Page 36 of Wicked Little Tricks

Andhe had just tricked me into another bargain.

I pushed him away from me, then walked past him with my blood still running hot through my veins.

“Where are you going?” Laughter tinged his voice.

“To bed.” I shot him a middle finger as I walked through the open doorway.

His laughter followed me out. I wasn’t sure where my bed chamber was, but I left the study and walked in the direction Ringo had been taken. Apparently Mistral didn’t have much to hide if he didn’t mind me wandering alone.

But just as I thought it, my eyes were drawn to one of the stone bricks in the wall. I leaned closer, spotting a tiny gray goblin that looked a lot like a hedgehog sitting on a ledge in the brick, watching me with tiny round eyes.

Of course I was being watched. And Mistral had plenty to hide. He might have tricked me into speaking the truth, but it went both ways.

Now, I just had to figure out how to make himspeak.

I laidon my back on the softest bed I had ever experienced, looking at Sebastian’s playing card while I thought things over. If you had asked me a week ago what it would be like staying within the Citadel, I would have pictured a dark room, straw mat on the floor, and a bucket to pee in. I wouldn’t have imagined the comfortable, cozy suite with a down bedspread, a plush patterned rug, and an adjoining bathroom with a large clawfoot tub. It was something I could get used to, if it didn’t mean being trapped in the Bogs.

Ringo snored lightly on the pillow beside mine. Flicking the card with one hand, I moistened my lips, thinking of the most recent kiss. I wanted to believe it was just about the bargain, but it felt like there wasmore. If it had just been the bargain, there had been no need to kiss me like…that.

Then again, maybe he was just trying to get more information about my mother, and I needed to figure out why. It was just like with the vampires. They were never interested in me before, not until I made my deal with Sebastian. Or was it the interest of the angelics that brought them in? Maybe it had all started with that mysterious delivery.

I lowered the card, lost in thought. There was still the dead messenger to consider. He’d been making a delivery to the Silver Quarter. It all came back to the angelics, so the Silver Quarter was where I needed to go as soon as the sun was up, and I was safe from vampires.I nestled my head more comfortably against my pillow. And as soon as I enjoyed my lavish new suite.

Of course, if I went to the Silver Quarter, I was on my own. No Braxton or other back up. If those two angelics caught me on their turf, I was dead. They had already shown that’s what they wanted.

I lifted the card again, my other possible source of information. Just who was this Celeste person he was looking for? And why had he neededmeto find her?

I heard a slight scuffle outside my door and shot up in bed. At another small sound, I tiptoed over, then flung the door open, expecting Mistral.

But it was Gabriel crouching in front of my door with a pile of fresh towels and a new bar of soap.

I looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. “So what are you, like, the butler?”

He straightened, towering over me menacingly. “I’m not a butler, spy. I’m a vassal sworn to a prince.” His lips sealed, like he had said something wrong.

I blinked at him. “A… prince? Surely you don’t mean Mistral.”

He only glared in reply. I grabbed his big arm and pulled him into the room, expecting more resistance than he gave me. Once we were in, I shut the door behind us and turned toward him. “What do you mean,prince?”

He lifted his nose. “His mother was queen in our realm, that makes him a prince. And we will speak nothing more about it. The past is painful.”

I crossed my arms, leaning against the door to block his way. “But why would a prince care about making a bargain with aspy?”

His eyes shifted. “I do not know.”

“Yes, you do.”

He stepped toward me, reaching for the doorknob. “Good night, spy.”

I slid a little more into his way, tilting my head thoughtfully. “Well, I guess I can just tell Mistral everything you already told me.”

He paused with his hand halfway to the knob.

I smiled.

He glared down at me. “That would not be wise.”

I tilted my head in the other direction, smiling sweetly. “Are you telling me that you actually think I’m awiseperson?”

---