Page 86 of The Study of Fire
“Later.”
It was a smart move. They couldn’t do anything at the moment, but guilt still welled in his chest. And he couldn’t return for Onyx either.
Kiki headed for the farmhouse he had told her about. It was a modest size with flower beds surrounding the structure. The stable, which Valek had praised when he talked out his plan with Kiki, was her first stop. Valek slid off the horse. But Yelena didn’t move. She studied the house with a suspicious squint.
Kiki snorted and nudged Valek. He wondered what Kiki was telling Yelena. She had the ability to communicate with Kiki and could magically connect with other creatures, like those bats.
She finally looked at him. “Summer home? Isn’t it a little dangerous?”
He smiled. “Safe house for my corps. A base of operations.”
“How convenient.”
The stable was empty. Valek helped her remove Kiki’s saddle and groom her, delaying the inevitable conversation. Valek wasn’t looking forward to confessing, but he wouldn’t lie to her.
When they finished, she sagged with fatigue. “How did you find me? And your timing was impeccable, as always.”
Valek pulled her into his arms. She leaned against him and shook. No doubt the shock of the escape and everything had caught up to her.
“You’re welcome, love. I had wanted to sneak in and free you tonight, but you had other plans. I should have been more prepared, but when I saw him poke you last night, I thought for sure you would be out of it.” He pulled away. “Let’s go inside. I need a drink.”
The interior of the farmhouse was decorated like all his safehouses—spartan and utilitarian. Valek lit a few lanterns and poured a couple of drinks. Yelena wouldn’t let him build a fire. He understood her fear, but she needed some warmth. Instead, he pulled her close, sharing his body heat as they sipped the brandy.
“General Kitvivan’s white brandy?” she asked.
“You remembered!” Valek was pleased. It had been a lifetime ago, when she had learned the taste of all the generals’ favorite brandies. Or so it felt.
“There are tastes and smells that call certain memories. White brandy reminds me of the Commander’s brandy meeting.”
“Ah, yes. And after having to taste all those brandies for the Commander, you drunkenly tried to seduce me.”
“And you refused.”
And it just about killed him. “I wanted to accept. But I didn’t know if your desire was from your heart or from the brandy. You might have regretted it later.”
“Enough small talk. Tell me everything,” she ordered.
He sighed. “You’re not going to like it.”
“Compared to what I’ve just been through these last—what? Three days? I don’t even know. It can’t be that bad.”
“I knew you were swimming in some very dangerous waters,” he said, “but I hadn’t known they extended so deep.”
“Valek, get to the point.”
This was going to be bad. Unable to sit still, he stood and prowled the room. “Five days ago, you were taken?—”
“Five days!”
Valek put up his hand to forestall her questions. “Let me finish first. You were kidnapped by Star, and the reason she was able to smuggle you so far south, was because…I let her.” He paused to let his words sink in.
She stared at him in astonishment. “You set me up?”
Betrayal laced her words, and he felt awful. He hadn’t planned for her to be a captive for so long. “Yes and no.”
“You need to do better than that.” Anger now sharpened her tone.
He hurried to explain. “I knew Star would want to exact some type of revenge on you. She has kept in contact with the underground network, and I allowed her because then I could learn who the new players were. With the Code of Behavior, there will always be a black market for illegal goods and forged papers. I like to keep tabs on the network to make sure things don’t go too far, like when Star hired assassins to ruin the Sitian trade treaty. And when?—”
