Page 40 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

“There’s still the matter of finding Prince Damon,” she said, reaching over the table and taking the whiskey from my hand. I let her, slowly releasing my grip as she took it over. Her warm skin touched mine, and I swore at that moment I’d do anything for that to happen again. She took a long drink, exhaling through her nose.

A strong woman with soft eyes who could also drink whiskey? I was smitten.

“Which one do you want first? The necklace or the man?”

Kaia opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, taking a pause before she sighed. With some reluctance, she mumbled, “The necklace.”

I rapped my knuckles on the table twice. “The necklace it is. We’ll deal with the matter of the prince tomorrow.” I got up in preparation to leave, but her voice stopped me.

“Tell me one thing.” I raised my brows in question and nodded once for her to continue. “Why were you exiled?”

My bodyguard grumbled, and I chuckled, rubbing my chin. “Ah, love, that’s the question, isn’t it? I thought for sure you’d know that, seeing as you already knew I’d been kicked out of Faerie.”

“That part was redacted,” she said simply, though I could tell by the way her left eye twitched that it bothered her.

“Redacted?” That was interesting. I considered why it had been erased, and more importantly, by whom. Shaking my head to clear the thoughts, I answered. “Accused of stealing. Falsely, of course. They had nothing on me but speculation and the word of a thief.”

A dead thief, now.

Kaia tilted her head, watching me carefully. “The king doesn’t exile people for stealing, and he certainly doesn’t exile them without proof. What exactly were you accused of stealing?”

I picked up the pipe and tucked it into my trench coat pocket before pulling out my calling card; a golden coin. Precariously balanced on my thumb, I flicked it into the air, the metal singing as it flew up in rapid twists before descending. Kaia caught it in her fist, never taking her eyes off me. I met her steelygaze when I answered. “An amulet.”

It took a few seconds for the gravity of the stolen item to register for the High Commander. Kaia’s brows rose, and she stared at me in shock, her lips parting. “Amoret’samulet? The Faerie Queen’s amulet?”

“That’s the one.”

Chapter 14

Vareck

I leaned against the doorway, watching her.

Meera sat curled up in my overstuffed armchair, her legs tucked beneath her. Her wild ginger hair had been pulled into a bun, though several strands had already broken free, framing her face in loose curls. On the table in front of her was a cribbage set. She was playing against herself.

“Is this what you did all day?” I asked.

She jumped, her wide hazel eyes flying to me. “Jesus, you scared me.”

I chuckled under my breath and lifted my hands in mock surrender.

“To answer your question—yes. It's not like there's much else to do in here.”

A tiny sliver of guilt tugged at me. Given that I was the reason she was currently holed up in my bedroom, it wasn’t unwarranted.

Meera pushed the table away and got to her feet, placing her hands on her hips. Whatever guilt I felt quickly dissolved when she scrunched hernose in an expression I think was meant to be annoyance—but only came across as adorable.

I stepped into the room and softly closed the door behind me. “We'll have to get you something for entertainment, then,” I murmured. “Maybe some books.”

Meera snorted but didn’t elaborate as to why she considered it funny.

I went to the bathroom to start my evening routine, well aware of the beauty standing just outside the door. I swapped the fine fabrics of my everyday clothes for casual wool pants that hung low on my hips. After brushing my teeth, I splashed cold water on my face.

I was apprehensive about this next part more than I wanted to admit.

When I stepped back into the bedroom, Meera paused mid-pace. I watched as she swallowed hard, her eyes dragging over my bare chest before snapping back up to my face. My lips twisted into a smirk.

“See something you like, siren?”

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