She stiffens as I lean closer to her ear, but no matter the circumstances, she doesn’t cede.
“If I wanted in, a lock wouldn’t stop me,” I whisper.
It wasn’t the right thing to say, but I also can’t help rising to her challenge. It lights something inside me.
She turns her head. We’re so close that our breath mingles. She smells like wine and honey.
“I’m glad you don’t, then.” She keeps her eyelids low, and her full lips curl up into a wicked grin.
Fierce desire courses through me. I want to grab her again. I want her long hair in my hands and her arms around me. I want to feel the vibration of her moans as I—
Good gods, what am I thinking? She literally has a dagger at her side and, even if she’s not a murderer, she’s hiding something—I sense it in my gut. Not to mention that she is the same girl who ruined my life, my father’s.
I need to go the fuck to bed.
I take a step away. “Goodnight, Excellency.”
She exhales, and I bow my head. Then I return to my room without looking back. It’s harder than it should be.
XIV.
Kerasea
The gray daylight causes my eyes to ache as I lie in bed. I barely got any sleep, staring at the ceiling and wonderingif Antinous was right—was the Praetorian the murderer? It didn’tfeelright, though—which means I’m trapped here with a killer and no idea who to fear.
Either way, one thing is crystal clear: I have to get out of voting. It puts me right in a killer’s path. I plan to claim that I cannot decide in the event of a deadlock. And then avoid being alone with anyone for the next six days. Especially the Praetorian.
I groan and rub my face.
Underworld take me. What a plan.
I still can’t believe I held a blade to his throat, but all I knew was that someone was following me. I didn’t know it would be him.
He wasn’t at all afraid, though. I close my eyes and remember how easily he disarmed me. The rush of heat from his body through his nightclothes made me shiver. There was so much desire radiating from him when we stood by my door, but then he stepped away like it was all a game.
Maybe it was.
Then why am I falling for it? Why play at attraction when he despises me? It should be easier to get to the truth, since he’s such a terrible liar. He knew I screamed, not because he heard it from way up here but because he was already by the kitchens. I can only assume he believes I have some knowledge about Verhardt, but it’s Antinous who knows everything.
And he believes Torren is a murderer.
Another chill hits me, this time an unpleasant, blood-draining sensation, as I recall the fear in Antinous’s eyes. Poor Antinous. He’s an academic, a gentle soul among snakes and blades. But he believes the Praetorian is more dangerous than any of us imagine.
I should heed his warning.
Not because I believe the Praetorian killed Verhardt—I spent the night rolling the thought through my mind and, while Torren is certainly capable, I don’t think he did it. He’s not a good enough liar to fake concern for the Council after butchering the Senate Leader, and he’s too rigidly devoted to his role. But he is still a danger to me. I need to avoid the Praetorian, not lie here thinking about him pressing me against the wall.
A light knock on the door makes me gasp. But it’s just Zel. She’s always on time.
I placed a chair under the door handle last night. I shift it and smile as I let her in.
“Good morning, High Priestess, did you sleep well?” Her large brown eyes take me in, pausing at my face.
I nod. “The mountain air is quite refreshing.”
It is a half-truth. Unlike the Praetorian, I am an exceptional liar.
I skip the morning meal, and Zel spends extra time applying makeup under my eyes, although she says nothing about it. Sometimes, there’s a subtle kindness in silence.
