The Familiar

by Leigh Bardugo

It was unacceptable. Just that morning, when Luzia had said she thought anticipation might unravel her, his mind had been overtaken by the thought of twining a strand of her hair around his finger, of releasing it and watching the curl spring back. Unravel. A single word might drive him mad. It stuck in his mind like a thorn, infecting him with a kind of fever, the thought of Luzia Cotado unraveling.

You must be careful with … with Santángel.” It seemed everyone wanted to warn her today. “Because he made a deal with the devil?” Valentina winced. She shook her head. “Because he is a man, Luzia.”