“Look all you want,” Aiden said. “It will do you no good unless you plan on tearing this room apart.”
I gave him a lethal smile, the impression his body had left on mine still disturbingly present. “Is that permission?”
His lip curled. “You wouldn’t make it far.”
“Can’t blame me for wanting to know all the escape routes.”
“Not this one,” he gritted out.
I glanced at Maz. “Is he always this stubborn?”
Maz barked out a laugh. “You’re just scratching the surface, lovely.”
A door opened at the far end of the room, and a tall, beautiful woman stepped inside, tucking a key down her generous cleavage. Distant laughter and conversation filtered through the door before she shut it.
“You’re late,” she called as she glided across the room to join us. Blue silk and gossamer gold chains swayed over the curves of her body. A mass of long, curly black hair spilled over her shoulders and down the exposed back of her silk dress. Her dark skin was flawless.
She couldn’t have been more than a few years older than me, but she held herself like a queen.
“Apologies, Melaena,” Aiden said. “We had to take the longer route.”
“I see.” Eyes of the clearest cerulean blue met mine. Her observation of me was quick and business-like. Then she smiled. “Kiera, is it? Maz told me I’d be meeting you tonight.”
I nodded, trying not to look nervous. I didn’t recognize her, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t caught a glimpse of me somewhere.
But there was only kindness in her eyes. “Welcome to my club,The Silk Dancer.”
“Youownthis place?” I blurted out. I’d heard ofThe Silk Dancerbut had never entered, figuring I would have less chance of getting recognized when I snuck out to rowdy taverns near the city gate.
I hadn’t expected it to be run by someone so young. Or so pleasant, given the circumstances of our meeting.
Her smile widened, making her features glow. “Yes. I inherited it from my parents. I rather enjoy running my own business.”
“And you do a beautiful job of it,” Maz declared, inclining his head to her from where he sat. “I was heartbroken to miss your Mynastra’s Tide performance last night.”
“Yes, we understand how very busy you must be, Melaena,” Aiden cut in. “So, we’ll make our business quick.”
She smiled at him, a fondness in her eyes that curdled like cold gravy in my stomach. “You always do,” she said.
“Kiera used to be a palace guard and witnessed Asher opening the vault where he keeps a large portion of Weylin’s wealth,” Aiden said. “Have you seen it?”
I stiffened at how easily he gave away details to Melaena. He must trust her a great deal.
But she took it in stride. “Yes, once. He made a grand show of paying me directly from his hoard.”
“How did he open it?” Aiden demanded.
“A key from a chain around his neck. But he didn’t let me watch him open it. Said that was only for High Councilors and royals to know.”
See? Believe me, I silently commanded Aiden as he frowned.
“Is there anything else we should know about it?” he asked.
Her red lips quirked to the side. “I’ve heard he sometimes keeps other things in there like important documents, payroll, sunstone, even fireseeds.”
Maz bolted upright, a feral look on his face. “Fireseeds, you say? Probably stole them from Dag traders, the bastard.”
The seeds were precious, harvested from the fireflowers on Arduen’s Mountain once a year. Depending on how many Asher had, he could fetch a high price for them. As well as for the sunstone. Father had built much of his wealth on the highly restricted sale of the gods-given rocks.
