Page 52 of Compass Points
“Are you sure your people would agree with you? Or will they assume that your judgment has been clouded by my…” She took a second to wave her hand up and down the length of her body. “Charms.”
“For the record…” His smile turned sinful. “I am taken with your, as you say, charms.” He gave her a pointed look, refreshing the memory of their recent kiss.
She met his gaze, seeing the desire that matched his bold words.
“I don’t think that means I would take on the Norden Point with you without reason.” His full lips turned up at the side in what was becoming her favorite smirk. “No one would believe I was that selfless, no matter your charms.”
“Truly?” She couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow back. Their fake relationship ruse had been a wild success. The entire lake wouldknowthat they were together.
“Think about what you knew about me before our travels. What did you know of the Suden Point?”
“He was the most powerful Suden Point in generations. He was cold, calculating.” She stopped herself as she continued to rattle off the other ruthless attributes in her head.
“Yes, and that was from someone relatively unconnected with Compass Lake since I came to power. I assure you the people who interact with me regularly think I’m much worse.”
“Why is that? I’ve only known you for a week, but I can tell that while you would cross lines for what you believe in, there is much more behind it than a cold and cruel calculation.”
“Why not let my enemies think the worst of me? Those I work with closely tend to see a little more, but it’s proven to be in my best interest to let the general public fear me.”
This was something she understood more than she wished she did. Hadn’t she done the same in Bury with everyone except Tara? It was better to let the common folk fear her and leave her alone than have too many friends and people wanting to get into her business. It made sense, in a sad and lonely sort of way.
Chapter Thirty-One
Morning came sooner than expected and Rose stretched languidly as her hand grazed a familiar hard surface. She peeked open her eye to find herself lying in a sea of warm, down blankets and her hand firmly placed on Luc’s chest. His eyes held nothing but wicked delight when she met them.
She quickly pulled her hand back as she tried to orient herself, but not before Luc grabbed it and pulled it back to his chest.
“I don’t mind, really,” he dared her playfully.
She rolled her eyes at him. He’d spent the rest of the afternoon and evening alternating between planning with her and avoiding the topic of her rightful position. He was giving her time and space to decide if she’d make her claim to the Norden Point known. It had been a long time since she’d felt so supported.
She couldn’t argue with the fact that Aiden, as the Norden Point, was causing imbalance. Whether it was because he wasn’t supposed to be there at all or because he was making terrible decisions with his power, she didn’t know. She supposed it didn’t matter.
She still wasn’t sure she believed that the mist plague, the wrath of the lost god, was solely focused on the correct Norden Point being in place. But she felt that fixing one thing usually helped point her toward the next item that needed fixing.
The problem here was that fixing this would change her life drastically. She’d planned to leave Compass Lake as soon as she could. As soon as she’d decided whether or not she’d make weapons for the Suden Point. Of course, she knew that she would make them for him now. She could start today and leave Compass Lake in a few weeks, wishing everyone well. Would that be enough? Would she be able to run away and start a new life without seeing this fix through? Without seeing what a balanced Compass Points could do about the mist plague?
She knew the answer to all of these questions was a resounding no.
Now she just needed to do something about it.
“There is some food over on your nightstand. I didn’t think we’d want to risk the market this morning, so I brought up some things from the kitchen.”
He dropped her hand, finally releasing it from his chest, as her stomach gurgled. She rolled over to survey her food options. He’d put together a plate of fruits, nuts, and some bread that looked delicious. After grabbing one of the pieces of bread, she rolled on her back to chew it without getting up. She looked over at him as she heard a pointed coughing sound.
“I know you’re not going to eat that in bed.” He eyed her suspiciously.
“What good is breakfast in bed if you can’t eat it in bed?”
“You’ll get crumbs everywhere!”
“I have a solution for that, Luc.” She gave him her most suggestive smile as she shimmied herself closer to him. It was a large bed, and he’d given her space each night they’d shared it. Yet there was no disguising the want in his eyes now as she made her way firmly towards his side.
She leaned in close as first her legs tangled with his and, using the leverage, she slid the rest of herself over, inches away from him. She lay on her side, staring at him as he hungrily gazed at her.
“And just what is that solution?” he asked.
She moved her hand with the piece of forgotten bread back between their mouths. She took a big bite right in front of him. He couldn’t mask the shock, seeming to have forgotten about the crumb argument when she started inching her body toward him.
