Page 111 of The Artist and the Dragon

He flinched, drawing his hand to his chest. “Bronwyn. You wound me. Of course not.”

“Forgive me for thinking otherwise,” she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“My hands have been relatively clean … until recently.” He looked at them and shrugged. “My mother died by her own hand. Not long after my father.”

Years, then. Her corpse had lain in that bed for years.

“They were so deeply in love. It seems she could not bear to be without him, not even for her only child.” There was true sorrow in his voice. Hurt. Longing.

And damn if she didn’t feel a slight twinge of sorrow for him. Losing one’s mother was a horror—one she knew well. Losing both parents to violent ends? There was little wonder he’d become twisted.

Lord Griffith wandered to the seating area, where he picked up a crystal glass filled with dark liquid and brought it to his lips.

Her stomach turned. Was it hers? Best that she didn’t know.

“But you killed Charlotte,” she said, tearing her gaze away from the vintage in his hand.

“Ah, yes.” He set the glass back down and stared at it. “Most unfortunate. She and her brother were quite useful. Elis was so determined for his family name to continue to rise, to build upon the foundation of wealth his father had created by elevating their status as well. And Charlotte? Well, she was always so devoted to her older brother. He was all the family she had left, after all.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “A shame that you caused both of their deaths.”

Bronwyn reared back, stunned. “Me?”

He nodded. “You poked your nose into things you shouldn’t have and encountered Elis. I assume he tried to kill you to keep you quiet, though I had told him, all of them, that you were not to be harmed.” He wagged a finger in the air. “That’s why the prince killed him, isn’t it? And Charlotte, dear Charlotte.” He clicked his tongue. “I thought she might crack after her brother’s death, so I kept an eye on things. You looked so downcast when you left her home the morning after the opera.”

“You were watching.” She’d missed that. Completely.

“I was. I’ll admit, I was surprised. I thought she might hold firm and earn a reprieve after all. But then I saw her maid leaving and followed her. Imagine how I felt when she went straight to the castle.” He shook his head. “There was no avoiding it then. Though I’d wager she didn’t spill my secrets in her note given your presence the next day.”

“You killed an innocent woman out of fear.”

With a little laugh, he threw himself down on a sofa. “I think we both know she was far from innocent.”

The barb stuck like a blade to the chest. No, she had not been innocent, but had she really deserved to die? And this man had the gall tolaughabout it.

“You!” Fury seethed from her as she stomped toward him. She raised her hand to strike. “How dare—”

He lashed out with blinding speed and grabbed her wrist in a crushing grip. She yelped.

“That’s not how you should approach your future king.” The pressure lightened ever so slightly, but he did not free her.

“You’ll never be king,” she wheezed.

“We’ll see.” Griffith frowned as he took in the blood on her palm drawn by her nails. “What a waste.”

Disgust washed through her. She tried to pull away, but he drew a sharp dagger and pointed it at her throat.

“Do have a seat.” He tugged her toward the spot beside him.

Reluctantly, she went. She couldn’t kill him if she were dead herself. A thousand hateful words lingered on her tongue, waiting to be hurled at him, but those would get her nowhere. Instead, she said, “It’s true you asked the dragons not to hurt me?”

He blinked, lowering the blade ever so slightly. The smirk stretching across his lips softened. “I did.”

Bronwyn loosened the tightness in her jaw, and tried to make herself look delicate and unassuming. “Why?”

“My interest was genuine.” He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. “It still is.”

Gooseflesh raced across her skin, leaving her cold.

“I’ll not deny I initially sought you out for your connection to the royal family,” he continued. “It surprised even me that my intentions shifted.”

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