“Because I might be the only thing standing between you and a prison cell, Heiress.”
Shebarelywinced. This was a fine line to walk. Finally, she whispered, “So either I tell you the throne’s secrets, or you’re going to blame me for the lord’s death?”
“That depends on what you can offer me. I can just as easily tell every noble out there that you and I were together the entire night.”
There it was. An alibi and a marriage agreement in one fell swoop. She widened her eyes and looked down at the floor. “In return, you want a marriage agreement.”
“I believe that is obvious,” he said plainly. “And you can drop the innocent act. A man does not claw his way into a lordship without being able to read people. An innocent, vapid heiress wouldn’t have listened to the bare bones of a conversation and then found herself in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. No. Your brother may have wasted you, but I certainly won’t.”
Vaasa ran her tongue along her teeth. “What do you want?” she asked, letting her own tone slip into bluntness.
“At today’s council meeting, ensure Ozik nominates Roland Beránek to be warden of the prison instead of one of Vlacik’s allies. I also want your connection to the salt lord. He doesn’t trust me; our language barrier is too great. I suspect if you can help translate, a deal can be struck,” he said.
So this was how Karev would give Sachia access to the prison. He was slowly untangling Vlacik’s hold on the city guard,inserting himself instead. Vaasa was instrumental to his own plan, a missing piece he needed to slide into place. He planned to use her the way her father had, no matter how blatant or cruel. Vaasa crossed her arms—if she’d had her magic, she swore it would have hissed. Because this time, she was going to squeeze everything she wanted out of an arrangement like this. If she was going to be relegated to the schemes of men, she would weave a worse one all her own. “The man you met with won’t be pleased with the breaking of Asterya and Icruria’s trade agreement. He’s selfish and motivated by money alone. My hope was to work with him to undermine the Icrurian forces. We win the war, and he becomes the wealthiest salt lord in existence. I believethat’sa deal he will be interested in.”
“To win a war, you need an army,” Lord Karev stated.
And he had one of the largest mercenary armies on the continent. It was the only reason he held the power he did, and it was his greatest bargaining chip for an engagement to her. It was what set him apart as the head of the New Asteryan faction. Vaasa held his gaze, though she didn’t bother feigning a smile. “I wonder where I might find a powerful lord with one of those.”
It was positively carnal how he looked at her, the corners of his mouth rising with considerable pride. “In exchange for the throne, you get my armies and an alibi. It’s a better offer than Vlacik ever would have made.”
This was a part of her plan. Vaasa knew that, and yet her chest still constricted at the thought of going along with what he wanted. “Have an agreement drafted, then.”
“Would we include last night’s alibi in it?” he asked with such wickedness in his tone.
Vaasa only stared at him. “You can leave that part out.”
Karev gave a small chuckle and leaned comfortably against a table. “I only have one concern.”
“And what’s that?”
Lord Karev looked at the door, gesturing with his hand to it. “Your lead sentinel. The moment we’re engaged, you stop fucking him.”
Vaasa reared back. “Excuse me?”
He smirked at her aghast expression. “If we’re to be married, let us begin with the truth. I don’t blame you your appetites, but I have no intention of ending up like Vlacik.”
A fucking fool. Lord Karev thought she had no clue who’d committed that murder. He assumed he was smart enough to outwit her, to rise to power and overcome Ozik. Overcome her someday, too. All he had to do was convince her to marry him, and he thought he had won the game. But he was the prey, and he was the perfect choice for it: power hungry, gullible, and too full of himself to think he was either of those things.
Vaasa crossed her arms indignantly. “My lead sentinel is a means to an end. A way to visit the city and go where I please. He believes he has a chance at getting in my bed, so he does what I ask. But despite what you and everyone else seem to believe, I am not having an affair.”
Lord Karev stared at her, gauging how much of that he believed. There was no sexual tension between them, no lust there for her to twist. In his eyes was only a craving for power. He stood, towering over her. “I am not the kind of man you need to seduce in order to get what you want. I have no interest in fucking you. I prefer my women with less… presence. But if you stand at my side, I will ensure you want for nothing. So if you need to go to the city, or you want a man thrown from a window, it’s me you call upon going forward.”
Never in her life had this much poison been spewed at Vaasa in such a charming tone. It was both an insult and a compliment, a transparent admission of the marriage he offered her. A marriage that, perhaps a year or two ago, she might truly have considered entering. In so many ways, Lord Karev and shewere similar—maniacal, ruthless liars. There was a version of the world where he would have been precisely the man to overthrow Dominik. If she had been born power hungry, he would have been the bet she took.
But she did not want to rule Asterya. She wanted to dismantle it.
Vaasa pulled herself from where she leaned against the table, taking a few steps away. “Then I no longer need him.”
Lord Karev nodded, uncaring about the space she’d put between them, and stood from the table. He beamed down at her, not a hint of attraction or craving in his eyes. It was all ambition that shone there. She was, just as she had said about Roman, a means to an end.
He started toward the door. “Remember what I said about Roland Beránek. I need him to be warden of the prison.”
“I’ll tell Ozik immediately,” she agreed.
He peered over his shoulder. “I’ll call upon you tomorrow. I’d like to meet with the salt lord sooner rather than later,” he said before swinging open the door. He stared at Roman, then stepped past him as if the sentinel meant absolutely nothing to him.
Roman rushed in, looking her over, but she held up her hand. Ozik walked in just then, his curious eyes watching her. Vaasa stood up straight and strode to the door. “Nominate Roland Beránek as warden of the prison, and you’ve got your marriage agreement.”
