The Serpent's Curse by Lisa Maxwell (read an ebook week .TXT) 📕

“That’s all fine and good, but what about Cordelia?” Esta said, shattering the perfection of the moment into a million pieces.

“What about Cordelia?” North asked. The sharp-mouthed sharpshooter wasn’t his concern, not when all he wanted to do was take what Maggie was offering and never look back. “Cordelia’s a smart girl who can shoot better than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

“Which is unfortunate for you,” Cordelia said as she stepped into the tent, her gun already drawn. “Margaret…” There was a gleam in her eye that North didn’t like the look of. “I thought we went over this. You know what will happen to your sister if you leave.”

“What does Ruth have to do with any of this?” North asked through clenched teeth. He’d seen the glimmering possibility of a future with Maggie, and he’d be damned if this woman would brush it away like some desert mirage by reminding Maggie about her sister.

“Maggie has responsibilities. She’s made promises to the Antistasi,” Cordelia said, her voice deadly even and calm. “She can’t walk away… not without facing the consequences. It ain’t just your lives at stake here. If she walks away—”

“I know,” Maggie said, cutting Cordelia off. “But my sister made her choices. I’ve done what I could to protect her, but I can’t do that forever.”

Cordelia’s expression hardened, and panic sparked in her eyes. “You can’t walk away from the Antistasi, Margaret.”

“I’m not walking away,” Maggie told the sharpshooter as she tightened her grip on North. “I’m walking toward something else. Something more important.”

North wasn’t exactly sure what they were going on about, but as far as he was concerned, the discussion was over. They needed to get out of that tent and away from the showgrounds while they still could—if they still could.

“Maggie’s done more than anyone could have asked. She’s given up everything for the Antistasi—her home, her sister. If she’s ready to walk away, you’re not going to stop her.” North ignored the pain in his leg as he put an arm around Maggie. “We’re leaving. Now. Considering the situation out there, I’d suggest you do the same. You can go on and get whatever artifacts you want, and we wish you the best, but this is the end of the line for us.”

He turned away from Cordelia, leaning into Maggie for support more than he would’ve liked.

“Well, at least y’all got that much right,” Cordelia said, and as she spoke, North heard the hammer of her pistol click into place.

SURROUNDED

1904—Denver

The moment that Cordelia cocked her pistol, Esta knew things had become more complicated. It was clear that the sharpshooter didn’t have any intention of letting them go, but there was more than pure fury in Cordelia’s eyes. Fear was there too.

“You don’t have to do this, Cordelia,” Esta said, trying to draw her attention in a new direction. “Whatever the Professor has on you, we can help. I can help you fight him.”

Cordelia only stared at her. Then the sharpshooter’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “He told me you’d say that. He warned me that you would try to win me over with false promises, but it ain’t gonna work. I won’t let your lies turn my head.”

“They’re not lies, Cordelia. The Professor doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t even care about the Antistasi,” Esta said. “You’re nothing but a means to an end for him. He’s using you to get to me.”

Cordelia aimed the pistol at Esta. Her eyes had gone wide and more than a little wild. “That’s where you’re wrong. The Professor ain’t using me. He chose me because he trusts me, and I will not betray that trust. We are so close to a different future. So close to freeing the old magic, like he promised.” She was shaking her head. “I can’t go back—I won’t go back—to hiding myself away and living in fear of people who ain’t got any kind of real power.”

“You can’t kill me,” Esta reminded Cordelia, trying to ignore the way her heart skipped at seeing the gun’s barrel pointed directly at her. “You might want to, but you know what will happen if you do. You know I wasn’t lying.”

“You’re right.” Cordelia’s mouth went flat, but her eyes were more furious than ever.

Esta saw what was coming even before Cordelia swung the gun toward Maggie and North. She didn’t have her affinity to reach for, so she couldn’t pull the seconds slow or move the bullet out of its path. She only had herself. Before she considered what the consequences might be, Esta leapt at Cordelia, hitting the sharpshooter at the same moment the gun went off. The sound of it firing rang in Esta’s ears as she pushed Cordelia to the ground and knocked the pistol from her hand.

Cordelia blinked, but her surprise lasted only a heartbeat, before she pushed Esta away and scrambled for the gun. Esta wasn’t about to let Cordelia get it, though. She lunged, and in a matter of seconds, she’d straddled the sharpshooter, pinning Cordelia to the ground.

But then Esta heard North make a keening, wailing sound like some kind of wounded animal on the other side of the tent, and Cordelia began to laugh.

“I told y’all before,” she said. “I never, ever miss.”

Esta looked back to see that Maggie’s eyes were wide and her face had drained of color. She was clutching her hands to her side, and North’s hands were pressed over them as well, but blood was already seeping from beneath their fingers. For a moment all Esta could do was stare numbly, while Cordelia’s unhinged laughter continued to vibrate beneath her. Then suddenly Cordelia wrenched herself to the side, throwing Esta off-balance.

Cordelia was on Esta before she’d even hit the ground. The sharpshooter’s hands grabbed Esta’s neck and started to squeeze, even as Esta tried to fight her off.

“That’s enough,” a voice said, accompanied by the second click of a pistol being primed.