refused him, if he fled the city and she went to Lord Arkelion empty-handed, what then?
She longed to shut her eyes and have a moment alone to think. Mother, I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry. I’m coming as soon as I can. I’ll find you. I swear it.
“I leave this city tomorrow,” the Wolf continued, “and you might just get the shit kicked out of you for letting me slip through your fingers. So you can join me or not, but either way, you won’t catch me.” A small smile. “You want tofind your mother, yes? Wouldn’t it be smarter to do it with help?”
Her thoughts scrambled and raced. “Goodness me, what a night. The famous Wolf, needing help from a girl—”
“My mission begins tomorrow evening. Do we have a bargain or not?”
“Tomorrow is His Lordship’s naming day. There’s a fete at the palace.”
“What a happy coincidence.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Only tomorrownight?”
“No. Our mission will be longer.”
“How much longer?”
“I cannot say.”
“Or you will not.”
“Those are my terms. Do you accept?”
Her wound-up nerves felt ready to detonate. She managed a disinterested sort of sneer. “Why me?”
“You know the palace. You’ll make it easier to get inside.”
“And after that? Why bring me with you?”
“Because I need to move fast,and I need another killer on my side. Someone as good as I am.”
“Or better.”
“She says, bound on the floor.”
“You pulled a gun on me. I would have beaten you, otherwise.”
“Perhaps.”
“Must be quite an important mission,” she continued mockingly, “and yet you would risk trusting me.”
“I’m gambling that you won’t risk losing your mother,” he replied.
The Wolf had her there.And judging by the look on his face, he knew it.
“And if I don’t accept this bargain?”
“Then I will leave and never see you again, and you’ll go on about your life here, if you can call it that. Unless they kill you for failing to capture me.”
Eliana stayed silent to see what he would do.
After a moment, he untied her wrists, discarded the bindings, and stood. “Well?”
She calculatedhow long it would take to kick him, send him staggering, grab his revolver, and shoot. She’d never used a gun—they were rare, expensive, and she never let herself spend the money on them—but pulling a trigger seemed simple enough.
Five seconds. Perhaps six.
She could do it. She rose.
And then she saw Harkan.
He was coming in from the kitchen, his body dipped in shadow, his favoritedagger in hand. Behind him, Remy watched tensely from the kitchen.
Harkan’s gaze found hers, held firm. I’ve got you.
“I’ll help you,” she told the Wolf slowly, “but only if I can take my brother with me.”
Remy’s eyes widened.
“The little baker’s boy?” The Wolf frowned. “You can’t be serious.”
Eliana kept her face blank. Just how much did he know about her? “I assume we’restealing something from the palace, then delivering it somewhere. Some piece of intelligence? Wherever we’re taking it afterward, Remy will come. You’ll get him safe passage to Astavar and do nothing to harm him. Or we’ve no deal.”
He glared at her. “That wasn’t my offer.”
“Yes or no, Wolf.”
He tilted his head. His eyes caught the moonlight and made him look like something from oneof Remy’s more fanciful tales—a night creature, made of secrets and sharp edges. An Empire monster for the Sun Queen to slay. “Only those who are frightened of me call me that. And you aren’t frightened of me. Are you?”
Harkan approached through the shadows—one step, two steps.
“Not even a little bit,” she lied. “So what shall I call you instead?”
He inclined his head. “You can callme Simon.”
“Fine. Simon. And one more thing: my friend, Harkan, will come with us as well.”
Behind Simon, Harkan raised his dagger to strike.
Eliana flexed her fingers.
Simon’s mouth thinned, the only warning. A turn, a shove, and
She longed to shut her eyes and have a moment alone to think. Mother, I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry. I’m coming as soon as I can. I’ll find you. I swear it.
“I leave this city tomorrow,” the Wolf continued, “and you might just get the shit kicked out of you for letting me slip through your fingers. So you can join me or not, but either way, you won’t catch me.” A small smile. “You want tofind your mother, yes? Wouldn’t it be smarter to do it with help?”
Her thoughts scrambled and raced. “Goodness me, what a night. The famous Wolf, needing help from a girl—”
“My mission begins tomorrow evening. Do we have a bargain or not?”
“Tomorrow is His Lordship’s naming day. There’s a fete at the palace.”
“What a happy coincidence.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Only tomorrownight?”
“No. Our mission will be longer.”
“How much longer?”
“I cannot say.”
“Or you will not.”
“Those are my terms. Do you accept?”
Her wound-up nerves felt ready to detonate. She managed a disinterested sort of sneer. “Why me?”
“You know the palace. You’ll make it easier to get inside.”
“And after that? Why bring me with you?”
“Because I need to move fast,and I need another killer on my side. Someone as good as I am.”
“Or better.”
“She says, bound on the floor.”
“You pulled a gun on me. I would have beaten you, otherwise.”
“Perhaps.”
“Must be quite an important mission,” she continued mockingly, “and yet you would risk trusting me.”
“I’m gambling that you won’t risk losing your mother,” he replied.
The Wolf had her there.And judging by the look on his face, he knew it.
“And if I don’t accept this bargain?”
“Then I will leave and never see you again, and you’ll go on about your life here, if you can call it that. Unless they kill you for failing to capture me.”
Eliana stayed silent to see what he would do.
After a moment, he untied her wrists, discarded the bindings, and stood. “Well?”
She calculatedhow long it would take to kick him, send him staggering, grab his revolver, and shoot. She’d never used a gun—they were rare, expensive, and she never let herself spend the money on them—but pulling a trigger seemed simple enough.
Five seconds. Perhaps six.
She could do it. She rose.
And then she saw Harkan.
He was coming in from the kitchen, his body dipped in shadow, his favoritedagger in hand. Behind him, Remy watched tensely from the kitchen.
Harkan’s gaze found hers, held firm. I’ve got you.
“I’ll help you,” she told the Wolf slowly, “but only if I can take my brother with me.”
Remy’s eyes widened.
“The little baker’s boy?” The Wolf frowned. “You can’t be serious.”
Eliana kept her face blank. Just how much did he know about her? “I assume we’restealing something from the palace, then delivering it somewhere. Some piece of intelligence? Wherever we’re taking it afterward, Remy will come. You’ll get him safe passage to Astavar and do nothing to harm him. Or we’ve no deal.”
He glared at her. “That wasn’t my offer.”
“Yes or no, Wolf.”
He tilted his head. His eyes caught the moonlight and made him look like something from oneof Remy’s more fanciful tales—a night creature, made of secrets and sharp edges. An Empire monster for the Sun Queen to slay. “Only those who are frightened of me call me that. And you aren’t frightened of me. Are you?”
Harkan approached through the shadows—one step, two steps.
“Not even a little bit,” she lied. “So what shall I call you instead?”
He inclined his head. “You can callme Simon.”
“Fine. Simon. And one more thing: my friend, Harkan, will come with us as well.”
Behind Simon, Harkan raised his dagger to strike.
Eliana flexed her fingers.
Simon’s mouth thinned, the only warning. A turn, a shove, and
Similar Books
