Page 4 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

He moved like a snake: everything about him cold and calculated, as if he could lunge any second and deliver a fatal bite.

Clearing her throat, she inched backward but stilled when the magic coating her skin tightened its grip, warning her not to take another step.

She shouldn’t have sent the other guards home.

Merrick was the fourth Fae guard King Rioner had sent to watch over her. The others had lasted less than a week before they accidentally met her eyes and she sweetly asked them to leave and forget all about her. But Merrick had been a constant the past four years, not once meeting her gaze, not even allowing her a glimpse of the color of his eyes.

Although she was certain they were pure night—two dark windows peering into his lethal soul.

His magic nudged her again, like sharp daggers leaving stinging kisses on her back.

Lessia drew a deep breath. She only needed to assure him she hadn’t forgotten about the king’s orders; then she could leave, go home, and forget all about him until the next time he sought her out.

“I’ve been working. With so many taverns and gambling rooms to manage, I do have to spend time on paperwork as well. I can’t be out every night.”

Merrick remained quiet, but the air around him thickened with tension.

Lessia shuddered as she quickly continued. “I am planning on bringing some of the soldiers and captains home tonight, and my friends will ensure the soiree we’ll host will be the talk of the town for days. I’ve already let them know who I am. The king will be pleased to hear that most people in Asker are familiar with my name by now.”

His thick silver eyebrows twitched in irritation, the only emotion he ever allowed to cross the hard lines of his face.

At least when she was around.

But she doubted that face ever softened. There was a reason for his nickname, one she didn’t care to find out.

“You know as well as I do thatourking is not pleased. He ordered you to make a name for yourself here, Lessia. He did not order you to become a harlot, a human plaything.”

Lessia stiffened, her nails digging into her palms until the smell of iron filled the air. But she wouldn’t allow herself to correct him. It was better he thought that of her than knew what she actually did when she was out of his sight.

“Well, I do own most of the taverns in this part of town now. And I’m respected amongst the merchants and barterers who pass through, so we get the best goods at decent prices. Even with the prices rising, I can keep costs down.” She sweptout an arm toward the packed room. “That’s why everyone comes here, why we’re busy every night. I’d say I did pretty well. And I should expect our king would think so too.”

When Merrick’s nostrils flared, she clamped her lips shut.

Shifting, she studied his profile, the angry lines of his mouth as he sipped yet again from the goblet.

What she wouldn’t do for him to turn his face to hers, to meet those evil eyes and tell him to leave. Perhaps ask him to forget who he was entirely, tell him to move to the abandoned shifter island and never return.

All Havlands would be better for it.

But no such luck. Merrick tapped the bar again, and Bren immediately slipped up to refill his cup.

“I guess you’ll see for yourself soon enough,” he said quietly as Bren shuffled off.

Lessia didn’t think her heart could beat any harder, but when the tattoo on her arm burned in response to his words, burned for the first time in five years, she couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her. Her hand flew to cover her left arm, pulling at the tunic she wore to ensure it was covered.

Merrick downed the liquor and rose, towering over her as he turned to leave. She swore his lips curled slightly as his whisper brushed her ear. “King Rioner is coming to see you soon. He’s calling in the debt you owe him. I’d say be ready, but…” His face dipped toward her arm, knowing exactly what was hidden beneath the layers of clothes she always wore. “It’s not like you can escape it.”

Chapter

Two

She couldn’t breathe.

Even when Merrick’s magic finally released its death grip and his broad back disappeared as the tavern door slammed shut behind him, she had to lean against the bar to remain standing.

The Fae king was coming to Ellow.

He was finally coming for her.

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