Ronin couldn’t help mirroring her obvious distaste. “What does she do, twirl her marks to death?”
Skanisse and Mireille shared a loaded look before the latter muttered, “Un-fucking-believeable.”
The High Councilor cleared his throat. “She has been attempting to lure a new mark, but has so far been unsuccessful.”
Mireille huffed, crossing her arms. “You haven’t even given me?—”
Again, Skanisse silenced her with a sharp look, then slid his gaze back to Ronin. “I assume you’ve heard of Jurgev Otto?”
Ronin nodded, smoothing over his shock.
Jurgev Otto was one of the oldest—and richest—Fae in Ethyrios. A Deathstalker with a taste for the extraordinary, over the centuries Otto had used his vast wealth to acquire a collection of fine art and religious relics that he kept hidden away in his macabre mansion up in the Blackspur Mountains.
“I’ve heard of him. Why’s the Empire siccing a deadly ballerina on him?”
Mireille shot Ronin a sharp glare, but he just grinned at her.
“The IA has been keeping tabs on him.” Skanisse leaned forward in his chair, clasping his pudgy hands in his lap. “We’ve gotten a number of reports over the years of Fae who have allegedly gone missing after visiting his estate. We informed the Empire, but they didn’t feel the need to actively probe into his affairs.”
“What’s the cause for intervention now?”
“You heard about what happened with the Imperial Prince?” Skanisse cocked an eyebrow.
“Whohasn’theard about it?”
“Yes, well, the Empire is trying to minimize the fallout. Tamping down on any lingering sentiment for mortals that the Prince’s crime may have stirred up.”
“What’s that got to do with Otto?”
“The majority of Otto’s acquisitions these past decades have been illegal relics associated with the Fallen Goddess. You know the tenets of her faith, I assume? Those ridiculous notions that Fae and humans are somehow equal? The Empire fears Otto may have plans to use these relics to undermine the Erabis family’s authority. They’ve ordered us to sniff out his intentions. Infiltrate his estate, retrieve any powerful objects. And end him, if necessary.”
Ronin rubbed at his jaw. Of course the Empire didn’t care about a few missing Fae. But now that the threat may be aimed squarely in their own direction… Ronin knew exactly what happened to anyone whose interests no longer aligned with the Erabis family, was infinitely familiar with those consequences. He bit back his rising discomfort at the thought of working for them again.
“Why can’t you just go up there officially and question him yourself? Why all the subterfuge?”
“It’s a delicate political matter,” Skanisse sniffed, “as I’m sure you can appreciate. Otto has been very generous with his resources toward the Empire. It wouldn’t do for us to make an enemy of him if our suspicions prove to be unfounded.”
Fucking typical. Self-interested bastards. Ronin leaned an elbow on the back of his chair. “How are we supposed to infiltrate Otto’s estate? Heard he keeps it pretty well locked down.”
“He’s hosting a gathering at the end of the month and has invited a select number of guests from among the influential circles here in Kheimos. We were hoping Mireille could score an invite, but she has not been able to entice him with any of her disguises.” Ronin flicked his gaze toward Mireille, who was picking at her nails, pretending to ignore the conversation. Ronin guessed Skanisse had told her all this before he’d arrived. “Time to try a more forward approach.”
Mireille glowered at Skanisse. “It’s too much of a risk. My cover could be blown. And to pair me with a fuckingamateur?—”
“Do you know what Otto enjoys more than anything?” Skanisse dodged Mireille’s outburst, aimed his question at Ronin. “The pursuit of the forbidden. We need to play his game. And what better illicit thrill could we offer than to steal the prima ballerina of the Kheimos company away from the infamous Butcher of Aethalia?”
The hairs on the back of Ronin’s neck prickled. He had a bad feeling about where Skanisse was headed with this. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Mireille’s disguises have not worked because she’s only been offering him beauty. But why would a male like that be interested in beauty with no substance? Hertruepersona is where her value lies. A persona which will become infinitelymore enticing once Otto believes she has captured the interest of a powerful male with your level of notoriety.” Skanisse rustled his wings, enjoying a meaningful pause before he dropped his bomb. “We need you to pose as her lover.”
Mireille emitted a disgusted scoff as Ronin asked, “For how long?”
“For as long as it takes. Otto will be attending the final performance ofThe Curse of Faurana. We’ll seed a few well-placed rumors around town that you two have been together for months, a fact which you will confirm with a public outing this week. Hopefully, it will be enough for youbothto score an invite to that event when you see Otto at the Grand Ethyrian on Friday.”
Ronin scrubbed a hand down his face. This was certainly not the meeting he’d expected. “Why both of us? If you’re just using me as bait, why do I need to attend Otto’s event?”
“Ifyou two attend, you’ll be able to offer Mireille some measure of protection while you’re up there.”
“Sounds like she’d be able to protect herself.”
