“I need nothing,” Ravenna said.
There was no turning back now. Imelda shot Ravenna a furious glance. It promised retribution for her impertinence. She shut the door behind her with a measured click.
Ravenna and Saturnino were alone.
Capitolo Trentuno
Ravenna’s fingers dug into her towel as she stared across the room at Saturnino. Her wet hair dripped down her back, sending a shiver down the line of her spine. His presence overwhelmed her. He regarded her in a calculating manner; his expression held a familiar mocking quality.
Saturnino crossed to her wardrobe, opened the door, and pulled out her velvet dressing gown. Wordlessly, he handed it to Ravenna, taking care not to touch her, and then turned away from her, toward the window. She couldn’t keep herself from looking at his hands again. The remnants of his fight with Marco were brutal. Raw knuckles, small cuts, sore skin tinted blue.
Ravenna dropped the towel and hastily slid into the robe, tying the belt at her waist. She knotted it twice for good measure.
“I’m ready.”
He turned around and perused her garment slowly, the way it covered her chest, nipped in at her waist, and brushed the tops of her bare toes. He slowly dragged his eyes up to meet hers. His thorough study left her breathless. He had seen everything he needed to see, down to the way her fingers twisted the fabric. It was impossible to keep herself from fidgeting nervously. But then he averted his gaze, as if he couldn’t bear to look at her.
His words came out in a low mutter, harsh and grim. “You are lovely.”
It didn’t sound like a compliment, and his tone irked her. “You mean for a human.”
His face snapped back to hers. “No, because of it.”
Her lips parted in surprise and he drew closer. He was angry with her, but he seemed to be even angrier with himself. Ravenna felt its wild presence piercing the air between them. Her mind raced—thought after thought, idea after idea. Saturnino was here because he’d found her on that bridge, hovering over the corpse of their greatest ally.
How much could she reveal? What could she say to save her life?
He went for the jugular. “You lied to me about the message.”
“You lied tome,” Ravenna countered.
“I wasn’t lying when we made our bargain,” he said. “I haven’t told you everything, I’ve evaded some of your questions, but I have kept our terms.”
It really was a marvel, the way he could lie but still make it sound like the truth. Everything he had said contradicted what she’d heard out of his own mouth in the garden. Anger fizzled at her fingertips. For the first time in her life, she wanted to strike another person, and not in defense.
In sheer frustration.
“You haven’t kept your end,” Ravenna said.
He glowered at her. “How so?”
“I was to give you information, just enough for you to continue your own machinations in a war I want no part of.”
He slashed the air between them with a pale hand. “That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Ravenna marched up to him, poked a finger against his chest. He didn’t budge. “You’relyingto me again. I heard you!”
Saturnino took her finger into his cool palm, his fingers brushing her knuckles. Ravenna forced herself not to react, even as a warm feeling spread through her at his light touch.
“You heard me when?”
“I followed you out into the garden,” she said, “and heard your conversation with the others.” Despite his gentle caress, her voice rose in accusation. “You’ve been searching for my replacement this entire time.”
His lips twisted wryly. “Technically, not theentiretime.”
She drew in a quick, irregular breath. “Technically! You have been— Will youstopthat?”
Saturnino froze, looking momentarily bemused, as if he hadn’t been aware of what he’d been doing. His dark eyes flicked down. He was cradling her hand against his chest, thumb brushing the pad of her palm.
