Page 26 of Decoy

In this moment, harming her felt utterly impossible. “If you suspect me, then why are you alone with me?”

“Answers…and revenge.”

My pounding heart escalated.She knew. It was difficult to speak past the emotion suddenly clogging my throat, but I managed a few trembling words. “Whatever do you mean, Princess?”

Her sharp glare only enhanced her beauty, luring me further into her control. “Enough with the games. We both understand the reason for my accusation. Only my need for answers is greater than the sense urging me to make my escape.”

Her words only confirmed she knew my crime, but the part of me that had secretly hoped I’d be caught only felt relief. She must have detected the poison, a skill exclusive to only a few select types of individuals, none of whom fit the traditional image of a princess. As if I needed any more tantalizing puzzles to weaken my resolve.

“Will you attempt to salvage your pathetic honor by confessing?”

I needed to dosomethingto ease the guilt relentlessly attacking my conscience. For the first time in my life I’d acted beyond mere theory and taken action, but none of my studies could have prepared me for the horror that accompanied such a nefarious deed, nor the notion I’d rather be buried alive than face the reality of what I’d done.

Aversion prickled my skin, the sensation of blood staining my hands. Sharp, hyperventilating breaths smothered my senses as I frantically tried to wipe it away, but it clung to me cloyingly, impossible to escape.

She warily eyed my reaction through narrowed eyes. “Your reaction seems to be the manifestation of a guilty conscience, but I’d prefer a confession in words. Perhaps a bit of persuasion is in order.” To my horror, she began lifting her skirt with achingly slow, toying movements.

Panic immediately swelled. What the blazes was she doing? Such apersuasionextended beyond mere toying and into the realm of torture.

Before I had a chance to find my voice to plead for her to lower her skirt, I glimpsed a knife-like letter opener she’d tied to her thigh. My breathless voice faltered, my gaze riveted to her hidden weapon. One would think a girl lifting her skirt would have been enough to further set my heart pounding, but I’d never seen anything more attractive than a woman in possession of a concealed weapon. Despite the chill of the dark corridor, it was suddenly much too hot.

At my silent shock she lifted a coy eyebrow that, combined with the letter opener strapped to her thigh, was nearly my undoing. “I take it it’s improper for a princess to lift her skirt, even to retrieve her concealed weapon?”

I swallowed. “I—I suppose they failed to mention such etiquette after restoring you to your position.” Yet in this instance I found I didn’t mind.

“I have no reason to follow such protocol when a scoundrel threatens my life.” She tugged the weapon free. “Now, will we do this the easy way, or will I need topersuadeyou?” She waved her knife tauntingly.

With her skirt lowered I managed to regain my hold over my faltering emotions. “That’s not going to work on me, Princess. I’m trained against falling for such simple tricks—”

Our entertaining waltz took an unexpected turn when she suddenly threw the letter opener at me; it whooshed past, narrowly missing me by inches to stick into the wall behind me in the space between the stones, a narrow target that could only be hit with precise accuracy. Rather than my usual instinct taking over to draw my own weapon, for the first time in my career as an assassin, shock rendered me frozen.

What had just happened?

I shouldn’t have been so startled. Last night’s cut along my cheek already proved she was capable of throwing a dagger, but nothing could have prepared me for such accuracy.

In the time I scrambled for the thoughts muddled by my surprise, she pushed me against the wall and pressed her arm against my chest to pin me in place. Rather than fight her, I went willingly. She yanked the letter opener from the wall and held it to my throat, fire in her eyes.

“It appears this is the game you want to play.”

I continued gaping at her. “You have a knife at my throat.”

“Indeed.” She caressed it tauntingly along my neck, a warning that my life was in danger…but rather than experiencing full awareness of my own mortality, instead I only felt…alive.

None of my careful training could have prepared me for how to handle a beautiful woman catching me unawares by holding a dagger to my throat, for the first time leaving me no longer the one firmly in control.

To my surprise, I found Ilikedit. She stood close enough for me to see the freckles brushing the tip of her nose, the deep brown of her eyes glistening with her fiery spirit, and the smell of her freesia perfume that curled itself around the last of my resolve.

Such intriguing spunk would only make it that much harder to kill her. Even in this position I could easily reach for one of my hidden daggers and overpower her long enough to plunge my knife into—

My vision spun just from thinking of the violent act. I closed my eyes until the world gradually steadied and opened them to find the princess leaning even closer, her brows furrowed in a rather alluring way. I found myself mesmerized, a test to my resolve I felt entirely doomed to fail. Though I had a myriad of ways to escape, I found myself quite enjoying the position and feeling inclined to linger.

“Are you going to kill me, Princess?” The idea felt almost relieving, offering me a much-needed escape from the bloody duty I’d do anything to avoid.

“I make no promises to keep such a dangerous man alive once I uncover the motive behind your poorly executed plot.” She gave her makeshift weapon a perusing glance. “A letter opener would get the job done, but I have no reason to resort to such a method when there are much more effective weapons at my disposal.” By her glint of mischief, I knew she meant to claim thismore effective weaponfrom me.

“My sword is too heavy for you to effectively wield.” Though I wouldn’t object to seeing her try.

“I’m sure you have another here somewhere.” With a bewitching smile, she rested her hand against my chest, directly above my heart. My pulse quickened as her fingers traced along my chest en route to my cloak pocket. She searched a moment before withdrawing her prize with a triumphant smirk. “I’ve been looking for this, additional evidence you’re the odious man I keep encountering.”

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