Twisting in his hold, I turn until I can see his face.Information?
“About me?” I ask hopefully.
Tarek’s eyes suddenly look cautious, and my heart starts working faster.
“We don’t know for sure, but it’s possible,” he tells me, and I let loose a shocked exhale as nerves begin to skitter about in my stomach like chirp ants.
“Don’t get your hopes up yet, Moonling,” Curio warns. “We have feelers out about you and another issue. I don’t want you to be disappointed if this turns out to be a dead end.”
I nod, doing my best to rein in my frazzled thoughts. I school my features and pull in a deep fortifying breath.
“That’s it, Beasty,” Riall praises, his hazel gaze locked on mine, and once again those words do all kinds of things to me that they shouldn’t.
Riall smiles as though he knows that too and stands up. I immediately feel the loss of him as he moves away from me, but it’s time to get my head on straight. Whatever is happening here between me and them can wait. It’s time to hunt down some answers.
“Meet me in the kitchen when you’re done getting dressed. I’ll feed you, and then Curio can fit your armor. You’ve seen how Eacon hunts; it’s time you experience what we can do too,” Riall tells me, his eyes wandering up my bare legs and settling pointedly at the apex of my thighs before rising to meet my fiery gaze.
I fight the smile that wants to sneak across my face at the struggle he’s obviously dealing with. I decide a little payback is in order for theno—regardless of how justified it might be. I’m playing with fire, but right now I like the burn. I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge no matter how dangerous it might be, and that’s exactly what this feels like. They want me to come to them, to split myself open and give them everything I have. Well, maybe they need an idea of who they’ll be fucking with if they don’t honor that gift the way they should.
“Fine,” I agree, pushing up from Tarek’s hold.
His grasp hesitates for the smallest fraction of a second, but then he relaxes his hold and drops his hands. I let the towel fall too.
“Anything else I need to do to prep?” I ask, casually turning to the three of them as though I’m not completely bare and haven’t a care in the world.
My nipples pebble, and the firelight flirts with the curves of my body as I drop my hands to my side.
Tarek smirks, but he drinks his fill as he takes me in. Curio’s eyes narrow, but I don’t miss the shift of his leathers as he grows hard. Riall groans, and I get the distinct impression it’s all he can do to hold himself back. No one answers my question, but I’m not fussed. I got exactly what I needed. I turn and saunter out of the study, debating whether or not it would be overkill to pretend to drop something and then bend over to pick it up.
“Fuck me,” somebody laments as I make my way out to the corridor.
A smile is the only thing I’m wearing as I walk away, and I have to hold back the laugh that wants to punctuate the frustration I feel at my back from the Scorpions. I don’t know exactly where I stand with them after everything that happened today, but oddly, I don’t have any desire to examine it or dissect things. This is fun, and the stars fucking know I could use more of that in my life.
ChapterThirty-Seven
“You won’t need that,” Curio tells me as I reach for the sword I selected earlier with Eacon.
The hunt with her already feels as though it was weeks ago even though it wasn’t. So much has happened since this morning that I’m scrambling to catch up with it all. I stare down at the first sword I used to deliver death outside of the ludere, and hesitate. It served me well, and it’s crafted so perfectly. My eyes flit to Curio and the eyebrow now cocked in challenge. I sigh, shoving the sentimental urge aside that wants me to ignore his order and grab the sword from where it’s leaning against a leg of the long prep-come-dining table that sits at the heart of the kitchen.
I eye the last remaining pieces of lunch, grabbing one for the walk down to Curio’s workshop, and Riall chuckles. I was too wired to want to sit down and eat, but Tarek threatened that we wouldn’t go anywhere until I had. I’ll never confess it, but I’m glad I was forced to eat my new favorite thing. Dough with some kind of white sauce, cheese, and different meats and vegetables sprinkled across the top greeted me, hot from the oven, when I arrived. The burns I sustained to the roof of my mouth and tongue as I practically inhaled it are well worth it. I suspect feeding me like this is part of the ploy to further convince me to stay. It’s working, not that I have any intention of telling the Scorpions that. Then again, the lewd noises I make every time I put something new and delicious in my mouth have probably given me away at this point.
I had hoped that experiencing new foods and surroundings would help trigger recognition or memories from before the ludere, but I’m still as blank as I’ve always been. Perhaps, though, I won’t be for much longer. If the Scorpions’ contact has useful information, the answers I’ve craved for so long might be closer than ever.
I follow Curio outside, picking out the familiar path that leads to his forge. I’ve ambled down it quite a few times now to have him check the fit on certain things. He’s always been adamant that he wasn’t close to done, so I feel absurdly giddy at the thought of finally seeing whatfinishedlooks like. I recall the incredible armor the Scorpions have donned the few times in the past they’ve walked into my life battle-ready and hunting. I try to picture what I would look like in all that finery, but it’s difficult to envision. In my head, I still see the dirty blade slave with the threadbare clothes and the rusty sword clutched in one hand. I know I’m not her anymore, but I don’t know how long it will be beforethattruly settles in.
Steady meals have thickened me. I’m harder in many places than I used to be now that my muscles are getting what they need. Curio has had to redo more than a few things on my kit because of the changes, but he’s never complained once about having to. A smirk tilts across his mouth as he watches me stuff my face. The eager bounce in my step might have something to do with that smile too. I wonder if this is as exciting for him as it is for me. He gets to take in the fruits of his labor, and I achieve another stride away from the blade slave I no longer am.
It’s not lost on me what the Scorpions have done for me. Stay or not, it’s a debt I don’t know how I will ever repay. It’s clear that they don’t look at it that way, but I don’t know how not to. With Tilleo, everything was marks in a ledger. From the gruel to the cost of fairy light to the rags we were given to wear, not a thing escaped being tallied and tracked. But here, they give so freely. I didn’t trust it at first, but I’ve seen enough to know now that as much as they want me to stay, they won’t ask an aurem from me if I choose to go.
“I want you to do something for me,” Curio announces as we round the last bend before his workshop comes into view.
“What?” I ask, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and then dusting a few crumbs from my chest.
“I want you to close your eyes while I fit you. When I’m finished, I’ll tell you when you can open them.”
I regard him for a beat, a smile hinting at my lips. Where I typically see a cocky glint in his gaze, I notice a bashful gleam instead. I doubt he’s ever asked Tarek or Riall to do this, which somehow makes it all the more endearing. My small smile hatches into a full-blown grin.
“Sure,” I answer casually with a shrug.
