Page 72 of The Rook

None of the men answered.

A long time then, she gathered from their silence. Her stomach rolled. She had agreed to marry a man who had been using her safety and wellbeing as a means to force good men into doing very unspeakable acts. Acts she was fighting against.

“Tempest,” Madrid said, very quietly, finally breaking the oppressive silence in the room. “I will only offer this once. We will hide you from the king. He will never find you. I’m certain you agreed to his proposal for the right reasons, but this choice will only result in your death.”

“Not if I get to him first.”

Madrid sighed. “I’m going to ignore you said that.”

“We never wanted his attention on you,” Dima added, nodding slowly. “I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but the king has a reputation of disposing of every lover he’s ever taken to bed.” His jaw clenched. “I’ve buried too many bodies and won’t allow you to be the next one,” he said raggedly.

“We tried to keep you from the king’s notice,” Aleks said gently. “But your trial secured his undivided attention.”

“Oh, so it’s all my fault,” Tempest fired back, hackles raised at the insinuation. “It’smyfault that he organized my opponent to be a lion—expecting me to fail and die, I might add. And then, when I unexpectedly won, it’s my fault he sought me out, knowing that I could not escape.” Her throat tightened. “And it’s my fault he pushed his advances on me, knowing I could not refuse.”

Maxim seemed to swell. “If he’s touched you—”

“I’ve been able to handle myself.” Mostly. But for how long?

“We never said this is your fault,” Madrid cut in, calm as ever. “There was ultimately no way we were going to be able to stop his attention from falling on you, the first female Hound. We just… hoped otherwise. We wished for things to be different.” His back stiffened, and his expression grew even more serious than it had been before. “But that’s why you must leave,” he said. “I know your intentions are good. I have no doubt you’ll try to build your position and influence as queen to the best of your advantage. But Destin will see right through what you’re doing, and you’ll be dead by morning. You can’t marry him.”

Tempest glowered, feeling somewhat like a petulant child. “And why not?” she asked, expecting the answer to be along the lines ofwe want to protect you.

“Because you will undo all the work that we have already done,” Aleks said, his voice so small Tempest thought she’d imagined it. “In the background. For years now.”

She stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard him,” Dima answered. “You’ve stumbled into something that is bigger than all of us. Years of planning hasgone up in smoke in a matter of months with you on the scene.”

Tempest blinked slowly. She’d never considered that her uncles might have a plan of their own. How was she so blind? Over the past few months, in her haste to deem them traitors and monsters, she had underestimated their abilities as Hounds. Then again, she’d had more reason to believe them loyal to the Crown than not.

She ran a hand over her face and placed her head in her hands. For every layer she peeled back, more were revealed. The Hounds were essentially prisoners in gilded cages that were afforded status and luxury beyond what most people in the kingdom could hope for. They were respected. They were loved. They were feared. Yet they were prisoners nonetheless, stripped of their own choices and freewill.

Hounds work from the shadows. Darkness is our ally.

Just like the Jester. Like the Dark Court.

Then the similarity of what the Hounds and rebels were both trying to accomplish sparked a dangerous idea. If both sides were working in the shadows, then why not work with the shadow puppeteer himself?While she didn’t want to put her uncles in more danger than they were already in, they were all dancing on the edge of a sword already. Hell, they’d been putting their lives on the line every day for only God knew how long.

You are the link between the Dark Court and the Hounds. Use it.

“What would you say if I told you that I could provide you with more people? Ones that would escape the king’s notice.”

Madrid cocked his head, his gray eyes scanning her face. “I would say that you’ve been busy. Just what are you getting at,Tempest?” The tone of his voice suggested very much that he did not like what he thought she was about to say.

She took a deep breath. “What if I said I could put you in touch with the rebellion. With… the Jester?” Tempest waited a moment for her words to sink in. No one moved, or even seemed to blink.

“He’s alive?” Madrid said softly.

“There’s always someone to take his place in the Dark Court,” she said evasively.

“Ties to the Jester.” Maxim chuckled. “You’ve been busy, lass.”

“Not much of a choice.”

Dima rolled his neck. “How is it that you managed to get yourself tangled up with the Dark Court when we’ve made sure you were kept away from all this while growing up? You’re a bloody magnet for disaster.”

An impish smile came to her face at the exasperation in her uncle’s tone. “The fact that you raised me should be answer enough.”

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