Page 66 of A Fate so Cruel

“And he just . . . invited you?”

“You sound skeptical.”

“Don’t people generally try to, you know,” she pulled a finger across her throat.

“Thanks for the reminder.”

She braced her hands on her hips. “Well, how do we know they don’t plan to kill us?”

Rion shrugged. “We don’t.”

“Great.” She blew out a breath. “I guess I’ll have to hide a few more weapons on me. I might have to revisit the tailor to see what she can do.” She huffed again. “Do you know how difficult it is to carry weapons in a dress?”

“So don’t wear one.”

Selina balked. “You need to work on your expectations if I’m going to introduce you to females.”

“We’re on a mission. It’s an entirely different situation.” He had a sister. He knew how much some females liked to dress up.

“Yes, a mission where I’m supposed to be enjoying a summer retreat with my new boyfriend.” She said it so casually, but Rion’s face heated all over again. “If I walk in there dressed like a warrior, they’ll get suspicious.”

“Maybe they’d assume I prefer a warrior over a noble.”

“Do you?”

The question jarred him enough that he stopped counting his knives and looked at her. Her face was wholly serious.

“I—I don’t know. Maybe.”

A smirk. “I’m just teasing. Regardless of your personal preferences, they need to see me as a noble woman who needs a Fae male protecting her. It will give me certain . . . privileges.”

“Such as?”

She pulled one of the boxes toward herself and opened the lid. “The chance to sneak off and search a room or two. If I present myself as having a fraction of intelligence, they wouldn’t let me out of their sight.”

“If you’re gathering information, what will the others be doing?” He hadn’t forgotten about her comrades. He’d been searching for them in the marketplace, but they’d kept their distance.

“They have their orders. We’ll exchange basic information tonight and go from there.”

Rion watched her pull out the new knife set. She loosened the belts and fitted them to her thighs. The way her fingers glided over the buckles distracted him long enough that Selina asked, “Anything else?”

He made to turn.Leave it alone, he chided himself. But he couldn’t. “Earlier,” he started. She let the buckles fall loose. “Never mind.”

“Don’tnever mindme, what?”

“When we first entered the city . . .” Gods, why was it so hard to form words?

She stared at her weapons now. “The kiss?” He was silent as she fiddled with the straps again. “Sorry. They looked as if they were going to maw you right there in the middle of the street. It was the only thing I could think of that might distract them.”

“Right.” He should have just let it go.

She peered up and Rion turned away. “It was your first, wasn’t it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I—”

“I need to shower.” He entered the small bathroom and quickly locked the door behind him. Rion leaned back against it and steadied himself. Gods, what the hell was wrong with him? What was this female doing to him?

---