Page 80 of Rogue Elves of Ardani

“Then why did she help you?”

“She wanted me to kill someone for her.”

“One would think it would be easier to hire a mercenary than to sneak into a prison and steal away an inmate for such a purpose,” Alexei replied dryly.

Fear prickled in Vaara’s chest. Alexei didn’t believe him.

If Alexei believed they felt anything whatsoever for each other, he’d use it against them. He’d hurt one of them to get to the other. And Vaara was surprised to find that he had a strong desire to protect Crow from him in whatever small ways he could.

“Only the gods know why that woman does anything she does,” he said. “She said she was there to find someone else, but he made her angry, so she took me, instead.”

“Toreg,” said one of the guards. “That would explain it.”

Alexei’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Then there is nothing else going on between the two of you?”

Watching Alexei’s expression—the hard, angry set of his jaw, the sharp curiosity in his eyes—Vaara realized that Alexei was jealous.

Had the circumstances been less dire, he might have laughed. Had Alexei thought he might have had Crow for himself? Was this all more personal than it seemed?

Fortunately, Vaara didn’t need to lie in order to soothe Alexei’s ego. “She cares only for herself. She forced me to do as she bade.”

“Where is she now?”

“I don’t know.”

Alexei continued to watch him, waiting.

“I don’t know,” Vaara said again. He was relieved that it was the truth. She could have gone back to Patros’s house, to Sarna’s shop… but it was far more likely she would have hidden somewhere he didn’t know about. The possibilities were endless. “The house on the hill, maybe. I don’t know.”

Alexei crossed his arms and tapped the flat of his knife against his shoulder. He stared at Vaara, as if trying to reach into his mind the way Crow did.

“She’s not a fool. She’s probably left the city by now,” Vaara said. The reality of it was setting in now. The past few days had all been like a pleasant dream, and now he was waking up. This was his doomed reality. This was what the rest of his life would be: powerlessness and shame and blood. Because no one else was coming to help him. And unless Alexei succeeded in capturing her, he wouldn’t be seeing Crow again.

Alexei came close again and crouched beside him. Vaara held his breath.

“I’ve changed my mind. I was being rash, before. I still want you to keep your vision, for now. I enjoy that look of terror on your face when you see me.”

Vaara didn’t move, didn’t relax for even a second, because he knew something else was coming. His entire body was prickling in anticipation of pain.

“But, you still need to be punished.” Alexei gripped Vaara’s wrist, raised the knife above his hand, and brought it down.

Chapter 22

Not long after Vaara had marched back upstairs, Crow heard a crash from the floor above. She sat up straight, listening. There was a series of thumps, and then nothing.

She crept out of the pool and cracked open the door. There were voices upstairs. Voices that were not Vaara. An armored figure appeared at the top of the stairs.

Her heart shot into her throat. She darted behind the door, still naked and unarmed, cool air prickling her skin.

The door opened. As the man emerged from the doorway, Crow’s hand clamped around his chin. He froze as Crow dove into his mind.

Alexei was here. And more guards. And Vaara was—

In the man’s mind, she saw an image of Vaara on the ground, not moving.

A lump of fear stuck in her throat. She couldn’t go to him. Even if she made this one fight for her, she couldn’t beat all of them.

There is no one here,she thought to the guard.The bathroom is empty.

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