The voice chuckled, assuming far more intimate reasons for why Ronin and Mireille weren’t answering the door. “Of course, sir. Just leave the tray outside when you’ve finished. I’ll be back around to fetch it.”
“Look,” Mireille said, “I’ve dealt with plenty of killers before. This isn’t my first dangerous assignment. But you know what’s kept me safe andalivethrough all of them? My instincts.”
“Oh, like your instinct to jump out of windows?”
She leveled an icy glare at him. “Something even more dangerous than we imagined is happening here. We need. To contact.Skanisse.”
“Fine.” Ronin rose from his chair and strode to the nightstand to grab his commstone. He placed the violet stone beneath his ear, then closed his eyes and said, “Hugo Skanisse.”
He waited several seconds, then said the name louder.
Mireille’s anxiety rose as he continued to wait with no answer.
Ronin said the name one more time before ripping the stone away and chucking it back onto the nightstand. “It’s not working. Try yours.”
Mireille crossed to her side of the bed to grab her own commstone. Setting the cool stone in place, she closed her eyes and pictured High Councilor Skanisse in her mind, then said the male’s name three times. The stone beneath her ear remainedcool after each utterance, not warming in the tell-tale sign that the connection was about to be made.
“Mine’s not working, either.” She frowned.
Frustrated, Ronin carved a hand through his hair. “Otto must have deactivated them somehow.”
“Then we need to get out of here,” Mireille prodded.
Ronin shook his head. “I’m not leaving.”
“What?” she reared back. “Why?”
He tilted his head, his expression inscrutable. “What did they offer you?”
An answer, Mireille thought.The chance to know where I came from, to finally understand who I truly am.
She’d have to find some other way to convince Skanisse and the Emperor to reveal the information. Or figure out how to track it down on her own. She’d gone this long without it, what was a few more centuries? And if she died here at the estate, it wouldn’t fucking matter anyway.
But she wasn’t about to share any of that with Ronin.
“Why? What did they offeryou?”
His blue-yellow eyes blazed and she could’ve sworn the tattoos on his neck and forearms began to glow. “They’re going to uncage my wolf.”
“A big payout,” she admitted with a hesitant nod.
“The biggest.” He blew out a long breath. “And the only thing I’ve wanted for the last three centuries. And now that you know why I’m soinvested, tell me what they offered you.”
Silence stretched between them, thick with renewed tension. Until her sharp answer sliced through it. “No.” She leapt from her chair and crossed to the closet, stripping off her dress and pulling on a pair of leggings, a long-sleeved shirt, and her wool jacket. “I’m leaving.”
Ronin settled back in his chair, refusing to look at her. “Do whatever you want, Valette. Tuck your tail and run back to the IA. I thought you were supposed to be a skilled field agent.”
“Askilledfield agent knows when the game is unwinnable. When it’s better to remove yourself rather than suffer the loss.”
Ronin snorted, fist at his chin. “Never pegged you for a fucking quitter. I thought you were better than that.”
His words stung. They should have been enough to chase away heruselesssense of guilt at the thought of leaving him here alone.
She snatched her bag from the floor and stuffed her commstone into it. Her fingers brushed against cool glass.
She placed the clear vial on the table before him. “Veiling potion. The more you take, the longer it will last. The whole bottle is a twenty-four hour dose.”
Ronin didn’t look at her, continued to stare at the cold, empty fireplace, his expression stony.
