I shouldn’t still be thinking of Clement and yet, I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist if I showed up in his room wearing nothing except my cloak and this mask. Even his deep-set sense of duty would be cast aside for one wild night.
I shivered, brushing the thought away. If Siobhan caught a whiff of my attraction, however slight, she would pounce.
I followed lipstick red arrows on the walls to the end of the corridor and down carpeted stairs. The hazy mist increased, swirling around my ankles, lapping at my thighs, coating my senses in a warm, enticing aroma. My heart rate slowed, my muscles loosened as I drew a deep breath and surrendered myself to it.
I opened the door marked ‘lounge’ and wandered toward a corner booth. Silk pillows padded themselves around my body and I leaned my head back upon the diamond-stitched wall. I sighed. A moment of peace.
“You look ravishing tonight, my dear.” Siobhan breezed into the seat beside me, placing two large glasses on the table. She wore a blood-red mask, with horizontal eye holes and two gnarled horns twisted upon the top.
I reached for the drink, inhaling a thick aroma of cherries and spicy cinnamon. “And you’ve chosen your natural form.” I sipped at the drink and groaned, gulping half of it down. I shouldn’t let her know me this well, but sometimes there were benefits.
“Here, let me.” She dabbed at the corner of my mouth, wiping a droplet with her finger. “Such a shame to go to waste, no?” She sucked the moisture into her mouth, her slitted eyes ice blue and captivating. I preferred the dark depths of Clement’s.
I turned back to survey the room. Women lounged on overstuffed chaises or leaned against the bar with drinks in hand. Ornate masks accentuated plump lips, soft jawlines and long, elegant necks. Serving girls flitted in and out, swishing their hips in flowing silken robes, sometimes brushing against a thigh, or sliding a warm hand down an arm.
I set my empty glass down, my body tingling as relaxation seeped into my heavy muscles.
Siobhan flicked her hand, and another two drinks arrived. She spoke a few whispered words to the server who giggled and nodded toward an adjoining room. As she turned, Siobhan carefully watched every sashay of her hips beneath the cream silk.
I sipped, hoping that despite the lightness of my mind, I'd still be able to form coherent demands. “Have you considered my request?” I swirled my drink, focusing on the clinking of ice against the glass.
“Perhaps we should visit the balcony next?” She pointed to where the server had indicated. “There are couches, swings, pillows, whatever you prefer. The mist clings to the floor of the stage below to obscure the view of the bashful, such as yourself.” I rolled my eyes. “It may be an altogether more persuasive experience, especially when we have such heady matters to discuss, no?”
“Maybe next time.” I plucked the cherry from the glass and rolled it around in my mouth, coating my tongue with the sweet syrup.
“I have all the time in the world, my dear.” She flicked her hand again and the server reappeared with a small china bowl piled high with fat, glistening cherries. The red juice sloshed, rising and trickling down the sides.
“I found the Sheriff.” I flicked my gaze to her. My stomach twisted at the intensity of her stare, the sickly concoction in my stomach lurching. I took another drink, pushing the cherries aside. “So, now I have a free one again...a spare...a favor?” I hit the bottom of the glass again, tipping it up so only ice crunched into my mouth. Another reappeared before me.
She shifted closer, her thigh pressed against mine. Nausea welled, a clammy fog creeping up my spine. Finally, she turned her head away and a cool rush of air relieved me.
“No,” she said.
I tried to lurch to my feet, distant anger calling to me, trying to propel me toward the exit. She tapped my leg, the pressure featherlight, and my body slumped back into the cushions.
“I don’t want to do it. I need to get out of there.” My throat tightened, my glands threatening to swell. I swallowed, blinking furiously as I ordered my body to behave. How many lives would be ruined? Lilyanna’s, Clement’s? And I still didn’t know if the prince was guilty.
Her hand remained on my leg, her slim fingers tightening around my thigh. “The prince is important, my dear Tam. That’s why I gave the job to you, no?” She reached for my drink and molded it into my limp hand. “He’s impenetrable, like you’ve probably already discovered. And there’s this infernal aura of goodness around him, it layers on the guilt. So many others have succumbed.”
That could explain why my magic faltered around him, why I was so conflicted whenever I neared. Though, I would never dare admit that to Siobhan. Had he played me like all the others? My chest heated.
She raised my hand, forcing the glass to my lips. “Drink, my dear.” I swallowed another mouthful, unsure whether it would stay down. “Good girl.” She patted my arm and slid her hand back onto my upper thigh. “But you’re heartless, aren’t you? You get in, get out, don’t ask questions, and move on. Like I said, the Sheriff was a particularly impressive find.”
The serving girl returned, and Siobhan shook her head, waving her away with a clipped, “Go wait for me on stage. Be ready.”
She resumed focus on me. “I do so hope there is not another reason you are reluctant to complete this task? Say, a distraction?”
I slowly shook my head. A muffled buzzing rattled around in my mind. She will never let me go.
“Where was I?” She leaned closer, her hot breath fogging my mask. A sticky drop of red paint bled from the cherry blossoms, clinging to my chin and running down my neck. “You are loyal to your Collectors because it’s their life hanging in the balance, not yours. Yet. So yes, you must complete this mission and perhaps afterward, you can request a small leave of absence?” She drew back and rose, straightening her mask. “There are other places like this scattered up and down the country. We could see them together, Tam. Just say the word.”
My stomach churned again. I put the drink on the table and rested my forehead in my hands.
She patted me lightly on the head and placed a heavy coin purse next to me. I turned to squint at the lacy white tag that dangled from a garter strangling the neck of the sack. For a job well done. With Love. S. XX.
I grabbed the money and staggered to my feet.
The chill evening air cut into my drunken haze. It was so dull and plain, flavored with nothing except the lingering scent of rain upon stone. The walk to the castle took forever. The gargoyles greeted me first, protruding from the walls as they loomed over me with gnarled fingers clawing for my flesh.
