A criminal.
Her landlord.
Criminal.
The thought kept churning in Calliope’s mind like a vexing song she could not rid herself of.A handsome criminal.
Maxen Fury. Even his name made her skin prickle. With unease, of course. Nothing else. He even walked like he had no natural predator. Like the very air stirred differently around him.
Let’s not meet again, then.
Perhaps the wisest words ever spoken.
Still, why hadn’t Prince barked at the man? The hound had keen senses, but he’d simply remained curled up, unbothered by her landlord’s presence.
Unlike her.
Prince nudged her hand, and she stroked his head. “Very well, I shall forgive you this time,” she said her gaze on the door the man had disappeared through, leaving a coldness in his wake. The question remained: Did Mr. Fury believe her?
He was everything shehadto avoid in her new life.
Dark, dangerous, and an unprecedented threat to her mission—a peaceful life free from those who would hurt and control her.
And he would be a threat.
The mere knowledge of his existence was an incomprehensible disruption. Not to mention the man himself. His overbearing presence. He carried himself like someone accustomed to control, to bending things—and people—to his will. Just like Duvessa. And his eyes seemed to observe more than anyone had a right to. Calliope couldn’t allow anyone to discover her secret.
And her slipper!
Now she must get rid of the matching one in her possession before he somehow discovered it with her. Though the idea seemed inconceivable, she couldn’t take the chance. But where? Somewherefaraway from her shop.
On her way to post her letter to Mr. Fitz?
Calliope would most certainly have to rid herself of the thing during the day. There was no way she was moving about in the dark streets again! She would also have to start looking for another shop as soon as possible. A place far from histerritoryas he so ominously called it. Moving would be bothersome. After all, while this shop was not the best neighborhood in Brighton, her first concern had always been staying out of Duvessa’s line of sight. Her stepmother might send people to inquire after her, and she’d wager they would never think to search for her here. Besides, the shop was not meant to make her rich. Her inheritance could last her a lifetime. This life was meant to give her independence, and she’d chosen candles because they reminded her of home. Her true home.
However, Calliope didn’t want a villain as a landlord and the looming threat of danger dangling over her head. All her worries were reserved for Duvessa or her uncle.
She didn’t need this, this perilous position.
So, until she could relocate, she’d make herself as invisible as possible. She was good at that. Fortunately. Inhaling a deep, steady breath, she let the soothing scents of her shop fill her lungs.
So good.
No sooner had she allowed herself to relax than the chime of the bell struck her nerves full force. Bah! Should she replace the bell with another one? Something softer. Something that didn’t sound like doom swinging on a hinge.
She quickly smoothed her skirt and summoned a smile for yet another tall man who stepped inside. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he returned her smile with one that made her feel instantly at ease. So unlike herfirstcustomer of the day.
“Good day.” His gaze swept over the shelves with interest. “I’m in search for a gift for my niece. She adores sweet-smelling things.”
Calliope almost laughed at his twitch at the wordthings.
“Of course.” She indicated to the display on right. “There are more exotic scents such as poppy and rose, pear and peony, cucumber and honey. The ones on the other side are more simple scents like vanilla and such.”
He nodded thoughtfully, his gaze flicking to the bundles before back to her. “I’ll take each of the combination ones you mentioned.”
She nodded once and turned to the shelves, gathering each of the requested bundles quickly and brought them back to her counter to wrap.
“You’ve quite a charming place here,” the man noted. “How long have you been open?”
