Page 13 of The Storm of the Empire

“What do you mean?” I hedged, taking it Zaria had been right in her assessment about leaving Hazel alone.

“I mean I saw a very good likeness of you leaving her quarters in the early hours holding a pair of boots and a bundle of clothing, creeping away like a thief in the night.” Jaxus quirked a brow in challenge.

“Interesting.” I held still, playing it cool and resisting the urge to shift under his scrutiny

“Very,” Nyx joined, setting down his papers and giving us his focus. He eyed me thoroughly and then glanced at Jaxus. He set his elbows on his desk and cupped his cheeks with his palms, giving me the opposite of what I expected. “What, by the Goddess, might you have been doing?” .

I’d thought he might be pissed I’d dallied with his friend, but his glee could not be mistaken.

My eyes skipped between them, noting the smirk on Jaxus’ face, too

“Are we sure it was me you saw?” I prevaricated.

Nyx looked to Jaxus with exaggerated interest. He was lapping this up. “Yes, Jaxus, are you sure?”

“Well I could have been mistaken, I suppose,” he mused, but I could feel the jaws of the trap closing on me. “It was dark. I was coming in from a night patrol, so I was tired, and I could have seen another male. But I do have a dragon’s night sight and a dragon’s sense of smell so…” He shrugged.

I lifted a shoulder in non-answer.

“And you dropped this.” He produced a coin purse with my initials on it from his pocket and held it out.

Well, shit. I reached for it, but he jerked it back.

“It’s yours, then? I thought you were unsure.”

“An honorable fae does not kiss and tell.” I sniffed, taking it.

Nyx scoffed. “Which means you’re free to tell us.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you pleased for your friends, or just happy that you can relax your silly jealousy over Zaria and I?” Nyx’s smile fell off, and I chuckled. “As I thought.”

Jaxus stifled his own snicker and cleared his throat. “Well, I think it’s an interesting development. You have yourself a feisty female on your hands.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I suspect it was a pleasure not to be repeated.”

Nyx frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t get all protective—that’s entirely her call. I just attended her class, and she acted like I was a stranger. I’m happy to respect that if it’s what she wants. There’s no ill feeling on my part.”

Jaxus blew out a breath. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” I clapped my hands together sitting back. “So, can we discuss the many other ways I’m not living up to expectations now? I’m hitting a wall with the priests, and I need some ideas.”

Both males sat back in their seats and looked deflated. I wished I had better news, but I had drawn a blank.

“What do we know?” Jaxus asked.

“We know the priests are involved with moving the Dragon’s Bane. We know they are using illicit means to smuggle it through the kingdoms because that’s what got Kiera injured. But how they arrange it, I don’t know.”

“Do we really know, though?” Nyx tapped a finger on the desk.

“Well, at least some of them are. I definitely recognized the priest in the square from delivery drops during my days at the compound. I did many of them. But whether he’s one of a few or they are all involved, I still don’t quite know. They aren’t an easy bunch to infiltrate. They keep very much to themselves, and I have to stay away from the river now in case I’m burned. I’ve watched the temple in the main square for days, but our friend has not been around, and since he is the only connection I can make, I’m at a loss.”

“And you don’t know where deliveries are taken once they reach the river bank?”

“No, I was never part of that end of things. We just delivered to the bank where fae I can only assume are all priests in plain clothing, since we know at least one was, take the sacks into the tunnels. From there, who knows where they go? And when I spent those months on ships after…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it. “We took things all over the Twelve Kingdoms, but I can’t be sure any of it was Dragon’s Bane. We were paid to ignore what we carried."

Nyx steepled his fingers and stared off in thought. “The tunnels go everywhere under the city. They link the temples as well as lots of other landmarks. They even connect with the palace, although those are all sealed off and guarded these days.”

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