Page 47 of The Rebel and the Rose
His smile turned rueful. ‘That’s because you’re an idealist.’
‘And what are you, Ransom?’
‘You know what I am, Seraphine.’
A killer. Cold-blooded and clear-eyed. That’s how he saw himself. But she had once known the man beneath the Shade. Bastian, his mother had named him. Raised for a gentler sort of life, before his father had chased her off with his fists. Because her father had found him on the banks of the Verne. Made him a killer.
Sera curled her fingers around the bars of her cell. ‘We are all more than just one thing.’
‘Not when the thing you are is a Dagger.’
Footsteps sounded nearby. The guards were doing their rounds. Spurred by a rising urgency, Sera said, ‘I need you to find Bibi for me. I have to know that she’s all right. That she knows what’s happening. I don’t want her to think we’ve just left her to rot here.’
‘Do you want a tea tray while I’m at it? I don’t exactly have free rein around here.’
‘You’re the king’s prized assassin. I think you’ll survive.’ He quirked a brow. ‘Please,’ she said, dispensing with her sarcasm if only for Bibi. ‘You’re the only one who can help me.’
He raked a hand through his hair, unsettling the thick black strands.
Footsteps drew closer.
‘I really need—’
‘You know I will.’ Rolling to his feet, he dusted the dirt from his trousers. ‘I’ll find your friend.’
Sera stood too. She clutched the bars. He leaned down until they were almost nose to nose, the metal stark and cold between them.
‘See you at dawn, Seraphine.’ His words were a taunt against her lips. ‘And remember… behave.’
She rolled her eyes.
He huffed a quiet laugh, pulling away.
She stepped back into the shadows, letting the darkness enfold her. The soldiers were coming her way, and she didn’t want them to see she was awake. Ransom took off in the opposite direction, winding his way down into the darkest reaches of the dungeon, without breaking his assured stride.
Closing her eyes, she listened to his fading steps, hoping they would lead him to Bibi. Once the soldiers had come and gone, she turned her nose into her collar, breathing in his scent.
‘You shouldn’t do that, you know.’ Theo’s voice filled the echoing silence.
She jerked her chin up. ‘Do what?’
‘Make the Dagger think he still has a chance with you.’
Sera chewed on her bottom lip, unsure of what to say.
‘The king has shown his hand, Sera. He intends to kill anyone he deems more powerful than him. He fears a new Age of Saints more than anyone else in this kingdom. If he hears of more… of others…He’ll do everything in his power to kill them too.’
He’ll kill you.
Sera’s heart pounded like a war drum. Theo was right. Ifthey were clever enough to find their way to Prince Andreas, they wouldn’t be killing him. They’d likely be joining him.
Against the king.
Against the Daggers.
Against Ransom.
If she lost sight of that, she’d lose herself, and everything she had worked for – everything Mama had worked for – her whole life.
