Chapters (52)
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Acknowledgments
- Read More from the Market of Monsters Series
- More Books from HMH Teen
- About the Author
- Connect with HMH on Social Media
“I know how to use it.” Adair’s voice was steady. “I know how to stretch it and manipulate it and leak it and whisper it in the right places to make things happen.” He took a deep breath. “Work with me.”
Nita thought she’d misheard. “Pardon?”
“I’ll partner with you. You have the power, but I know how to use it.”
Nita stared at the wall, at the cracks in the plaster that looked a little like a fibula bone. Her first instinct was to reject him, to push Adair and his offer away. She didn’t share her power. She needed to be in control—only when she was completely in control would she be safe.
But she forced the instinct down, because it was wrong. She wasn’t her mother, obsessed with control at all costs. She couldn’t do this alone. She didn’t know how to use the information. Adair was right, much as she hated to admit it. Adair was almost always right. The very thought left a bad taste in her mouth, but she knew it to be true.
“You don’t even like me. I nearly killed you.” Nita’s voice was hard. “What’s stopping you from killing me and stealing my information?”
“I told you, Nita, I don’t do vengeance. What’s past is past. We’re both still alive, and this isn’t about liking. This is a business partnership, not a marriage proposal. Like doesn’t factor in.”
“Betrayal does,” Nita said. “What’s to stop you betraying me?”
He was silent for a long time, then said, “Diana.”
Nita blinked. “Pardon?”
“Diana. She wouldn’t let either of us betray the other. She may not hold much sway over you, but I won’t do anything to make her angry.”
His admission came out grudging, and Nita frowned slightly. “You like her, don’t you?”
“Of course I like her, I work with her every day. You think I’d hire her if I didn’t?”
“No, I mean, you like like her.”
Adair was silent for a long moment and then said, “I’ve never understood people’s obsession with romance. Why can’t I value her for who she is without there being something romantic?”
Nita blinked. She hadn’t really thought too deeply about it, or even thought too deeply about her question. Now, though, she wondered. Why had she assumed that?
Adair sighed softly, a crackling burst of static on the other end. “People love to think that if you have strong emotions for someone, that if you care for them deeply, it must be romantic. But that’s not true. I care about Diana a lot. But not that way.”