Page 44 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

She could do it again.

Following the muffled voices, she made her way up a decaying staircase, jumping over two missing steps until she found herself on the second floor.

The dim light was impossibly darker up here.

Drawing deep breaths to settle the weight on her chest, she peeked through the first door.

No.

Lessia’s heart slammed against her ribs at the dirty mattress on the floor, the only thing in the small windowless room.

Her chest compressed further as water dripping onto stone and metal clanking echoed in her ears, and darkness tinged the edge of her vision.

Bracing her hands against the wall, she tried to force air into her lungs.

She couldn’t panic.

Not here.

Not when Ardow and Amalise couldn’t bring her back from the darkness.

Please.Please,not here,she begged her racing heart and the lungs refusing her air.

“How long were you imprisoned for?”

Lessia whirled around so quickly her back slammed against the wall, and she finally gulped down some air when the impact snapped her out of the terror.

Loche leaned against the wall opposite her, his hands leisurely tucked behind his back as his hawk eyes trailed over her face down to her heaving chest.

When she began shaking her head, he growled softly, “Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen that look one too many times after I let out the poor people the previous regent kept in his cellar.”

Pursing her lips, she flicked her eyes to the side where Craven and Venko strolled out of two rooms.

The men eyed them as they passed but didn’t stop as they walked down the stairway, taking a seat by the table, judging from the low scraping of chairs that reached her ears.

“They can’t hear you now. How long?”

Loche glared at her as he flicked his dark hair out of his face.

She thought of lying, but if she wanted to ever get him to trust her so that she could get the information she needed—and not too much to put Ellow at risk—perhaps telling the truth would help.

Loche was too perceptive for his own good.

He’d surely see right through her if she lied.

“Too long,” she mumbled, steeling herself for his reaction and readying herself should she need to undo the words with her magic.

His storming eyes narrowed. “That’s why you live in Ellow?”

Nodding, she forced herself to keep his gaze.

It wasn’t a lie, not really.

Even if her king hadn’t ordered her to come here, she would have.

Would have gladly left Vastala behind and never looked back.

“So you’re not here to spy for your king?”

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