risk exposure. Can’t risk being the cursed one again. “Well, I don’t even know what it entails.”
“The one that will be most useful in this scenario will alert me when you’re…in danger. It’s similar to how the triquetra works,” he says, gesturing to the backs of his hands.
“But the triquetra is bound with blood magic,” Vera interjects.
Sitri shifts his attention to the table. “Right…as this would be.”
“Isn’t that… illegal?”
“It’s not exactly legal per se, but it's never stopped me before…” His eyes narrow. “How do you know it’s not legal?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Research.”
“Hmm.”
“Doesn’t that make it…bad?”
“No magic is good or bad. It’s just magic. The only good or bad thing is in the intention.”
“Really? Anthropophagic magic isn’t bad?”
“Well, I mean… you could argue that specific magic is prettybadbecause you literally have to be eating someone to be performing it. And, generally, eating people isn’t a hunky dory kind of thing, but you know…”
My brows shoot up my forehead and he sighs. “Blood magic isn’t illegal because it’s bad…it’s illegal because it cannot be tracked. It’s really not that big of a deal, but I would like to put a few more protection charms on you as well.”
I glance toward Vera, who appears annoyingly hopeful. “Do you have any?”
Her smile quickly fades. “I have one—the triskelion. I’m assuming this is one you have, too?”
He nods. I don’t miss the grim look that passes between them.
“The triskelion is one I would place on you, as well.”
Vera’s lips part. “You’re going to put that one on her?”
