Page 125 of A Tribute of Fire

I couldn’t see his face, but I heard the desire in his voice when he answered, “A kiss.”

A kiss? I should have been disgusted. Or infuriated. I should have kicked him in the groin for that kind of demand.

Instead my lips tingled with anticipation, my heart beat as quickly as Kunguru’s wings, and my knees threatened to stop functioning.

I should not be tempted.

But I was.

“I already paid my toll earlier when I didn’t cut out your Ilionian heart and show it to you on a silver platter.”

His response surprised me. He laughed. So loudly that it echoed off the walls surrounding us.

When his laughter finally subsided, he said, “I have missed you, Lia.”

My stomach hollowed out at his words, but I refused to be swayed.

He took a step closer to me. “You’re right, though. When you kiss me, it will be because you choose to, not because I tricked you into it.”

I felt his words against my skin, like he was touching me. I straightened my back and moved away from him. I noted his word choice. “When,” not “if.” Clearing my throat I said, “Either take me somewhere that I can find a Locrian sailor or get out of my way.”

His face was still cloaked in shadows, but I felt his gaze upon me. “Fine. I’ll show you. But I won’t be held accountable for whatever happens next.”

Jason walked away and it took me a second to follow.

He had been speaking about thieves and ruffians and drunken sailors and the kind of danger they might present to me.

I was far more concerned about what might happen next with him.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

“Why do you need a Locrian sailor if you don’t intend to leave?” he asked.

This night was going to drag on so slowly if I kept avoiding his questions. I’d seen him fight—he wasn’t the kind to give up. He might also prove useful in helping me locate the right messenger. He knew the docks far better than I did. In this instance I should share with him.

“I want to send a message to Locris to let my parents know that I’m alive. So I have to find someone I can trust, who will get there quickly.”

“You could trust me. I would deliver your message for you.”

Not able to help myself, I let out a short bark of laughter. “I barely know you.”

“You won’t know this sailor you choose at all.”

“Yes, but he will be Locrian, which automatically makes him more trustworthy than you.”

“You already know me almost as well as anyone in this city. But if you feel that you don’t, then you should get to know me,” he offered. “Ask me any question and I’ll answer.”

I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, but there had been one in particular that had plagued me since it had happened. “When we were on theNikos, why did the pirates throw red dirt onto the deck?”

“I don’t know why. I don’t know who they were.”

Was he telling me the truth? I couldn’t be certain. I stole a glance at his face. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“Because if it were not for your insatiable curiosity, I think that you might never speak to me again.”

“You’re right.” Jason was only a means to an end. He was not someone that I would seek out for any other reason.

Even if my body currently had a thousand reasons why I should do just that.

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