Page 21 of Shield of Fire

“I don’t think he did raise the golem, given it tossed my attackers aside to get at me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why would anyone send a golem after you? It’d be far easier to send a pretty girl your way, wait for nature and your hormones to follow their natural course, and then take you out mid-coitus.”

“That’s been tried before, which is why I fully vet my lovers before they become so.”

“You obviously don’t vet deeply enough if Gilda is any indication.”

“It was deep enough. Trust me on that.”

“If that’s true, then the key to this whole mess might lie in those files somewhere, because her murder is apparently the elf’s motive. Do you still have access to them?”

“They’re at my place. Feel free to come over and dissect them with me.”

I gave him a long glance. “We can dissect on neutral ground.”

“You are no fun anymore.”

I rolled my eyes. “You never answered my question about the golem.”

“Because it is patently obvious when you think about it.”

“I have no brainpower left right now to think, so just tell me.”

“It was no coincidence the golem was pushing a stroller. It was a reminder of dashed hopes and broken agreements.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You think your ex-wife-to-be set the golem on you?”

“I’ll find no proof, of course, but they do have a history of such stunts.”

“To what point?”

“Pettiness? They dare not attack me or my family directly, but if I received an incapacitating wound to my manhood, they would consider it a just result of my severing our contract.”

“The golem was going for your balls?”

“Indeed, she was. Her nails were surprisingly sharp.”

My gaze dropped. There was, in fact, a tear in his jeans. “She got a little too close for comfort, it would seem.”

“Had I not turned, the family jewels might not have remained in mint condition.” He paused, devilment touching his eyes again. “Don’t suppose you want to come back to my place and check everything remains in full working order?”

“No, and stop asking.”

“No, because we both know you enjoy the attention, even if you won’t admit it.”

I couldn’t actually argue with a truth like that. I glanced past him, watching several cop cars and an unmarked black vehicle pull up across the intersection. Even though it was impossible to see through the tinted windows of the latter, I knew it would be Sgott. The day shift might be Ruadhán’s purview, but they often crossed into each other’s operational territory if the case warranted it.

“You never did tell me why you reneged on the marriage arrangement,” I said after a moment. “It had to be more than just the amount of compensation being asked. I mean, you let her redecorate your kitchen, so she had good reason to believe the deal was done.”

Compensation—or a bride price, as it was more commonly known—was a payment the groom’s family made to the wife’s family and was a peculiarity of the highborn.

He hesitated for the briefest of seconds. “While it is true that highborn marriages are nothing more than a business dealing, the more I knew of Mariatta, the less I liked her. One does have to like the woman they are procreating with. Or, at least, I find I need to.”

I grinned. “I’ve spoiled you for other women, haven’t I?”

“That is quite possibly true, although I cannot confirm it as fact until I have experienced a greater range of women.”

I laughed and glanced past him as the black car’s driver door opened and Sgott climbed out. He looked around, issued a few orders, then made his way toward us. He did not look happy—a common occurrence when I got myself into a mess.

---