Page 37 of Courting the Tiger King

“And then… he walked away.”

“He walked—he walked away?” Zennon’s smile folded into a frown. “Why?”

Neah shrugged, though the truth was that she suspected she knew why the king had left her naked on the forest floor after the best head of her life. He’d given her a taste, and now if she wanted more she would have to be the one to chase him—metaphorically. She tilted her head as she reconsidered,or maybe not.

“Well, that’s still more exciting than my evening.” Zennon sighed. “Gabriel hovered around me for half an hour before I gave up and went back inside.”

Neah winced sympathetically. “It’s for your own protection. But, hey, at least you can enjoy the post-hunt feast?”

“I know, I know.” Zennon pushed to standing, her long skirts flowing around her as she stretched and then jumped as a knock sounded on Neah’s door from the parlour. “I’ll get it.”

Before Neah could protest, Zennon was already half-way there. The door swung open and her face lit up when she saw who stood on the other side, her mouth opened before she seemed to catch herself, head bowing as she said, “Captain Jamison. You’re here for Neah?”

Their father nodded, entering and closing the door behind him and as soon as the heavy wood thunked shut he drew Zennon into an embrace. “You’re well?” He pulled back and cupped Zen’s cheek as he inspected her face, nodding in satisfaction when she reassured him. “Neah,” he said, smiling as she approached. Just as quickly as it appeared, his smile vanished behind the mask of stoicism the rest of the world saw. He was no longer her father, in his place was her spymaster, her Captain.

“You’ve returned,” she said evenly, calling upon her own mask as she took a seat in the armchair near the hearth. “A good trip?”

He nodded but gave no details as he followed her to the seating area and chose his own chair. “Zen, a moment?”

Zennon bowed her head and left, walking into the other room to eavesdrop no doubt.

“Report.”

“I followed your instructions and came across several potential assassins, but there was no sign of the benefactor themselves.” She kept her tone even, measured, and was surprised when the Captain slumped, a hand coming up to rub at his tired eyes. It was a sign of weakness he’d show his daughter, but not his spy. “There’s something else.” Her hands fisted in the smooth fabric of her trousers, catching on the swirling designs that had been stitched onto the black material. “The king has been doing some spying of his own. He knows about Zennon, and he knows about me.”

Jamison’s head snapped up. “Explain.”

She blew out a long breath, reluctant to meet the accusation that was likely swimming in his eyes. “He followed us the night we came to see you in the servant’s quarters.”

There was silence for a moment and then he cursed. “Sloppy.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“And you? How did he discover that?”

The lump in her throat was hard to swallow past but she made an attempt. “He followed me to the tavern.”

At that, Jamison stood and began to pace. “I taught you better than that, Neah. Tailed not once, but twice?” He shook his head and her gut churned, acid bubbling up her throat as his disappointment crested. She wasn’t sure his agitation could get much worse, so she decided the best thing to do was rip the bandage off.

“Dad.”

He halted, pace faltering as her father peered out of the face of the Captain. “Yes?”

“I think he’s my mate.” It was the first time she’d said it aloud and the words made her head swim and her heart beat faster, clamminess clinging to her palms. “He found me during the hunt.”

Neah wasn’t sure what reaction she’d expected. Shock, perhaps, that the Goddess had chosen Neah for the king. Concern that this would inevitably complicate things for them all, and cast an even closer eye on them, on their secrets, as the court scrambled to learn more about them—possibly even anger. Deep down, in a small place she’d deny ever existed, she hoped his reaction might be joy—she had found her other half. Her equal in all things.

Instead, the mask of the captain fell back into place and the ache of that pain hurt more than if he’d raged at her. “I see.”

Zennon rounded the corner, hands on her hips and her mouth pressed into a straight line. Despite her bearing no relation to Neah’s mother, she couldn’t help but think that Zen bore a striking resemblance to the captain’s wife at that moment. It wasn’t often that Zennon caved to anger, but when she did her temper was white hot.

“I see? That’s all you have to say to your daughter as she confessed, for the first time might I add, that thekingis her mate?” Zennon stopped in front of their father and Neah couldn’t help her own amusement when Jamison shrank back from his daughter. “She is not just your spy, she is aperson, shame on you for thinking only of the ways you can use her to your advantage or in how to mitigate damage to your network.”

Zennon was breathing heavily and Neah’s eyes were wide. She’d had no idea that her sister felt this way about Neah’s service to the crown, but her father didn’t look shocked. In fact, he lookedpissed.

“That’s enough.” He didn’t raise his voice, didn’t even snap, and yet Zennon shrank back from him, retreating into Neah’s safety as she hovered just behind her chair. “My concern is not for mynetwork, or the potential loss of one of my best spies. My concern is that of a father for his daughter.”

Neah frowned, running her eyes over his face and finding no untruths. “What do you mean?”

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