Page 91 of The Study of Poisons
Wing handed Valek a stack of papers—all expertly forged and official.
“Your new identity,” Valek said to Tentil. “I believe our business is concluded. Wing will escort you to MD–4.”
Wing unlocked the chains and they clanked to the floor.
“You’re dismissed,” Valek said to them both.
“Yes, sir.” Tentil’s voice cracked as tears streaked down his dirty face. Dazed, he followed Wing.
It had been a hell of a bad week but helping Tentil was a bright spot in the darkness. Valek pushed his chair back and rested his feet on the desk. He yawned loudly. The next part would be another cherished memory.
“So, Yelena, did you find our conversation interesting?” he called.
No response.
“I know you’re behind the table.”
She popped up and glared at him. “How did you—”
“You favor lavender-scented soap, and I wouldn’t be alive today if I couldn’t determine when someone had picked my locks. Assassins love to ambush, leaving dead bodies behind mysteriously locked doors. Fun stuff.” Valek yawned again. It’d been an exhausting week, and it wasn’t over yet.
“You’re not angry?” she asked in surprise.
“No, relieved actually. I wondered when you would search my office for the recipe to the antidote.”
“Relieved?” she spat in anger. “That I might try to escape? That I rifled through your papers? You’re that confident that I won’t succeed?”
Oh no, that hadn’t been what he meant at all. “I’m relieved that you’re following the standard steps of escaping, andnotinventing a unique plan. If I know what you’re doing, then I can anticipate your next move. If not, I might miss something. Learning how to pick locks naturally leads to this.” Valek gestured around the room. “But, since the formula has not been written down and only I know it, I’m confident you won’t find it.”
She set her jaw and balled her hands into fists. “Okay, so there’s no chance for escape. How about this? You gave Tentil a new life, why not me?”
Ah. Good question. “How do you know I haven’t already?” Valek dropped his feet and leaned forward. “Why do you think you were in the dungeon for almost a year? Was it only luck that you happened to be the next in line when Oscove died? Perhaps I was merely acting at our first meeting when I seemed so surprised that you were a woman.”
She crinkled her brow. “What do you want, Valek?” she demanded. “Do you want me to give up trying? Be content with this poisoned life?”
“Do you really want to know?” Valek asked with intensity.Do you want to know I’ve fallen in love with you? Or would that scare you more than dying from Butterfly’s Dust?He stood and walked over to her.
“Yes.”
“I want you…” Too much. “Not as an unwilling servant, but as a loyal staff member. You’re intelligent, quick-thinking, and becoming a decent fighter. I want you to be as dedicated as I am at keeping the Commander safe. Yes, it’s a dangerous job, but, on the other hand, one miscalculated somersault on the tightrope could break your neck. That’s what I want. Will you be able to give it to me?” Valek met her gaze, seeking an answer. “Besides, where would you go? You belong here.”With me, love.
CHAPTER18
The wait for her answer stretched to infinity. Each second an epoch of uncertainty and doubt.
“I don’t know,” she finally said. “There’s too much…”
“That you haven’t told me?” He guessed. She still hadn’t confided in him about Reyad and what really happened in the Snake Forest with the Sitian master magician.
She nodded.
“Trusting is hard. Knowing who to trust, even harder,” Valek said. He certainly had plenty of experience.
“And my track record has been rather horrendous. A weakness of mine.”
“No, a strength. Look at Ari and Janco. They appointed themselves your protectors long before I assigned them. All because you stood up for them to the Commander when their own captain wouldn’t. Think about what you have right now before you give me an answer. You have gained the Commander’s and Maren’s respect, and Ari’s and Janco’s loyalty.”
“What have I earned from you, Valek? Loyalty? Respect? Trust?”
