Page 35 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

Rich, black fabric snagged my attention, and my gaze flipped back and forth between it and the dress. After some thought, I hung the dress back up and reached for a pair of pants stacked neatly on a shelf.

As much as I adored wearing dresses, I was itching to go for a ride. The weather had been sunny and beautiful the last couple of days, and I’d spent all of it indoors.

Zosa would enjoy the exercise too, and I hadn’t been to the beach since I’d returned home.

I pulled on the black pants, which were made of the same breathable, stretchy fabric as the blue dress. They were incredibly comfortable and made my ass look amazing.

Since the dress was still on my mind, I picked a light and airy blouse of the same sapphire-blue shade. It was slightly too large for me, so I tied a knot around my waist. Marvina would have had a conniption if she ever saw me in such casual attire, which only made me enjoy it more.

After towel-drying my hair and combing the knots out, I twisted it into a braid and stepped out of my bedroom into the sitting area of my suite.

I froze at seeing Alaric standing over the table where I’d brought some work back from my study last night. I’d had teawith Yolanthe yesterday afternoon under the pretense of catching up, which wasn’t entirely a lie. I’d mentioned my concerns around House Laurent retaliating against me requesting to dissolve the marriage, and that had gotten her all fired up. Yolanthe could be a bit rough around the edges and stubborn about things, but she was incredibly loyal to House Harker.

She reassured me that all would be well and that she’d speak with Carmilla to see if there was anything she could do to help. Which was exactly the opening I needed.

I’d profusely thanked her for her assistance, even though I didn’t need it since between Alaric and I we had the situation under control, and asked if I could help her with anything to repay the debt. And then coyly mentioned the negotiation she was working on with House Devereux.

I’d also mentioned that I desperately needed to take my mind off everything, and she would actually be doing me a favor by allowing me to make a few suggestions.

Floran and Nora had stopped by my suite later on to catch me up on all the gossip and had brought along a copy of Yolanthe’s current draft to pass on to me. Yolanthe preferred to work in the gardens as much as possible because she enjoyed the fresh air, so Floran and Nora were used to delivering her missives. We’d spent a few hours catching up, and then I’d gotten to work on improving the draft.

“By all means,” I huffed as I crossed the room to stand at the opposite side of the table, “let yourself in.”

“I already did.” Alaric flipped a page over, his eyes already skimming the next one. “This… isn’t terrible.”

Could I use the early hour and the lack of tea as an excuse to kill one of my aunt’s advisors? Surely, she would understand. Tea first thing in the morning was vital to my ability to function. Everyone knew this.

“You worded this cleverly.” His fingers trailed down severallines. “Hinting at the falling out between Yolanthe’s sister and Severen’s nephew without stating it outright.”

Wow.A compliment. He must be too distracted in reviewing the document to realize what he’d just done. The corners of my mouth quirked up, and a little of the annoyance I’d been feeling faded away.

“Both Yolanthe and Severen are smart and loyal to their Houses. They know this trade agreement makes sense, but they also love their family.” I shrugged. “The negotiations have stalled because they’re both pissed off on the behalf of their loved ones, and that needs to be acknowledged and settled so that we can move forward.”

Alaric grunted, and I had no idea what to do with that. Seriously. It was too early, and Ineededtea.

I sighed. “Not that you’re not absolutely delightful and the first thing I want to see in the morning,”—Alaric’s eyes snapped from the paper he’d been reading through to mine—“but what are you doing here?”

The usual mask of arrogance and disdain slipped back onto Alaric’s face.

“Carmilla has asked for your presence.” The muscles of his jawline flexed. “For both of our presences, actually.”

“Did she say why?” My brows pinched together.

“No.” Without another word, he strode towards the door and left it open as he continued down the hallway. Rude.

I sighed. Carmilla would have tea in her office. I just had to not murder Alaric between here and there. A few servants greeted me cheerfully as I followed in Alaric’s wake. None of them were the least bit upset or offended by my lack of enthusiasm in returning their greetings.

Everyone, except Alaric apparently, was well aware of how I felt about mornings.

“Ah, good,” Carmilla looked up from her desk when Alaricand I entered her study. “Vail has arrived, and I would like both of you to hear what he has to say.”

“Of course.” Alaric nodded and took a seat on one end of Carmilla’s well-worn but cozy settee.

“Tea?” I asked hopefully.

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Obviously. Take a seat, dear.”

I plopped down on the opposite end of the settee from Alaric while Carmilla carried over a tray and set it down on the table before sitting between us. Once the tea had seeped, she poured the dark liquid it into four teacups.

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