“Bloody hell.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Yes, but you can’t tell a soul.”

She grinned. “Or what?”

He couldn’t imagine her telling anyone, but if she did, it could be ruinous. “You’ll end up on my grandmother’s black list and you do not want that. She’ll force me to fire you. At the very least.”

Tessa’s smile disappeared. “You shouldn’t have told me that was it.”

“If I’d said it wasn’t the amulet, you would have seen I was lying.”

“I won’t tell anyone. I swear on my sword.”

“You have a sword?”

She scrunched up her nose like she’d just revealed something she hadn’t meant to. He knew the feeling. She sighed. “All valkyries do.”

“So you must know how to use it.”

She nodded reluctantly. “I do.”

The thought of her wielding a sword seemed very out of character, even if she was a valkyrie. Sebastian pictured her with a medieval blade, a fierce look on her face and a suit of whatever kind of armor a valkyrie might wear.

It was rather erotic.

He cleared his throat. “Do you still train, then?”

Her gaze took on a distant, haunted look. “No. Typically valkyries do—my sister does all the time—but I’ve sort of put that life behind me.”

This side of her intrigued him. Especially since she seemed to want nothing to do with it. “Why? It’s who you are.”

“Being born valkyrie doesn’t define me. I’ve chosen a different path, that’s all.”

Now it felt like she was the one holding something back, but he let it slide. If she wasn’t ready to tell him the truth, so be it. They didn’t owe each other their deep, dark secrets. Although he had told her about the promise to Evangeline’s father. “Did you bring it with you?”

“My sword?”

“Yes.”

She crossed her arms. “It seems we both have a secret.”

“I’d say fair enough, but you know mine.” And she seemed to be keeping two: one about the sword and one about her past.

“Only because I guessed it.”

He gave her a look. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“A little.”

He sighed. “Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll figure it out.”

“You won’t. But enjoy trying.”

“I believe I will.” He glanced toward the door. “Where is Evangeline, by the way?”

“In the theater. She said she wanted to catch up on movies and stay out of my way.”

Sebastian frowned. “She really said that?”

Tessa nodded. “And she meant it, too. As far as I know, she’s still in there.”

“Maybe the years have softened her a little.”

“You’d know better than I but I’d say she really has been missing you.”

His brows pulled together. “What makes you say that?”

She traced a pattern on the arm of the chair. “Well…” she sighed. “I did something today I’m not super proud of.”

Now that was surprising. “What?”

Her mouth bunched up on one side. “I snooped in Evangeline’s room.”

It was so unexpected, he barked out a laugh. “What? You? Why, Miss Blythe, how positively criminal.” He laughed again when her cheeks went red.

She put her hands on the arms of the chair. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s hilarious. Find anything interesting?”

“Actually, I did. Photocopies of newspaper articles from the Tombstone. Some of them may have been online stories that she printed out.” She waved her hands like that wasn’t important. “Anyway, all of the articles had pictures and every single picture had you in it.” She jabbed a finger at him. “She’s been checking up on you. Seeing what you’re doing. She misses you.”

“Maybe.” He wasn’t convinced. “She might also be trying to estimate how much I’m worth these days.”

“Then why make copies of the pictures?” Tessa shook her head. “She wants to be able to see you.”

“Good point. Doesn’t seem like something she’d do, though.”

“Well, like I said, you know her better than I do.” Tessa looked over at his desk. “I should let you get back to work.”

“I’m done. Finishing that budget and seeing Julian were all I really needed to do today.”

“So what are you going to do until dinner?”

An idea had begun forming when she’d mentioned the sword. “I’m so glad you asked.”

This was a room Tessa remembered from the tour. It was hard not to remember a space this big. Also, what house had a gym with an area set up especially for fencing?

The door swung open and Sebastian walked in, looking impressive in his fencing whites. They set off his dark eyes and hair and the gleam of the mask tucked beneath his arm gave him an air of debonair danger. He grinned, lighting his face in a way that sucked the air from her lungs. “Ready to duel?”

But his handsomeness did nothing to quell her nerves. “I-I guess. This isn’t the kind of sword fighting I know.”

“That’s all right,” Sebastian said. “I’ll show you the basics. I have a feeling you’ll pick it up quickly.”

Her nerves wound tighter. She squeezed her hands together. “I don’t know. I’m not much for fighting.”