“I thought coming here would help me find out more about her. I’ve been trying to get the mansion to take me anywhere I can find more information, but I keep ending up at your door. It’s broken or something.”

He sets his teacup down with a clank. “It takes you to my door?”

“Yeah, that’s how I ended up there the other night. I wasn’t trying to see you or anything.” I glance at him and away again.

“Unless you did want to see me.” His voice is low and deep, and the sound draws my eyes to his lips. My stomach drops.

“Please,” he says.

I don’t quite know what he means. But there’s a yearning in his voice that makes my heart stutter.

“I can’t keep losing people,” he says.

“You never had me.” I push my chair back from the table and try not to think of our kiss. He had me in that moment.

Doesn’t mean he still does.

I stand up. “Never mind. I can do it myself.”

He stands too. “No. Let me help… as a friend.”

I stare at him. He’s been on my side this whole time, even though he was lying. I know why he did it, because I would have channeled all the hate in my heart to help me plant a stake in his. He needed time to show me who he was, tell me his story. Help me see.

I do see. I don’t want to kill the same way I did before. I definitely don’t want to kill him, but he also lied to me. I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else he’s hiding. Sometimes I think I can see it in his eyes—hear it in the pauses around what he says.

But I need him right now. “Okay,” I say slowly. “My theory is that if you’re with me while I’m looking, then the magic won’t take me to your door. Not that it was taking me to what I want,” I add, “just to be clear.”

“Of course not,” he says coolly, but I don’t like the lingering hope in his eyes.

“I think it will help if you try to want what I want.”

“I already do,” he whispers, almost more to himself than to me.

“Okay, then.” I clear my throat and rub my hands across my pants. “Let’s do this.”