Dark thoughts filled his head. “You mean beyond needing money or a mate.”
“Exactly. You are the ambassador to the Council of Elders. If her parents still carry any loyalty to the old guard, she could be getting close to you for more than a paycheck. She might seek status or information.”
He must have flinched because Raven raised her hands. “I’m not saying she is, Marius. I liked Harlow when I met her, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s possible for the apple to roll far, far away from the tree. I only wanted to make you aware out of an abundance of caution.”
He grunted. “I get it. I’m not good with subtleties, Raven. You’ve known this since the afternoon you walked into my room in the Asfolk infirmary and I told you I had no desire to be king. Is this your way of telling me I should find another trainer?”
Raven took a deep breath, her arms dropping to her sides. “No. If you trust her, we will trust her. My only request is that if something happens that changes that trust or introduces doubt, I want you to tell us. We’re a new kingdom. We’re vulnerable.”
He raised his hand. “Enough said. I’m keeping her on for now. But my loyalty is to Paragon first.”
Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek and squeezed his shoulder. “Thank you, Marius. I knew you’d understand.”
She left him then, slipping into the dining room where Queen Penelope waited. The conversation settled into his soul like a fly into ointment. Everything made sense now. The chemistry he’d thought was between Harlow and him was invented, orchestrated. He didn’t believe she was a political spy, but her motives were definitely financial. She was likely flirting with him out of a desire for a marriage that would save her from a life of poverty and social isolation.
He closed his eyes and gave his head a hard shake. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? Of course she wasn’t attracted to him. He was death itself. Someone like her, who carried the sun in her wings, wouldn’t want someone like him. It made sense. She had flirted with him because she wanted something from him—a marital arrangement, the most likely suspect. His dragon coiled, and images of what she’d looked like above him with her wings spread filled his mind. Did it matter if her attraction to him was real?
No, he decided. It didn’t. He wasn’t above a transactional arrangement. Hell, what else could he expect now, like this? He wanted her, and he’d take whatever he could get.
Chapter Ten
Harlow paid the driver as she exited the carriage at her parents’ home, feeling like she was walking on air. Marius had almost kissed her. Her heart thrummed with the possibilities. Twilight had turned the sky silver while she’d been traveling, and Ouros’s two moons glazed the tightly spaced roofs of the Swilton district with silver light. Her breath caught. The color was exactly like Marius’s eyes. She wondered if he was thinking about her at that moment, and the thought made her smile.
There was something between them, something more than simple chemistry. She wasn’t going to rush it. Wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize his training or her job. His money was changing her life.
After their first session, she’d clutched her bag to her stomach all the way home. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from counting it over and over. Never had she expected he’d pay her an entire cycle’s fees at once. If she played her cards right and was lucky at the pits, she could put a deposit on a small house in a matter of weeks. If she didn’t mess things up.
She wanted Marius, but she needed to be patient. The job came first. At least until she had her own place. Still, thoughts of him produced a dreamy, weightless feeling that propelled her through the front door. She crash-landed back to earth when she saw Adradys with her father at the dining table. She’d desperately wanted a few hours to relax, but now it appeared they were entertaining the most pretentious and excruciating snob she’d suffered in weeks.
“Finally! We were beginning to think we’d have to send out a search party,” her father said. Was that a smile on his face? It had been so long since she’d seen one there, she almost couldn’t believe he was the same man.
Her mother emerged from the kitchen, equally transformed. She was sober and wearing a new dress and an apron Harlow had never seen before. She placed a guiding hand on her shoulder. “You must be starving. Where’ve you been so late? Oh, never mind. It’s all right. Have a seat.”
“Yes, Harlow. Sit,” Adradys said, pulling out the chair beside him.
She cleared her throat and forced a smile. Although the thought of spending an evening with Adradys didn’t appeal to her, she was smart enough not to make a fuss. Had she misread her last interaction with him? Perhaps he’d taken their conversation to heart and had come to speak to her father about potential employment. Yes, that must be it. That would explain her parents’ good moods.
She smiled sweetly. “I’m sorry I’m late. I was helping a friend.”
“Just like Harlow to always lend a hand,” Lemetria chimed in.
Harlow pointed vaguely in the direction of her room. She met Adradys’s eyes and turned on the charm. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’ll just go freshen up.”
“Of course.” His tone held all the pretentiousness of a man who truly believed that the woman sitting beside him should look her best. She dug her fingernails into her palm to keep from rolling her eyes.
“Do hurry, Harlow. We wouldn’t want to keep our guest waiting.” Lemetria spread her hands toward the set table. Didn’t she look like the very picture of domesticity? What was happening? Had she passed through a portal to another dimension between the carriage and her home?
She laughed, high and light. “I’ll be quick.” She strode down the hall, into her room, and closed the door. Quickly she shed her dress and the fighting clothes underneath it. Oh, her father would have a fit if he’d known she was wearing breeches. She selected a dress they would approve of from her closet, a fitted purple number that contrasted with the gold in her eyes and hair. Looking every bit the socialite she once was, she slipped her feet into a pair of heels and strode back out to the table.
Maybe she’d overdone it. Adradys’s eyes widened, and his grin turned wolfish. “Much better,” he murmured as if his assessment was everything.
“Oh, Harlow, you truly are the loveliest of your age,” her mother said.
Her father gave her an approving nod.
Adradys pulled out her chair, and she sat beside him, his scent a cloying stench in her nose. Had he smelled that bad before when she’d been close to him at the pits? She didn’t think so. Maybe he had a new cologne. As she tucked in her chair, she made an effort to put a little more space between them.
“Yes, she is lovely,” Adradys said. “I was just telling your father how I ran into you betting at the pits the other day. How unusual it was to see someone of your social standing involved in such a base activity.”
