Page 4 of Rook of Ruin
“If you take that blanket off your body, I swear, I’ll make sure you’re cleaning out every cell in drunk holding for the next month,” my nemesis growls.
“You can’t do that. I—”
“I can’t do what?” he snarls in my ear, “Unless you have permission from a superior officer to be outside of the Locker, you fucked up.”
“I havepermission, you ass.”Kind of.Zane is a rank higher than I am, a superior and an officer. When the Spider doesn’t respond, I take it as a victory. Sighing loudly, I ask, “What now?” I wait a beat and realize he’s purposefully not speaking. “Ignoring my existence is the best form of flattery.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to flatter you. Especially since you—”
“Caught the Panther’s second,” I murmur for only him to hear. Like a petulant child, I cross my arms and lift my head although no one can see it. “Didn’t think I would be the one to do it, did you?”
“Be quiet. Don’t tell anyone, do you understand? You have no idea, no fucking clue what kind of reckless trouble you put yourself in tonight.”
I inhale sharply. “It’s not my fault he tried to murder me.”
“Many people have tried to murder you in the Locker, and you’ve never complained before. I might murder you myself if you don’t keep your mouth shut. I need to think.”
“Fine.When you do decide to murder me, just don’t touch my pretty face.” I almost laugh because hewillbe the one to hunt me down—to kill me if tomorrow doesn’t go to plan.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say your face is pretty. Tolerable,maybe.” There is something odd in his voice. I would think it was humor, but the Spider doesn’t have any—he is an uncaring, unemotional twat.
This is the point where Paul would step in to stop us from fighting. But there’s no Paul tonight.
“Tolerable? Fuck you.”
“Only if you wear a tiara.”
I gasp, and my face warms. He thinks so highly of himself. “Was that an actual joke? I didn’t think the great ass had a sense of humor.”
“I have a great sense of humor, and you used ‘ass’ already—come up with something different. Though I shouldn’t expect much, because in all the years I’ve known you, you’ve only ever come up withass.” He pulls the thick blanket off my body, and I breathe in clean air as the cart slows to cross a stone bridge.
I glare up at his masked face. “Prick.”
He ignores me. “When we get to the barracks, get out and get some rest. I’ll handle the paperwork.”
“No ‘good work, Rook’?”
He squints. “Why would I compliment you on doing your job?”
“There’s no winning with you.”
“I’m not a man who can easily be won.”
Blowing an annoyed raspberry, I glower at him. “Clearly. You’re a man who—”
He pushes me down and covers my head again. “Do not move or say a word. No matter what you hear.”
Waiting patiently, I strain my ears, listening for anything. Something. My heart pounds. Is there going to be a retaliation? Arms come over me, locking my body in place on the floor ofthe cart. A million different ideas zip through my mind, each one more dangerous than the last.
“You cannot tell anyone. Not Paul, not Tess, not Zane, not your sister. Lives of the innocent depend on you, and if you reveal this to anyone, their deaths will stain your soul. This isn’t just about Acros, Orlaith. This is about the future of every kingdom. Trust me when I say I wish there were another way.”
Several long minutes later, the cart stops and the smelly blanket is ripped off, revealing the entry to the barracks. He was messing with me. I should have known better. “You jerk. I’m shocked you could hold your tongue for so long.”
His deep voice surprisingly teases, “I can do more with my tongue than hold it.”
Choking down a laugh, warmth creeps along my cheeks, but sarcasm leeches through my words. “Tempting. Perhaps if you kneeled.”
“I’ll never kneel before you.” He offers his hand to help me down, but I stare at it as if it’s a snake.
