Page 96 of Of Sword & Silver

“You should start with a bath,” the Sword says in a low tone.

I glare at him.

Lara sighs, placing her hands on her hips.

“Enough,” she tells him in her no-nonsense voice.

He straightens slightly, then dips his head.

The asshole gives me a shit-eating grin as he holds out a hand, helping me off the floor. I take his hand, only because I don’t completely trust my still-asleep legs.

I’m going to wipe that dimple off his handsome face one of these days.

“Well, I would suggest something we used to do in my military officer days where we would each tell a lie and a truth about ourselves, and the rest of the group would have to guess which was which.” Morrow wrinkles his nose as he glances sidelong at me.

“I won’t use my power. Easy enough. I’ll still win.” I sink onto the green velvet chaise, running my fingers over the gorgeous fabric. They leave greasy marks. Disgusting.

The Sword smirks down at me.

“By Nakush’s knees, it’s not about winning, Kyrie, sweet gods above, help me.” Lara rakes a hand over her face.

“Might want to pray to those below,” Caedia trills.

The Sword stiffens, then sits down next to me.

My cheeks expand as I blow out a breath, keyed up, the heat from his muscled thigh warming mine.

“Fine. I understand. It’s about getting to know each other better.”

“Yes, so why don’t you start?” Lara challenges.

Me? I blink up at her.

“That’s right.”

Off guard, probably because of the sick potions Caedia keeps forcing on me along with the fact I’ve been in a barrel for the last hour, I say the first things that pop into my head.

“I used to frequent the brothels here in Nyzbern, and I recognized that man’s voice earlier because I paid to have him killed for the unspeakable things he did to the people there. I used the money from the goods I stole the last time I was here to fund the people in that brothel’s escape.”

I pause, running my fingers over and over my thighs again.

Everyone’s gaping at me, except… the Sword. No, his dark eyes are glimmering.

I swallow hard.

“And one more,” I say, a liar who suddenly can’t think of a lie. “I kept half the profits when I sold Alaric’s goods on the black market.”

Morrow clears his throat, then plops unceremoniously on a deep red chair that he manages to dwarf completely. “Those are your two stories for us to pick between?” he clarifies.

Even Caedia’s watching me, her dryad’s eyes twinkling.

Lara’s mouth is an open ring of shock, and I twist my lips to the side, uneasy with the two stories I’ve presented.

Uneasy with how they’ll judge them, and me in the balance.

“You used the money to free the friends you made at the brothels,” Caedia says easily. “That’s the truth. I suspect your ex-fiancé dragged you there, hm? You didn’t keep any of it, which is how you got yourself into this mess in the first place, isn’t it?”

Everyone turns to look at her. She spreads her hands wide, and some of the herbs fall off the pestle, glopping onto the floor.

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