Page 79 of The Duke and the Disciple

“I didn’t know what to expect.” He rolled the shoulder of his outstretched arm, clearly straining. “You didn’t even hear me when I said I can help you. I can get your correspondence to the Reliquary without your foes being the wiser.”

Her eyes traveled to the letter. She couldn’t let him leave with it, even if they both ended up a tangled, bloody mess. If Drazhan found out... “And why would I trust you with something so important when you clearlycannotbe trusted?”

Pieter wilted with a wounded look. “Your inability to be forthright is not my shortcoming. Now I know, and we can move on.”

“We can move on when you give me my letter back.”

“Ah, but you seem to be growing angry again, and I?—”

The growl started deep within her, born of something primal and long neglected. A deep, painful rage bubbled up, one unlike any she’d felt for years. It was wholly incongruous to the moment, but she wasn’t thinking about that at all as she leaped up, grabbed his shoulders, and scaled him like a tree.

Pieter yelped in surprise and they went stumbling, tripping, and falling onto Rahn’s bed. The force caused her to lose hold of her dagger, and it went flying, then clattered somewhere. She clambered up and over him, but his hands shot to her hips where he held her, pinning her from going any farther. Aesylt screamed in his face.

“You’re like an animal, listen to yourself!”

“What’s going on?” The door slammed. Heavy, hard boots on stone followed. “Aesylt?”

Pieter lifted his head to look, and Aesylt quickly stretched forward and grabbed the letter. It tore at the corner, and she shoved it into her dress with haste, just as she toppled over.

“You want to tell him, Aesylt?” Pieter asked.

She attempted a graceful return to her feet, but her hair and dress were a frightful mess. “What, that you were snooping around in our room when we weren’t here?”

“Ah, so you don’t.” Pieter sprang up.

“Tell mewhatexactly?” Rahn asked, dividing his attention between them. Each word sounded like he was straining them through his teeth.

“Morning meal awaits. I’ll... have them send yours up instead.” Pieter clapped Rahn on the shoulder. Rahn flinched, his nose curling in anger, but Pieter was already gone.

Chest heaving, Aesylt plopped onto the bed and leaned over her knees.

“Squish. Look at me. What happened?” Rahn dropped to his knees before her and lifted her face, studying it. “Did he hurt you?”

“I came back and he... He was rifling through our things. I may have lost my temper,” she breathed.

Rahn’s expression clouded. “What was he looking for?”

The last thing she wanted to do was lie to Rahn, but she couldn’t tell him about the letter. “He said he thought I was keeping something from him, and he wanted to know what it was.”

“What does it matter what you keep from him? You don’t owe him your secrets.” He ground his jaw. “Did he find our notes?”

Aesylt hung her head and shrugged. “Not mine because the drawer is still locked. Whether he found yours... I don’t know. I don’t know, Scholar, I don’t know why...”

Rahn stretched up and gathered her in his arms. “It’s all right, Aesylt. I’ll talk to Lord Dereham, let him know how grossly inappropriate his son behaved toward you.”

“No.” She pulled back, shaking her head furiously. “Please, say nothing. Please.”

“Pietercannot?—”

“Please.” Her eyes burned with tears that wouldn’t fall. “We need this place to work for us. We have nowhere else to go.”

Rahn watched her, reading her for several terse moments. His mouth drew tight, his head shaking. “If he comes near you again like that, I won’t even do him the courtesy of going to his father. I’ll handle it myself.”

Aesylt nodded, trying to stand and put the horrible episode behind her. But Rahn stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re bleeding,” he said, hollow and distant, and went to the basket of bandages and balms in the corner.

“I am?” Aesylt patted her face all over. It was her temple. She withdrew her hand, surprised at how much blood came back. “I don’t even know how...” The room swam. Her words slurred. Darkness encroached the edges of her vision.

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