Page 48 of Beyond Those Gilded Walls

“You can do better than that,” he said, clasping his hands behind his head as he still lay sprawled across my bed. “We discussed many things tonight. The way you ask the question is just as important as the answer, perhaps more so. You can do better. Ask me again.”

“When I could overhear you, you mentioned his father, and me, and a bargain. What were you and the prince discussing then?”

He hummed as he rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on his fist. The other hand patted the empty space beside him. “That’s better. You must be intentional with your words, little wolf. Especially in a place like this.”

I did not move toward the bed.

A sigh so heavy it fluttered the sheets left his lips. “The prince and I have a bargain, one he inherited from his father. He believes I’m not holding up my side of it. I reminded him that the specifics of the bargain were left ambiguous at best, and I am in fact keeping to it.”

“And what he said about me?” I pushed, tucking away that information for later. Tallon had made a bargain with the king, with the prince, and now with me. And he seemed bound to uphold them more by magic than by being a man of his word.

“Ah, now that one, I will not answer,” he said with a smile. “Not yet.”

Of course not.

ChapterTwenty-Four

“Iowe you an hour,” I said. Carefully, I pulled the veil from my head and tucked it back into the wardrobe that never seemed to run out of clothing. The dress I wore beneath was like all the others, thin-strapped and deeply cut, close fitting but shapeless. Though he’d seen me in it more times now than I cared to count, it still felt too vulnerable. I pulled on the robe, cinching it at my waist before slowly pulling off each glove, finger by finger. I turned my gaze back to the bed where Tallon was staring at me, watching every move. “Whatexactlydoes this hour entail?”

“I believe we agreed the hour was to be in my rooms, did we not?” He had not moved from the bed, still lazily strewn across it as if it belonged to him. “But for tonight, I’ll allow it to be here.”

“How generous.”

“I think you’ll find I am quite generous.”

The game was tiring, and I knew better than to let myself be within his reach, so I settled back onto the windowsill. “What do you want with me, Tallon? I won’t give you my body, if that is what you’re after.”

He sat up and shifted to the edge of the bed, propping his chin on his fist and resting his elbow on his knee. “You intrigue me, Odyssa. I’d like to learn more about you.” He leaned forward. “And I would never need to make a bargain to get you in my bed, Odyssa. I promise that.”

I wanted to both scream and laugh. He did not want to know me, he wanted to control me, and for control, he needed to know what I feared. I’d already given him that, and I’d be damned if I gave him anything else to use against me. “Tell me the truth, please. If Rhyon is still alive, he needs that treatment. If he is dead, Emyl will likely be in need of it soon given our family’s luck. I don’t have time for these games of yours.”

“I am not playing games, Odyssa.” He stood from the bed and in two strides was in front of me, looming over me once more. It was a habit he seemed to enjoy far too much. His fingers reached out, and in another habit of his, he traced down my marks. Instead of stopping at my neck as he usually did, he followed the ones that dipped into the hollow between my breasts. Fire followed the path he traced, sending flames and sparks in every direction. His fingers hesitated, and then reached down into my dress, freeing the letter to Emyl I had tucked there. “What is this?”

Ignoring the tingles that still danced across my skin, I snatched it back, standing and pushing past him to set it on my desk. “None of your concern.”

“If it’s a letter to your brothers, why do you carry it with you, instead of having it sent to them?” His brow was pinched as he turned to take up my previous position against the windowsill, his arms crossed and genuine confusion across his face for the first time since I’d met him.

My anger stuttered in the face of it, unsure what to do now that it was clear he had no knowledge of the punishment Camelya had meted out. “My privilege of correspondence was revoked.”

“When and by whom?” His eyes narrowed.

Mine narrowed in response. “You truly do not know?”

“Believe it or not, I am not privy to every decision made in the castle. I may be one of his advisors, but I am not the prince, as I’d hope you’re well aware.”

I bit my tongue, choosing to ignore the dry tone. “Two nights ago, there was a mishap during cleanup, as I’m sure you saw. Camelya informed me that any further mistakes would revoke my pay and my privilege of correspondence. Last night’s interaction with Prince Eadric was considered a further mistake.”

He was quiet for a long moment, looking at me. I couldn’t decipher the expression on his face beyond thoughtfulness. For a moment, anger flitted by on the purse of his lips, but it vanished as quickly as it came. I found myself wanting to fidget beneath his gaze, but I held my body still and kept quiet.

“If you’d like, I would be happy to send the letter out on your behalf,” he finally said.

I hesitated, faltering between wanting to shove the letter in his hands and demand he take it to Emyl right this instant and wanting to question his motives further. The latter won out. “What do you stand to gain by helping me? Would you not also get in trouble if it was discovered?”

“Are you always this suspicious of those trying to help you?” he asked, a slight smile gracing his lips as he looked at me. “Because if so, I believe I am starting to understand you just that much better, little wolf.”

“I’d call myself cautious.”

“Paranoid.”

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