Rosalind had just finished her third set of knocks, wondering if maybe she should have given up after the first, when the door opened.
“Oh.”
Davarox stood there, shirtless, linen pants slung low on his hips as his tail dragged behind him lazily. Hair loose and tangled, he scrubbed at one half of his face as he squinted at her through his other eye.
“You were asleep,” Rose said guiltily. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d be up by now. I shouldn’t have?—”
Dav grabbed her wrist before she could leave, tugging her into his apartment and closing the door behind her. By the time she’d been spun around, all sleep was gone from his face. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“No, I don’t want to burden you if you just woke up.”
“Rosalind.” Oh, that was his serious voice. “You show up to my apartment when you should be at work, or fucking resting before tonight, and as beautiful as you always are, you look like you’re seconds away from a panic attack.”
“Maybe?”
His hands clasped her cheeks, lowering himself to tap his nose against hers. “Start explaining while I’ll make tea.”
Rosalind nodded as she followed him into the kitchen, and the moment she was seated at the counter, she launched into her morning.
It had really started the day before. After Lazerath had left, she’d gone from a relatively calm hour into the most chaotic sequence of events she’d ever experienced. Which was saying something when she’d literally been stolen from her office on the human side of the Achreos Barrens and woke up in the demon realm after nearly being sold as a slave.
The first thing she’d had to deal with was an emergency meeting of the councilors after Kalypso and her squad dragged an unconscious and bleeding Dolgeraus into city hall. Apparently the monsters hadn’t just slipped past the Veilwood runes, they’d been summoned.
Rosalind had butted her way into the mess, if only to prevent Kalypso from using her very pretty swords on some of the nobles who thought to speak over her statement when they hadn’t left their comfy offices to check on any citizens.
Finally, when the scouts were debriefed and Dolgeraus was heading to a cell in the barracks, Rosalind had breathedfor all of five minutes before a report came in about an incident at Kizros’s apothecary. Rose had hurried there in a panic, confirming Aofe was okay and sitting with her and her adorable six-eyed fox while the guard took statements.
By the time the moon had set, Rose was trudging back to Karroth Kosteri’s office in city hall. They’d come up with a plan to adjust the human contracts that would prevent something like Aofe’s situation happening to anyone else.
It was pure luck that Rosalind had finished in time to freshen up and make it to the council’s meeting about Dolgeraus.
“They’re sayinghewas responsible for the missing money!” Her anger was lessened by the fruit tart she was chewing, though she hadn’t remembered when Davarox placed it in front of her, or if the plate had been this empty before. “Not just money that went to Culture, but the other offices. So it’s not an isolated event.”
She shook her head, flexing her fingers in both anger and an attempt to restrain herself from reaching for another tart. “Tarzul claimed he wasso blindsidedby his nephew, actedso distraughtwhen he brought those documents forward to implicate Dolgeraus, everyone believed him. But those documents? They aren’t the same ones that Elliran got for me. They have to be forgeries.”
Davarox set down his tea with a frown. “What did Elliran say about it?”
“I don’t know, she wasn’t there. And when I asked around, no one has heard fromher for a while.”
The crease between Dav’s eyes grew tighter.
“But everyone in the council believes Tarzul. Thinks Dolgeraus is behind it all, but it’s not adding up.”
“Did you say something?”
Rosalind’s shoulders sank. “No. Mozke wouldn’t let me?—”
“Good. Listen to them,” Dav said, voice low. Before Rose could argue, he held up a finger. “Do not piss him off, Rose. I’m serious.”
She leaned back, offended. “You’re telling me to stop looking into this?”
“Not at all. I’m telling you not to be loud about it.” At her glare, he added, “Yet.”
“I don’t understand. You believe me but don’t want me to call him out? I’m right there, I know it’s him. I just need one slip?—”
“And he already warned you at the fundraiser not to snoop,” Dav reminded her. “Elliran tried to help you and now she’s not showing up to work.”
Horror gripped Rosalind’s chest. “Oh my gods, do you think he did something to her?”
