“Do you get a lot of paying clients?”
“Yes.”
She leaned on her elbow. “If you charged less, you would get more.”
“I know.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I don’t need the money. I have more than enough. And there would be too many seeking services in their own interests, but no one else’s.”
She touched my side. “You are more interested in people who can’t afford your services. Workers. Who pay with favors that end up benefiting each other.”
“Yes.”
“You took my case because it was favor bound.”
“From a purely predatory standpoint, I knew immediately you’d be a strong asset. With your ability to blend in, the innate skills you’ve developed. You were determined and loyal. Interesting. Your brother’s situation was also interesting. Frostwood must have known I’d think so.”
“What did you do for Frostwood?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“He’s rather like you about not wanting to be in debt to anyone, though he’s on a tight monetary leash with his father. I assume whatever you did for him, his father paid?”
I didn’t answer, instead running my fingers along her rib cage. She arched into them as they grazed her breast.
“Why had I never heard of you?”
“When people think they can buy anything, horrible things become demand. Saying no to the powerful requires equal might, continuously flexed. A lesson learned hard and early. I made sure no one couldmakeme do anything.” Hard, ruthless years spent cultivating to that level of power. “I found a better balance in referrals. The network works better in secret, without magical oversight.”
“How did you know Frostwood had referred me? I couldn’t feel any magic in the card.”
“Each one is physically different. In subtle ways, but it is the best way to avoid forgery and to verify the identity of the sender.”
“You enjoy it too, the intrigue, the suspense.”
I smiled faintly. “I do.”
“What will you do when you want to retire?”
“I’ll turn it over to Lucian.” I hesitated. “Or one of Lucian’s children, should he have any.”
“What about your own children?”
“Lucian seems more inclined to marry, doesn’t he?” I rolled so I was looking down at her.
“I suppose that is true.”
I slid my hand into her hair, tipping her head back on the pillow, pressing a kiss at her throat. “Is that all you wanted to know, Marietta?”
~*~
MARIETTA
I wanted to know everything. It was hard to imagine the man ever being taken advantage of. I hadn’t known the boy. That he wasn’t interested in marriage was no surprise, so why did it make my heart wrench?
My fingers curled into the coverlet, the marks on my wrist sending pulses through me as he pressed kisses down my neck. “Why stars?”
