Page 114 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

Dragging her with him, Loche pulled the hood from his face when they neared a large steel door with two of his masked guards posted outside.

The men bowed their heads as they recognized him, opening the squeaking door to reveal a beautiful foyer with light gray walls and glass lamps lining the entire ceiling.

Soft music flowed through the house as she stepped over the threshold, and muffled laughter and conversation reached her ears as Loche led her up a black spiral staircase.

When they reached the third floor, Lessia’s eyes widened.

On a table to her right, a dozen of those frightening black masks were lined up, and farther in, several couches and chairs stood before a massive stone fireplace.

More than twenty men turned their heads as they approached, the conversation falling silent, and as her eyes met Zaddock’s where he leaned against one of the pillars lining the walls, his mouth fell open.

Zaddock made his way over to them, his wide eyes shifting to Loche. “What is she doing here?”

Loche plucked two goblets of wine off a side table, barely sparing Zaddock a look as he pressed one into her hands. “I invited her.”

Zaddock’s face tightened, and he turned his back on her, not realizing Lessia heard every word he whispered into Loche’s ear. “Did she do something to you?”

Muscles tensing, Loche glanced at her from over his shoulder before he responded. “I’m pretty sure she can hear everything we say, so why don’t you ask her directly?”

Zaddock’s eyes flew to hers, and he cleared his throat. “My apologies, Lessia. We don’t usually bring anyone here.”

She fixed her gaze on his. “I didn’t do anything to him, Zaddock.”

“I’m pretty sure you do more than you think,” he mumbled but then excused himself, returning to the conversation he was having with a man clad in the black uniform Loche’s men always wore.

Sweeping her gaze across the room, she realized every man in here was one of Loche’s guards.

She’d never seen any of them without the masks.

Hadn’t even heard of anyone who had.

“This is our safe space.” Loche squeezed her elbow, steering her toward the balcony she’d spotted from the outside. “They don’t need to hide here.”

She turned to him, a wrinkle forming between her brows. “What do you mean, they don’t need to hide?”

Pausing for a moment, he sipped from his goblet. “I just meant they don’t need to be guards. They can just be themselves.”

Loche motioned for her to continue walking, and as she stepped onto the marble floor of the balcony, she sucked in a breath.

The impenetrable glass she’d seen from the street was completely clear, offering them a breathtaking view of Asker, of every single person walking the streets beneath them.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

When her eyes settled on his face, the genuine smile that graced it threatened to take her breath once more, and she could only nod.

It was amazing.

She could see all the way to the castle, the harbor to the east, the forest to the north, and every building in between.

Loche directed her to a small couch facing the glass.

Taking the seat beside her, he clinked his glass against her own before leaning back and releasing a sigh.

“I had this built when I was elected.” Loche’s steely eyes collided with hers. “There is so much scrutiny when you’re regent, people tracking your every step, so I wanted a place where I could do the same. Anonymously watching and evaluating and judging.”

Lessia glanced at the people below, every expression and movement clear to her as they walked the streets. “I can see why that would be appealing.”

“I thought you might.”

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