Page 93 of Unrivaled
The wood in my hand was closer to a spearhead than a chess piece.The shavings littered my thighs.
She’d straddled me, here, in this chair.Looped her hands behind my neck and pressed her belly against mine.Her lips had been warm and hungry.
She’d laughed with me, here, in this room.Looked at me like I was the cliff her keep was built upon.Her ideas had been shared generously.
I’d tried to figure out Luca’s play, but the only thing I was sure of was that Audrey still held the key to the east and the nation’s military.
Unfortunately, Luca now saw how muchmoreshe was, too.
“…the steward.”Her sigh drew my attention.“Otherwise, I’d sneak you in to look at the reports yourself.”
“That’s fine,” Luca said.“The information you’ve got is quite enough, though of course I wouldn’t say no to more.”
“I’d love to get you to look at the plan for the tourney grounds,” she said, around a yawn.“I’m worried about waste disposal.I’d rather not be remembered for having a shitty faire.”
He laughed at her joke.The knife in my hand slipped, carving off a large chunk.
“Tell you what,” he said, his tone low and intimate.“How about I come back tomorrow, about midafternoon?You can show me then.”
“Not tomorrow night?,” she asked, and I heard the frown in her voice.“When you’re less likely to be recognized?”
“I’m busy,” he said, with regret.“To be honest, I’ve got an old friend who’d been managing my business interests here, but I think they’ve fed some information to a competitor.I’m not really sure what to do except to let them buy me out.”
“Who?”she asked.“I won’t say anything,” she added, quickly.“But knowing who does business like that is important.”
“Everyone does business like that, Audrey,” he said, laughing.“No, I won’t tell you.Not tonight.After it’s settled, then I will.”He paused.“Actually—it’s Dominique La Combe ve Frenz.”
“The elder?”she asked, shocked.“He isn’t wealthy enough for extensive business interests.”
“They aren’t extensive,” Luca said.“Sorry, Audrey.I’m…not accustomed to being able to share those sorts of details, I suppose.”
Beneath my hands the knife bit deep into the wood.I closed my eyes and drew in a breath.They were quiet.
Don’t trust him.But I’d had my chance to convince her.Somehow I’d managed to ruin it.When I thought of how she’d collapsed in on herself, how she’d smiled, how she’d soothed…
Perhaps it was better she didn’t trust those of us who knew how to bring her unravelled.
“Tomorrow, when the watch cries two?”she asked.“Or would the day after be better?”
“Tomorrow works.I can’t stay overlong.”Papers rustled.“I wish I could.”
The note of longing in his voice didn’t seem faked.
Mayhap he and I weren’t so different, after all.
“Well, we’ll make the most of what we’ve got,” she said.There were echoes of the tone she used when she was dealing with official La’Angi business.
Mayhap my warnings hadn’t been entirely dismissed.
I stood, tossing the shavings into the fireplace.They both started when they saw me.
I was so forgettable.
Getting him out the door was a simple matter.The biggest barrier were the stars in his eyes.I didn’t try to speak to him.I didn’t have the voice.
After she’d gone to bed, I lay awake for hours, seriously considering what I could put into a message to send to Kadan.
She needed help.She wouldn’t accept it from me, but mayhap he’d be able to get her to see reason.
