Page 11 of Fragile Oath

But he certainly had a choice in hurting me. Was it worse if he felt like he didn’t? Like it was a necessary form of discipline for the fiancée who couldn’t seem to behave?

I chanced a look at him. “And now?” The words were barely a whisper.

I wasn’t even sure what I was asking. If he had a choice? If he would consider giving me one? If he realized that all this would accomplish was to make us both miserable for the rest of our lives?

The angular lines of his face hardened, whatever moment of humanity he had let slip disappearing as quickly as it had come.

“Now, I will do my duty for the sake of both of our clans, since you could not be bothered to do yours.”

Whether he meant punishing me for my disobedience or dragging me back to marry him, his resolve was absolute, so I didn’t respond.

For once, I was silenced by choice as much as by circumstance.

ChapterSix

DAVIN

The cacophony inside the brothel– excuse me, gambling hall – did more to exacerbate my racing thoughts than it did to quell them.

Gwyn let out a whoop of victory, sliding her coins across the velvet table while one of the soldiers lit her long cigar. Gallagher sipped more quietly at his whiskey, gently declining the eager offers of the ladies who worked here.

We had all been here before, even Gwyn playing the part she needed to play for the sake of information or sheltering against a storm Rowan sensed.

It was almost too familiar, the discordant symphony of coins and music in the main hall, laughter and whispered pleasures emanating from the back rooms, but tonight it only served to remind me of my failure.

All my contacts and carefully laid-out system of spies, the endless hours I had put into a façade for the sole purpose of gathering information, and I couldn’t find a single missing Socairan woman in my own kingdom.

We had been searching for three days without a trace of her, despite my resources. This wasn’t even the first route we had traveled, or, hell, the fifth. It had been an endless venture of backtracking and sidetracking, combing through the overcrowded roads and inns as well as the lesser used ones.

Every family and merchant who had been at Lithlinglau for the festival was now headed back to their homes, but she shouldn’t have been able to blend in with them quite so easily.

I was missing something.

Had she really planned things meticulously enough to avoid being spotted by my most capable spies, or did something happen after she left? Were all of my contacts working for the rebellion? I refused to consider the alternative, the other reason no one would have seen or heard from her.

Subconsciously, I traced the outline of the folded parchment in my pocket, the wrinkled letter I had read over and over again.

No.I shook my head, my fingers pressing into my temples to ground me.

Galina couldn’t be dead. The rebels would have made a spectacle of it, wanting to hurt either me or Lochlann. It was just a matter of finding her.

Finally, my contact emerged from one of the private rooms, her dark eyes scanning the room until they landed on me.

She kissed her client on the cheek — a local laird who smiled as she whispered something into his ear. He nodded, placing a hefty bag of coins in her hand before turning to leave while she made her way toward our table.

“My Laird,” she hummed, taking a seat in my lap.

The heavy scent of her perfume filled my senses.

“Isobel,” I said, trying to keep my tone inviting as I ran my hand down her back.

The simple touch made my skin crawl.

I used to be good at this, pretending with courtesans and playing this game of seduction and secrets. But despite the clear evidence that Galina wanted nothing to do with me anymore, I couldn’t turn off the part of me that felt loyal to her.

I didn’t want to look at another woman, let alone pretend to take them to bed.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting,” Isobel purred as she leaned closer, her finger tracing the line of my jaw. “But I’m yours for the rest of the night, if you wish.”

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