Page 141 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

With a nod, Merrick rose from the bed, his movements jerky as he used the bedpost to steady himself. “It will be good for you. Our king won’t come back for a while, and you have a few days off.”

She blinked. “You don’t think it’s too dangerous?”

Making his way to his room, Merrick lingered by the door, his fingers tapping the wooden frame. “Everywhere is dangerous right now. But perhaps the castle is the most dangerous of all. Go, Lessia. I have some matters to tend to anyway, so I won’t be around. And while he is human, I believe the man can protect you. Perhaps better than I can.”

Her mouth still hung open as the door closed behind him.

As she lay down in the bed, anticipation danced across her skin, and a stupid smile wouldn’t leave her face even as sleep took her.

She had no nightmares that night.

Chapter

Fifty-Eight

Ademanding knock on the corridor door woke her, and Lessia yawned as she wrapped a thick blanket around herself against the freezing air in the room and made her way over to open it.

No light trickled in through the large windows as she unlocked the hatch, but Loche was fully dressed in dark clothing, with a thick fur-lined cloak clasped atop his chest, a satchel slung over his shoulder, and a grin gracing his face.

“I heard you were free to go.”

A wrinkle formed over her brows as she tried to smooth out the hair she was sure was tangled around her face. “How?”

Loche grinned wider. “I’ve told you before; I get what I want.”

Her frown deepened.

With a wink, Loche gently nudged her backward, opening the door farther. “I might have had Zaddock pay your guard a visit while we were spending time in the library.”

Lessia shot a look at the door leading into Merrick’s room.

Had he known all along Loche asked her to leave?

She glanced from Loche to the darkness outside her windows. “Is it even morning?”

Chuckling, Loche walked into her room. “No. But I’d prefer not to have anyone see us or try to stop us. Now get dressed, and let’s leave.”

She was already dressed in her usual tunic and breeches, so Lessia laced up her worn leather boots and made her way to the bathing chamber. A shiver danced across her shoulders when Loche’s hand brushed hers as she passed him.

She threw him a glare, but he only chuckled again, his eyes glittering in the dim light.

Closing the door behind her, she drew a deep breath.

Nerves tangled in her stomach, and she wished she’d had time to speak to Amalise or Ardow before leaving.

Not that she had never been alone with a man before, but Loche…

There was something about him that unsettled her, shook her to her core.

And she couldn’t help but worry what would happen once they were alone again. She’d nearly gotten carried away yesterday. Had almost forgotten about what she kept hidden beneath her long sleeves.

Lessia splashed some cold water on her face and picked up a brush to try to tame her unruly hair. The amber eyes looking back at her in the scuffed mirror as she worked were wide, and there was a rosiness in her cheeks she couldn’t attribute to the cold.

She groaned to herself.

He was just a man.

Straightening her dark tunic, securing the sleeve over the silver snake, she shook her head and walked out into the room again.

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