He twisted toward me with a sobering look and cupped my cheek in his hand. “We were all fighting for our lives. There’s nothing you did wrong.Ididn’t even know it was him at first.”
“That conniving little goon tricked me into thinking it was him. I didn’t realize until it was too late that he was just leading me away from you.”
“Neither of us knew. You couldn’t chance letting him go. I don’t regret what happened. Sometimes before a man dies, he feels the need to get things off his chest. It seems our dearly departed figured out who betrayed him.”
“What does that matter?”
“I wasn’t convinced it did at first.” Christian leaned against his pillow again. “It got me to thinking—if someone was doing this to steal their fortune, that makes us a liability.”
“How do we pose a threat to Mr. X if we don’t even know who he is?”
“Do you think he would chance it? Something could always lead back, or perhaps he fears one of the oligarchs will reveal his identity in hopes of us letting him live. Do you know how much those men are probably worth? Trillions. The Mage didn’t suggest the person is in it for the reward money—it’s their fortune he wants. That’s conspiracy to murder. It’s one thing to turn in a wanted outlaw for the reward or even justice. It’s another to arrange the murder of oligarchs to steal their fortune. That’s scandalous and I’m certain illegal.”
“Can we get in trouble for it?”
Christian scratched his arm. “I suspect not. We hunt outlaws, and we’ve always done it for the reward. Or justice. If the person who hired us conspired to steal their wealth, well, that’s an entirely different matter. That explains the anonymity of our Mr. X.”
I changed positions so I was facing him. “He gave you the name without asking for anything in return?”
“Some men wish to die with honor. I wager he hoped if I knew the person’s identity, I would do something about it.”
“Do you remember the name?”
“Aye, but it means nothing to me. A Ronald Frazier.”
My blood ran cold.
Christian eyed me like a hawk. “Do you know him?”
My mouth opened as I leaned on my memories, making sure I wasn’t mistaken. “I think… I think that’s the guy Lenore’s with.”
Christian’s expression went black. “You’re certain?”
“Yep. It was Ronald Jackson Frazier. Or maybe Jefferson. Something like that. He’s a human.”
“A human?” Christian looked away. “Lenore would never bed a human, not even a rich one. Not unless…”
“She’s using him. Do you think she’s behind this?”
“I’d bet my life on it.”
I fell into my thoughts. “We have to tell Viktor. He can decide if he wants to pursue it or let it go. We don’t have any proof since we killed our witness.” I scooted onto my right side and placed my head on the soft pillow. “Lie down. We’ll figure it out in the morning. I feel sick and just want to hold you.”
He lifted the sheet, allowing me to tuck my legs beneath it. I studied every angle of his body. The V-cut above his boxer briefs, the dusting of hair on his legs, the red streaks on his arm where he’d scratched with his fingers moments ago, his flawless skin, his dark tattoo, the weary look in his beautiful eyes, his whiskers that prickled my face when I nestled against him. I was about to place my hand over his heart but then moved it to my hip instead.
Christian moved my hand back to his heart and held it there so I could feel his pulse thumping against my palm.
“Does this bother you?” I asked.
“My heart has always been in your hands, Precious.”
“Promise you won’t ever die.”
He reached under the collar of my shirt and pulled out my ruby pendant. “I can’t make that promise any more than you can.”
Firelight danced in the shadowy room, the heat much too far away to be enjoyed from the bed. Christian kept me warm.
“I think I could sleep,” he said quietly. “Is that strange? I haven’t slept in two hundred years. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to really sleep—to dream for hours.”
