Vicious Grace (34 page)

“I shouldn’t have won,” I said.

Ex looked over at me. He frowned. He always frowned.

“The fight with the
haugsvarmr
. I shouldn’t have won.”

“The guilt’s hard. I know that, but—”

“Ex. The circle broke. I didn’t have you three to help me. Even with Aubrey pulling the Oath of the Abyss. I shouldn’t have been
able
to win.”

“The wards that Eric put on you—”

“You mean the ones we can’t find? The ones we haven’t reinforced in the last year and who knows how long before that? Those wards?”

Ex crossed his arms.

“Those wards,” he said.

“Spells are magic,” I said. “And magic fades. You told me that. Magic fades, and I’m getting
stronger
.”

“All right,” Ex said.

There should have been a flash of lightning, a crack of thunder. The rain just kept dripping. The TV show went to commercial. I felt Ex’s gaze on me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite fathom. I took a deep breath, sighing it out slowly. When I spoke, my voice sounded weirdly calm and matter-of-fact. You know. All things considered.

“I think I have a rider.”