A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly #2)(57)

“But you can enhance your power, El.” He drew back his shoulders. “And you can control the cravings. Without Joseph’s method.”

“How?” I breathed. “How?”

“Supplement your magic.” He took a step toward me, staring straight into my eyes. Not once did he blink.

He looked dangerous. Demonic.

“Blood,” he whispered. “Sacrifice.”

For half a second I considered the words. But then the weight of those words careened into me. I staggered back. “No, no, no.” I lifted my hands. “You told me you didn’t approve of sacrifices.”

“I don’t mean human.” He sniffed. “Spiritual energy is in the blood of any living thing, El. Simply drinking the blood of an animal will—”

“Stop!” cried a high voice from another room. “Stop!”

Gravel skittered, and Oliver and I whirled around just as Jie hopped through a burned-out window and into our room.

“Did I hear him right?” She stared at me, her eyes huge. “Are you talking about sacrifices? And necromancy?” She punched a finger toward Oliver. “And did he call himself a demon?”

“J-Jie,” I stammered. Where had she come from? “I can explain.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” But when I tried to say something, I found that my mouth would only spring open and closed. I turned a desperate face to Oliver, but he looked as stunned as I felt.

“Well?” She planted her hands on her hips. “Say something, Eleanor. Is he really a demon?”

I nodded slowly. All the blood left her face. “Oh God,” she whispered, shaking her head and backing up. “I have to tell Joseph.” She spun on her heels, spraying pebbles, and hurried toward the nearest doorway.

“Wait!” I darted after her. “Please—I’ll tell you everything. Just don’t tell Joseph.”

She paused. “Why not? He’s already worried about you—and you know he is. He told you to stay away from black magic.”

“But I have no choice!”

“You always have a choice,” she snarled.

“No. I don’t. I would have died had I not used my magic, had I not bound myself to Oliver.”

She retreated two steps and gasped. “You bound to it?”

“Him,” Oliver snapped. “I am a—”

“Shut pan.” Jie bared her teeth at him. Then she turned to me. “I’m telling Joseph about this.”

“No!” I lunged for her. “Please! Let me . . . let me at least explain.”

“I don’t want to hear any explanations from you.” Her eyes roved over me, repulsed. Betrayed.

“You know a demon is causing les Morts. What if it’s him?”

“What?” Oliver straightened. “How ridiculous—”

“Really?” She thrust her chin at him and then at me. “For all I know, you’re both raising the

Dead . ”

“Jie!” I reared back. “How can you say that?”

“Easy. We think a demon is murdering these people, and what do you show up with? A demon.

And on top of that, you’re learning necromancy. It’s not a hard conclusion to make—especially when the moment you came to Paris was the moment les Morts started rising again.”

“No.” I grabbed the sides of my face. “Jie, you know me! I’m not a murderer!”

“I knew you,” she spat. “And that Eleanor wouldn’t do necromancy. But fine.” She threw her hands up in defeat. “You wanna keep secrets from me, then keep ’em. But Joseph has to know about this.”

“And I’ll tell him!” I blurted.

“Why should I trust you?” she sneered. “You’ve lied to us—lied to me.”

“No!” I shouted, anger rising over my fear. “It’s not Oliver. It can’t be Oliver. He was in America.

With me.”

She shook her head, her lips clamped tight. “You’re a necromancer now, Eleanor, and that makes us enemies.”

Then, with a final jaw clench, she pivoted around and burst into a run. I immediately shoved after her. Oliver shouted for me, but I didn’t hear. I had to stop Jie. Had to make her see things my way.

I pushed my legs faster. By the time I reached the open courtyard, I had broken into a full sprint.

My ankles twisted on loose stones and white dust puffed onto my skirts, yet Jie stayed far ahead.

So I ran harder. My lungs seared and my vision turned hazy, yet still I ran—out of the ruins and into the gardens after Jie’s shrinking figure. Flowers blurred in the corners of my eyes as I barreled onward, aiming for the street. For the hotel. For the almost-vanished Jie.

By the time I reached the hotel, my body shaking, I had given up.

Joseph was going to find out sooner or later anyway. What was the difference in defending myself to Jie than in doing it to the both of them? Let Jie tell him. For now I wanted to be alone to process everything that had happened—that was happening. I didn’t know what I was doing anymore.

So I hauled myself up to my bedroom, sat on the edge of my bed, and stared at the carpet.

Thoughts flashed through my mind one after the other—from the letters to animal sacrifices to the