Page 18 of Tournament

"They're right," Mirri piped up. "We agreed no one goes anywhere alone. It's not just you, Fife. It's safer for all of us if we stick together."

I arched a brow at that. Did they truly feel so unsafe here?

Fife sighed and waved toward the barn door. "Fine! But I want some damned privacy for a bit. I need some peace and quiet, away from you idiots. You can wait outside."

They grumbled, but eventually the others shuffled out and Fife shut and bolted the door behind them. Then the pretty guy tossed his towel aside and gracefully flowed up the ladder and swung into the loft. He landed soundlessly on the balls of his feet, crouching in the loose hay that covered the floor.

Light green eyes met mine, and he smirked, moving to sit with his back against the wall, one knee drawn up to his chest and the other leg dangling over the edge of the loft. "Mind if I join you?" he asked whispered.

Chapter 15

I huffed. "You can see me." Of course he could. That was just my luck. "You knew I was here the whole time, didn't you?"

Fife winked at me, his bowstring lips curling up at the corners into a wicked smile. "Yes."

I got up and moved closer, perching on a bale of hay. Brushing chaff off my worn leather pants, I studied the man. He was even more beautiful up close. It really wasn't fair. "If you knew I was here, then why didn't you tell the others?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged and glanced down at the stables below. "I've heard a woman of your description has been monitoring the tournament on behalf of the royals. Bach told us he spoke with you after the combat matches and that you seemed to be genuinely interested in the tournament's competitors. I figured you had your reasons for spying on us tonight."

I shook my head. "It seems pointless to observe in secret if it's not actually a secret," I grumbled, still put out that he had seen right through my spell. I had paid good money for that charm, damn it!

Fife picked up a stalk of hay and twirled it in his graceful fingers. Even the man's hands were pretty. "It seemed harmless enough," he said easily. "The others don't know you're here, so don't worry. Whatever you hoped to observe, we were just being ourselves." He shrugged. "Our team doesn't have many secrets, mistress. So, I had no fear of what you might see or what tales you might carry back to your employer." He held up his hands as if a thought had only just occurred to him. "And I only wanted to talk to you without giving away your game. There is no ulterior motive on my part, I promise."

I chuckled. "Good to know. But you said your team doesn't have many secrets. Implying there are, indeed, secrets."

His eyes met mine, and he was serious when he answered. "We all have secrets, mistress. Little embarrassments or things about us we don't announce to others. But Raven team has no secrets that are a danger to the Prize, whoever she might be."

I nodded, sensing his sincerity. After all, I had some pretty big secrets of my own right now. I couldn't fault his logic. Also, I was pretty impressed that he wasn't trying to dig for information or hints about the identity of the Prize, since he had me cornered up here alone.

"I'm not here to ferret out all of your secrets," I told him honestly. "Don't tell anyone, or I'll know it was you who leaked the information, but…this is a challenge. This chore you've all been asked to do. I'm here to observe every team. To see how they treat the animals, how they work together when no one is looking. To get a sense of who the contestants really are when they aren't in the spotlight. That's all."

He smiled and pushed a shiny black curl out of his face. "And? What conclusions have you drawn about our team? Will you report good things to your employer? Or have we failed yet another challenge?" His tone was joking, but a bit of bitterness crept in when he alluded to the weapons competition.

I arched my brows at him and lifted my chin in mock arrogance. "That's between me and my employer."

He didn't rise to the bait or beg for answers. "Pity," he said easily. "Is there anything else you'd like to know about my team? I'm happy to answer questions." He grinned, all perfect white teeth and blinding charm. "I meant what I said earlier. I appreciate the break from my teammates. I love them, really. But we've spent a lot of time in close quarters lately. I'm starting to get sick of the sight of them."

I chuckled. "It seems as if you are good friends. You work well together. Were you friends before all this?" Bach had filled me in, of course, but I wanted to hear things from Fife's perspective.

He smiled fondly, revealing a pair of deep dimples that were just criminal. "They're like family. We've known each other since we were kids. Our parents were all friends and neighbors. We're closer than blood." His expression turned wry. "In fact, it was my mother who schemed to get us all into this tournament," he said, confirming what Bach had told me. "She's our sponsor. And the nosiest woman I've ever met." His tone was wry but fond. "She thought this tournament would be a good way to keep us all together. She knows how close we are."

I arched a brow. So, it wasn't just Bach's wishful thinking. These men were so close that they genuinely wanted to share a House with each other. They weren't in this for political reasons or financial reasons. Just so they could safely be a family in a concrete, official way. Well, that and so they could protect Mirri from an arranged bonding and whatever other threat his family posed.

"That's…touching, really," I told him truthfully.

He scoffed. "Well, maybe. But only if the Prize cares about the family part. Maybe she only needs political allies, and that's why the king and queen set this all up. Or maybe she only wants her bonded mates to act as personal guards and servants. Then she might find our cute little friendship to be completely ridiculous and unnecessary."

I tried my best not to blush. What did I want out of this whole thing? When the idea was first thrown at me, once I got over my frustration, I mostly just thought about the benefits of having help. Of having partners who could be good for Larkwood and its impending growth. Of course, I knew intimacy might be on the table if all parties were interested in that. We would be bonded, after all. But I didn't think of things like family or genuine affection. And since I realized who Bach was, I had been trying my best to avoid thinking about what it would be like if his team won. But…holy hells, if his team won, there wasn't only Bach to think of. I might find myself inviting this gorgeous male before me into my bed as well. I nearly choked on a combination of panic and unbidden lust.

"I can't say what the future holds for the winners, or speak for my employer," I said as evenly as I could. I was supposed to be just a causerie here, not the Prize herself. "But I would think anyone would value affection and camaraderie over servitude or coldness when it comes to potential life mates."

He looked down at his hands and nodded, his expression shuttered.

I cleared my throat and grasped for anything else to talk about, latching onto the first thing that came to mind. "What do you do for a living?" I babbled. "The reports on you only say that you move about, and that you come from a wealthy family. And that your mother is someone with an excellent reputation who is a credit to her position, of course. There wasn't much personal detail about you yourself, if I recall correctly."

"Of course her majesty has files on us all." He grimaced. "All of that's correct. I don't need to win this competition so I can live off the Prize's generosity, or because I'm just dying for a better social ranking or anything like that. My mother is was the earl of a rich tract of land even before she was promoted to steward. My father was an elder baron with a fortune of his own that he bequeathed on me when he passed." He shrugged, a graceful, deprecating ripple of movement. "And I know I don't seem to belong here with the others. I'm more gifted with song than with weapons and brawn."

I grinned, that musical voice making so much more sense now. "You're a bard!" I said with a smile. "That’s why the report said you move around, isn't it? There's nothing to be ashamed of in that. Song magic is so fascinating."

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