“What are you going to do next, little mouse?”
She edged to her bed, pistol steady, bending to pull out a travel case and shoving it open. A neat coil of rope rested inside, bought for laundry and odd jobs. Who would have thought she’d use it to tie up a man? Hopefully there was enough.
She tossed the rope to him.
“Tie yourself to the chair. You understand?”
He caught the bindings easily, eyeing her the entire time. “I do. You plan to run away, then?”
“I plan to leave,” she corrected. “Which is not the same thing.”
“And you think my brother won’t hunt you down the moment he realizes you’re gone?”
“Why would he hunt me down?” She was doing him a favor by removing herself from whatever nightmare was circling them.
“You have much to learn about men, little mouse,” Reaper said looping the rope around his chest and the chair as she wanted.
“I know enough.”
“Do you? I rather doubt that. But you do seem to possess the sort of fire that burns holes through cold men.”
Was he mocking her? “You all like to believe you’re so very cold. But you’re ruled by loyalty, are you not? By blood. Seems all very hot to me. And that’s why you won’t try to stop me from leaving.”
His gaze sharpened. “I fail to see your reasoning.”
“It’s better for your brother if I disappear,” Calliope said calmly, stepping up to the man, considering how to bind him from here. He observed her like a hawk but stayed seated. Stayed loosely bound. “Don’t move. I’m going to secure you now, and I don’t want to use my pistol on you. However, one word from me, and Prince sinks his teeth in a region you’d very much like to keep intact.”
The air around him froze.
Well, look at that. See? She was a fast learner.
His expression didn’t change, but his gaze flicked toward Prince sticking close to her feet, staring at him, ears twitching as if heunderstood every word. Calliope didn’t give him time to reconsider. She moved quickly, efficiently, knotting the rope tight around his chest and the arms of the chair, then looping the binding around the legs twice more for good measure. A good purchase, if she had to say so herself.
She stepped back, breath slightly unsteady.
She was doing this, then.
Leaving.
Leaving everything behind.
Mr. Fitz would help her retrieve her belongings and send them along to where she next decided to settle.
“Look at you, little mouse. You’ve a talent with rope. Where did you learn such askill?”
She didn’t know if he was being dry or serious, but she smiled sweetly. “I guess you’ll have plenty of time to wonder.”
“The time will be less than you think.”
Calliope backed toward the wardrobe where she quickly retrieved her valise. The contents weren’t much—a change of clothes, a purse with coins, and some books. The exact bag she’d prepared for fleeing her old house. She had hoped she would never have need for this one, but as long as Duvessa was in search of her, she had to be prepared.
Thank stars she was.
Her gaze locked on one lone shoe.
Ah.
The slipper that started it all. Should she take the shoe with her? She hadn’t been able to part with it before, but today she found she could. Let him find the thing. She would not see him—or any of them—again.
