Page 83 of A Court So Dark
She nodded and walked away, wringing her hands. She sat down and glanced over at the cloth-covered listening device. “I can’t put a finger on that male.”
“Yes, he is definitely… slippery.”
“Exactly! He’s a snake.” She shuddered. “And snakes don’t trust anyone because they think everyone is like them.”
“Which makes it ironic when Cardian stands next to him.”
“That must have been hard to witness.”
“It was hard not to lunge in his direction and kill him. It’s what Wölfe wants to do.”
She peered at me with her warm brown eyes, and my murderous instincts dissolved. We sat across from each other in silence for a long time, lost in our own thoughts. Over the course of ten minutes, I watched her figure change, the dress she wore becoming a bit looser around her body. A pressure that I hadn’t realized was there eased from my chest as I took her in.
“You’re back to normal,” I said.
“You are too.” She smiled, and I could see the same relief I felt in her features.
A knock came at the door. I jumped to my feet. The knock was followed by three more. Too fast, one slow. Daniella and I exchanged a glance and nodded.
I cracked the door open and found Jeondar in his guise, standing on the other side. I allowed him entry and secured the lock behind him.
He frowned at my appearance. “How… did it go?”
We explained what had happened, and when we were done, he appeared as uneasy as I felt.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” he said.
“Perhaps.”
“For our part, we were given rooms in the very bowels of the castle. The servants treat us with distrust and keep a close eye on our every move. The steward seems to be some sort of spymaster to whom they all report. Regardless, it wasn’t hard to find a quick passage out of here. They seem indifferent to our comings and goings outside the castle walls. It is only when we step inside that they lurk about, dusting and straightening things in our wake.”
“Let them waste their time,” Daniella said. “Maybe they’ll burn Mythorne’s dinner.”
“We’d better make some progress quickly,” Jeondar said. “We only have two more days worth of the transformation potion.”
“I’ll get it done,” Daniella said with conviction.
Jeondar nodded. “I’ll be off then.”
As his steps echoed outside, I said, “Stay with me tonight. I don’t want you sleeping by yourself. Go and pretend to get ready for bed and then sneak out.”
She didn’t argue, and within ten minutes she was back, wearing a silk gown with a matching robe over it. Lace trimmed the hem, brushing the top of her bare feet. I secured the door, turned off the lights except for one lamp, and we got into bed.
We lay on our sides and faced each other. She sandwiched her hands under her cheek and watched me, love brimming in her eyes.
“I missed your tattoo while you were the earl.” She traced the outline from my forehead down to my jaw, giving me a chill.
“You don’t think it mars my face? That’s what my mother said when I got it.”
“It doesn’t. No one could ever be more handsome than you.”
“I must agree.”
She punched my shoulder. “Conceded much?” We laughed, then she asked, “What does it mean?”
“The tattoo?”
She nodded.
