Page 39 of Princess of Draga

Adelina turned with the prince and followed him, her shoulder pressed against his. Her oldest sister was wrong. The Prince of Thieves was a ruler in his own right, and he did right by the official royal family. They would have to convince Raena to make him anally.

“Will you turn him over to the palace guards?” she askedsweetly.

It would be a rather fortuitous message from the Prince of Thieves to theCrown.

“After I have publicly taken my trophies he will be walked by my inner circle through the city to the palace. The male will suffer for what he has done. Then King Orion may do what he wants with him, but the information I have learned will be relayed, asalways.”

Adelina trusted the prince to take the proper payment from the male she’d practically skewered, and then her father could take the rest. Satisfied, she smiled knowing how much the mechanic wouldsuffer.

Varan gripped her arm hard and roughly pulled her against him. “What was that littledisplay?”

She put to use what Nadyah had taught her so far, and instead of yanking away like she wanted to Adelina pressed herself into him to throw him off guard. Varan’s eyes widened in surprise and he releasedher.

“May Mala have mercy; I knew some of those who lost their children in the bombings,” Adelinaexplained.

She would never forget the mothers who walked through the rubble like lost souls, calling for their little ones. Finding and removing the bodies for the proper cremation had taken days and so few injuredsurvived.

Varan took a step back. “It was a terribletragedy.”

Adelina removed the hood from her head. “A tragedy is wrought by the will of the gods and goddesses, no human can control those events. The bombing was not a tragedy. It was a monstrosity of evil which only humans are capableof.”

Giselle took his hand in hers. “You weren’t there Varan; you can’t know what it waslike.”

He glanced between the two of them for a moment with narrowed eyes. “And you twowere?”

“Unfortunately,” Giselle replied, breezing by him to Varan’s unofficialtable.

It looked over the entire tavern while still being tucked in a corner to keep private conversations private. She plopped in her usual spot, back to the door. Only Giselle would knowingly take the most vulnerable position, trusting her instincts to protect themall.

Varan glared but didn’t argue further. He offered his hand to Nadyah who had been strangely silent as she took everything in. Her delicate hand went over Varan’s and Adelina watched the prince escort her courtesan to his table, seating her on hisleft.

Once the four of them were seated, a familiar servant girl brought drinks and Varan murmured his request for food. The Prince of Thieves was one of the few who could afford humans as servers rather than bots, but it wasn’t for the prestige. Humans didn’t always have a recording device implanted, but they could steal from the unsuspecting rich who liked to visit such a place as a daring adventure. They could reason and understand inflections. They made excellent spies when flirted with for the night. Varan was a cunning bastard. He wasn’t the Prince of Thieves because he waspretty.

Giselle took out a deck of cards and dealt the hand. Adelina shook her head. She was here for a reason. Her sister had balked when Adelina had first told her of the plan, but only because it made her nervous to go behind the king’s back – and now Raena’s. “Prince, are you ready to lose some of that stolen money tonight?” Giselleasked.

He bared his teeth at her and took the cards. “Oh, Elle you know I love taking gold fromyou.”

Adelina eyed Nadyah who looked paler than normal and quiet. She hadn’t spoken a word since they’d arrived. It would be all right. She would finish her task at theLadroleand then they could go elsewhere to havefun.

Something brushed against her back and Adelina whipped around. Nothing and no one was behind her. She turned back to the prince. Someone must have walked by too close, close enough to disturb the fabric of her cloak. It made Adelina uneasy. She refocused on Varan who watched her even as he played cards withGiselle.

“Why are you here,Lina?”

Adelina glanced at Nadyah. Her courtesan had been supportive of this endeavor, but didn’t have an opinion when she was asked for one directly. This was her risk to take since only she seemed to care about getting the answers. Giselle and Nadyah wouldn’t stop her, but they didn’t want to hang themselves either. Just being present was dangerous enough if Raena found out and didn’t appreciate what Adelina haddone.

A whipping would be only the beginning of herpunishment.

Was Prince Nash worth the risk? Was this really the right path; the only path? As third-born she had little of her own power. Nash did not have the time for her to formally request Raena or her father for permission to inquire. They would misunderstand why she was interested in the first place and tell her to be careful with herheart.

Adelina slipped a finger into her other glove and took out the small disc. She set it on the wooden table and pushed it across slowly to Varan so he and anyone else watching could see it wasn’t aweapon.

“This is what I need and as soon as you can manage it. Tomorrow even, if that werepossible.”

Varan picked it up, his eyes locked on hers and they never wavered. He slipped the disc into his shreve and read the lines of code. The prince had taught it to her after their second business deal when she expressed concern over doing more deals with him. His eyes widened and then narrowed. He threw his shreve so hard on the table she feared it wouldshatter.

“What in Ladra’s name are you doing cavorting with the lost prince?” He leaned forward. Was that concern she saw in his eyes or fear? “What is on that disc could be consideredtreason.”

Adelina crossed her arms over her chest, feeling vulnerable. He had a point, but without knowing her real connection to the prince this endeavor might fail. She had to convince him. “Your mischief goddess has nothing to do with this,” shesnapped.

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